Forced to give 'thanks'.

[Ozraptor]

So, today at dinner, one of the people in my family say grace(thanking "god" for the food or w/e), it usually isnt me because my mother knows that im an atheist. BUT we had people over at our house, and my mom asked me to say grace, there was an awkward silence, followed by me telling my mom politely 'i dont know what to say'. She started to get aggitated and told me to think of something. So i thought of something stupid to say, and dinner went on and we all lived to tell the tale.

D:< She knew i was an atheist! I dont think i should be forced to thank someone whom i dont think exists! I wanted to say no, but there was people there. So not fair.

Has something like this ever happened to any of you?

 

[Ryuuko666]

No, actually it hasn't.
The area I live in is mostly Atheist and Shintoist so it's very calm and completely void of all monotheistic ideas found in Christianity, Judaism, etc.....
So I'm very lucky to know no one who's into a 'mainstream' religion.  

[Tchaik]

Yeah, my family insists on turning Thanksgiving into a "Thanks-to-God-Giving", so it gets awkward for me.
Last year, they made everyone go around and say something they were thankful (to God) for. I thanked specifically my family for some things, and I got those disapproving glares.
D: I try say some nice things about my family, and this is the s**t I get in return...*grumble*

 

[OmG NoMoR3]

My boyfriend's parents are crazy backwoods religious... Some of his extended family are even floor-writhing tongue speakers. o.O; When at a BBQ, I was asked to say it, but it was so early in the relationship, I was able to fake being shy and politely decline... >.> They didn't know I was atheist then, but oh, do they know now. O.o  

[Levis Pennae]

Last Thanksgiving my mom made me do grace, even though everyone there knew I was an atheist. So I gave grace to the holy FSM.  

[Daffodil the Destroyer]

My parents infuriate me with things like this every time our family has a big holiday dinner, and recently on random occasions when my boyfriend and I go to their house for dinner. My mother knows that my boyfriend is an atheist, and while she doesn't know that I am, she knows I'm not a Christian - yet she insists on making us sit there while she kisses God's a** by making up the corniest prayers imaginable. I wouldn't have a problem with it if it was an everyday routine for them - after all, if I'm in their house I will respect their rituals just as I expect them to respect mine in my house... but my parents never say grace at meals except on these occasions. I don't know what kind of show they're trying to put on for two atheists.  

[Xiporah]

Nope. My family never said prayers at the table, not even my religious grandparents.

 

[Alphabet Whore]

Oh man, was Thanksgiving fun last year XD...my mother, brother, sister and I aren't religious AT ALL (at most, my mom and bro are agnostic; my sis is too young to know what religion really is) but my stepdad is like UBER CATHOLIC. So we all went around the table, saying what we were thankful for, my real family first. Then it's my stepdad next. He bows his head and goes into this prayer...and when he looks up all four of us are staring at him like...oooo-kaay? Can we eat now? So he gets pissed off, a fight ensues, and me and my end up leaving to camp out at Best Buy an hour later, her fuming.

He said things like..."No wonder this family is f**ked up...blah blah blah..." Like I'm really gonna thank God for food my parents worked so hard for.  

[Tenth Speed Writer]

That's the problem with making God the magic man in the sky who runs everything instead of just a moral figure.

You end up building a religion after him, and people are all "you have to believe GOD IS EVERYTHING or YOU'RE GOING TO HELL FOR NOT BELIEVING IN HIM." You aren't allowed any middle ground. If you thank a person for something God supposedly gave in his amazing grace to you (and not the children dying every few minutes of starvation in poverty), you've pretty much committed heresy.  

[-GS-Sailor Nemesis]

I would have said something like. "I'm thankful I do not lie in ignorance throughout life. I always seek to learn about why things the way they are instead of just accepting what I'm told."  

[CaprinaePsi]

I would have been a smart a** and said, "Thank you God, for a loving and open minded mother who would never put me in a situation which she knows I disagree with or would be awkward for me. I would also like to thank you for not cutting of my limbs, making me blind, deaf and dumb, and for not making me a vegetable, props." -bumps chest with fist and points it up-

Ho'kay, maybe not, but imagine the hilarity/awkwardness that would ensue. :'D  

[Azarni Usagi]

My parents don't know, so sometimes I have to and there isn't any way out of it. I always feel like such a hypocrite, but I'm truly scared of what they'd do. I know they love me, but I honestly would rather be legally and financially independent before I tell them. Only four more years...If I make it that long without exploding!

It really sucks, the only place I can really talk about it is online and to my friends.  

[DivineBlindSoul]

I used to live with my dad and step mother and they are both Christian blah blah blah. They don't pray at meals or anything like that so I'm all happy generally, except when they pick on me occasionally.

BUT!!!

They decided to have a bible study at one point and they FORCED me to go. Like I would be grounded if I didn't attend this stupid bible study, right? What is that...?

But I did crash their Q and A session, which was nice. Everyone wrote down questions anonymously and put them in a hat. I asked ones like:

Should gay marriage be allowed why/why not?
What do you think of the fact that "God" lets child rapists and murders into "heaven"? (( Because all anyone has to do is say that they believe in him and you're in. I believe it says something like that in the bible, no? ))
If two people love each other how is that a bad thing?

Anyway, other smart-a** questions like that. Everyone knew where they came from and I didn't have to go to bible study anymore, it was grand. But they were all stupid answers or they passed over them entirely.

EDIT: I should add that my whole family knows that I'm an atheist.  

[Dathu]

My folks know I'm Atheist, so they never ask or make me.


However, last Thanksgiving I was at a friend's house and his family asked my to say grace. Since I don't know how anymore, and his family has a good sense of humor, I just said the "Baby Jesus" grace from Talladega Nights.  

[neverwisefool]

if someone asked me to say grace I'd say, "grace!" and then start eating. hehe

but for-real, if I were in that situation I'd do 1 of 2 things:

1] say, "I think it would be inappropriate for an atheist to say grace. perhaps (x person) would like to do the honors?"

2] do it in my own way. probably say, "let's have a moment of silence to remember all those who suffer and die for want of something to eat." and then have a moment of silence and move on.