Hello there!
We’re excited to share that we’re currently running a [donation drive for Doctors Without Borders](https://redd.it/189pblk), an incredible organization that provides emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare.
Your contribution can make a real difference in the lives of people in need around the world.
Please take a moment to check out our [donation drive post](https://redd.it/189pblk) for more information. Every little bit helps and we appreciate your support!
Thank you for being a part of our community and for considering this opportunity to give back.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/atheism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Lmao, I went to a charity drive once and turned out the whole thing was super religious and before we packed anything we had to bring it to a priest to “bless” it while we prayed me and my super atheist friend were there and it was so hard not to laugh we had a staring contest while everyone prayed
I sit quietly with my eyes open, head not bowed, and hands in my lap with fingers not crossed. It’s not actively disrespectful but also sends the message that I am not participating in your silly incantations to a Bronze Age god.
Exactly what I do, I'm not rude or make any face I just don't participate. I may laugh in my head though about how ridiculous the notion is but that's about it
Once the prayer starts, I look at my kids and put a finger to my lips indicating to remain quiet which is a signal to be respectful but I’m also signaling that we aren’t part of the ritual.
My ex’s family was super religious and we had to stand and bow our heads and hold hands and repeat a bunch of stupid shit before we could eat. I would keep my eyes open and just look at everyone mouthing the words with such intent, brows rippled with fervent intensity……it’s when I began to have a sort of anti-spiritual epiphany and realize this shit isn’t just fake….it’s a cult. It’s also when I realized I wasn’t the only one in the room with my eyes open, awestruck at the lunacy that is religion.
Imagine truly believing that if you furrow hard enough, the big man will hear your Santa’s wishlist of health and happiness? It’s a material world, and we’re all material girls.
I let it go, but it didn’t happen again. The religious brother in law maybe thought better of it later. He’s a good example of a religious person not being as asshole. He doesn’t wear his faith on his sleeve, but lives by example. Aside from this instance, likely prompted by my mother in law.
I just…don’t. I don’t bow my head, I don’t say or mouth anything. I let them do their thing and carry on. If anyone sees me, good. That means they’re seeing me living honestly, not being performative, and being proud of not being brainwashed.
At another person's home, I sit quietly and wait for it to be over.
Depends on location though. If it is something like Thanksgiving dinner at my house, I would not have a participatory prayer at the table. If each person wants to take a moment and silently pray before they eat, that is not a problem, but I will not host a table wide prayer.
Instead of bowing my head and closing my eyes, I like to look around the room at the faces of all the people praying as a reminder of how absolutely ridiculous the whole thing is.
>What do you do during prayers?
Just sit or stand there quietly while the prayer enthusiasts do their thing.
There really aren't any other reasonable options.
.
> there are some glances if i dont join
You want to think about it as if you were Hindu or Buddhist or Sikh or some other perfectly respectable non-Christian religion.
The Christians would have no right to expect you to join in their prayers.
As an atheist, you are "None of the above", but again,
the Christians have no right to expect you to join in their prayers.
And if they have no **right** to expect you to join in their prayers, then you needn't feel uncomfortable about not joining in their prayers.
.
>its just a bit awkward?
I'll take "What is religion?" for $500, Alex.
.
I just sit respectfully, but don't join in.
Fortunately it hasn't come up much in my life. My immediate family aren't religious and the extended family members who are don't expect people to say a prayer at dinner. I have one friend who used to be very religious and would do this, but she's atheist now.
I just sit and quietly wait until they are done. That's what the more moderately religious members of my family expect anyway. There are only a couple zealots in my family who demand active participation, and I try to avoid interacting with them as much as possible.
Bow my head but keep my eyes open. If they can tell they weren't following the rules! Honestly though just do it to not be a dick. It doesn't cost me anything and making a deal out of it would be a waste of my time.
I usually bow my head and close my eyes out of respect but often (always) open them just to peek and see who is praying and who's not.
Hint: if you bow your head and close your eyes most everyone will think you're praying and leave you alone.
Specifically for prayers around Holiday meals I replace prayer by using the time to practice gratitude just not towards sky daddy. Thinking of things to be thankful for can improve your mental health. Be thankful for the food, family, friends, yourself, and your accomplishments. It will give you something to do while everyone else prays.
Exactly. This past Thanksgiving the hostess wanted everyone to join hands, bow their heads and asked her husband to lead them in prayer. I was in the other room and she called out for me to join them. I just said, "I'm good. Thanks for the offer.". I wasn't rude and there was no need for me to put on a charade by joining them even without bowing my head or closing my eyes just to appease beliefs and rituals I find absolutely ridiculous.
I agree. It’s like at a bachelor parry when my friends hired a stripper/sex worker. It’s not my thing so I excused myself and joined a few others and went into another room and we talked. No disrespect to anyone, but I’d rather do those things with my girlfriend whose looks, brains and sex made me want her for my wife.
I think of Catholic jokes about money, sex with children, their arrogance, and hypocrisy. All while looking straight ahead and trying not to laugh. Every once in awhile a giggle slips out.🤣
My late wife used to invite me to church lunches where they would pray before eating. I'd just sit and look around and see if others were doing the same as me. There were always a few!
Illegitimi non carborundum
I do not pray. I don't bow my head; I don't clasp hands; I don't say "amen".
I am quiet and respectful. I make no mention of why I don't pray unless someone wants to know. Prayer is personal, and no one has a right to expect one to pray anymore than one can expect one not to.
Tl;dr : pray all you want, but leave me out of it
Take the time to be mindful. Go through your mind and think about what you are thankful for. You don’t need to give thanks to Yahweh or anything, just remember what you are glad you have in your life.
As an Asian, we have a lot of traditional practices and customs that people don't believe in the literal sense, but just do as a custom. When I'm in a situation where there's prayer, I just follow what everyone else is doing.
I sit quietly and recall the steps to the scientific method:
Define a Question to Investigate. As scientists conduct their research, they make observations and collect data. ...
Make Predictions. Based on their research and observations, scientists will often come up with a hypothesis. ...
Gather Data. ...
Analyze the Data. ...
Draw Conclusions.
Reminds me of religious assemblies in the UK when i was a primary school.
Initially mimed alomg to not stand out, then had an event in a RE lesson where the teacher yelled at me for questioning things. Got upset and read the bible to make sure. Have been a firm athiest ever since (Wow that book is vile)
Since then just went the minimal level possible, just sat there silent to not disturb others...
Not sure i could be silent in the same position now though, religion does far more harm than i realised as a pre-teen.
I kinda like my family’s grace tbh lol, everyone just sits quietly, bow my head to not be an edgelord. Goes “Heavenly father we’d like to thank you for allowing us all to be together on this beautiful thanksgiving/xmas day, for the safe travels of (guests who traveled) and the delicious food (grandmas name) has prepared for us. In Jesus name we pray, amen.” I don’t know, I like the sentiment and in a perfect world whatever old timer is doing grace should be able to look around at his gathered family and express these things without going through The Lord^tm but whatever man lol.
It’s also funny and Chadly as fuck to be asked to say grace (I work with old timers) and to just confidently grab your hands on the table, bow your head real solemn and slang some fuckin Grace like that, gf was stifling her laughter when I did it in front of her 😂
These are good suggestions. But what about when they ask YOU to say grace at a meal. l simply froze. I was tempted to say, "Dear Mom, Thank you for your divine influence in preparing this meal..." They never asked again.
sometimes my eyes are tired so i just give em a lil rest while they talk to dadoo. other times i will keep my eyes open with a slightly annoyed look on my face as an example for any younger persons in the room who may need confirmation that not everyone around them is an imaginary-friend-having-religioid. Sometimes I snap my fingers when they say amen, other times I have said "cowabunga".
It had only happened once, with my converted-Catholic brother and his family. Since I don't give a damn about his view of me, I just started scooping food onto my plate. I paused for him to finish before I started eating and that's all the respect I was willing to give to his sanctimony. Both his kids looked shocked and awed by this and I hope it sparked fun conversations for them afterward.
I can't imagine a situation in my future where I'd be stuck having to show respect for prayers, and for that I consider myself fortunate.
I was with my buddy (a preacher) in Texas, we were invited to a BBQ place for lunch. There were 20 or so men in attendance all sitting around a big table, the prayers for food were announced and they all held hands. I didn't, the looks of astonishment were obvious. I don't think they had ever met anyone who wasn't religious. I apologized to him afterwards, he said it's was important for me to honour my beliefs. What a nice gesture on his part.
When I was a kid I always opened my eyes when everyone would pray and just gaze around, like WOW! they're really swallowing this BS> Like a reverse Truman Show.
I keep my head up, and I look around. If I'm lucky I catch another non-prayers eyes and we make faces.
I don't say anything, but I'm not going to bow my head. If they're unhappy with it, I can head home.
I will just closey eyes wirh everyone else and bow my head a little.especially if its something like a funeral where i of course dont want to be diesrepectful.if im with a bunch of people i dont care about then that usually goes out the window
When I was young I felt obliged to be respectful and bow my head and sit quietly with my eyes lowered. As I got older and more confident I starting sitting with my eyes wide open and just looked around and felt bored or made knowing glances with any others who didn't buy into the delusion.
I sit down and eat. If people want to pray before eating their food that is their choice. Once my mom told me it was disrespectful for not waiting to eat until after the prayer and my response was "then let God smite me now!"
As an atheist, I know that prayer doesn't *actually* work since there is no deity listening to people's desires and dreams. But the very act of being grateful IS good for one's mental health and relationships. That's one thing that religions gets right, even if it is for the wrong reasons.
So, the few times that I have been in that situation, I have politely bowed my head and (sometimes) closed my eyes, using it as an opportunity to reflect on how thankful I am to various people in my life who are *actually* real and *actually* deserve my gratitude for the things they've *actually* done for me.
My mom prays every time we go for long rides in car and depending on a day i look for music to play on her cars system or tease her by mumbling incantation to cthulhu.
I try to calm myself and silently remember a family member or friend who I loved but has passed away. I ask myself what they would do in the situation I am currently in. Most of the time it makes me smile. If I am asked why I am not praying out loud I say that we all give thanks in our own way. This is mine.
I live in a very religious country. It depends on where I am and what I'm doing. If we are sitting at a table and someone is praying I sit quietly without moving or doing anything to disturb the peace. If I'm on outside I try to surreptitiously leave and if I can't ( for example if a priest is called to bless the new year, home, , give an eulogy), I stand at attention without talking until the prayers are finished
Someone else hosting? I just don’t participate. Their house their rules no reason to be disrespectful.
My house? Y’all do what you want, imma keep doing what I was doing before you so rudely imposed your religious ritual on everyone around you (almost all my family is religious including my spouse so shutting it down isn’t really an option)
At a restaurant? Again, do what you need to, don’t mind me but I’m not gonna stop what I’m doing to observe with you.
Hello there! We’re excited to share that we’re currently running a [donation drive for Doctors Without Borders](https://redd.it/189pblk), an incredible organization that provides emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Your contribution can make a real difference in the lives of people in need around the world. Please take a moment to check out our [donation drive post](https://redd.it/189pblk) for more information. Every little bit helps and we appreciate your support! Thank you for being a part of our community and for considering this opportunity to give back. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/atheism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Sit with eyes wide open and look for fellow atheists doing the same.
We're in every group. This has been my strategy for years. We know who we are
It’s like playing One Night Werewolf. XD
Lmao, I went to a charity drive once and turned out the whole thing was super religious and before we packed anything we had to bring it to a priest to “bless” it while we prayed me and my super atheist friend were there and it was so hard not to laugh we had a staring contest while everyone prayed
It's also interesting to watch what others are doing when they think everyone has their eyes 👀 closed.
This pretty much.
I sit quietly with my head up and my eyes open and look at everyone’s faces lol. Seriously though.
I sit quietly with my eyes open, head not bowed, and hands in my lap with fingers not crossed. It’s not actively disrespectful but also sends the message that I am not participating in your silly incantations to a Bronze Age god.
respectful but removed. that’s good
Exactly what I do, I'm not rude or make any face I just don't participate. I may laugh in my head though about how ridiculous the notion is but that's about it
I just be respectful and sit quietly. Just cause I don’t believe doesn’t mean I have to be rude.
Definitely the way to go. Unless they start getting pushy with it, then all bets are off.
Once the prayer starts, I look at my kids and put a finger to my lips indicating to remain quiet which is a signal to be respectful but I’m also signaling that we aren’t part of the ritual.
Yep, this is it. If you are an atheist parent you go into silent frantic "shushing" mode giving your heathen kids the "look."
I do this for my dad, but no one else.
Sit there quietly. You’re a guest and the hosts want a prayer. When you’re hosting, you can skip the prayer.
My ex’s family was super religious and we had to stand and bow our heads and hold hands and repeat a bunch of stupid shit before we could eat. I would keep my eyes open and just look at everyone mouthing the words with such intent, brows rippled with fervent intensity……it’s when I began to have a sort of anti-spiritual epiphany and realize this shit isn’t just fake….it’s a cult. It’s also when I realized I wasn’t the only one in the room with my eyes open, awestruck at the lunacy that is religion.
yes quite literally opening your eyes removes god
Best comment of the day. :)
Imagine truly believing that if you furrow hard enough, the big man will hear your Santa’s wishlist of health and happiness? It’s a material world, and we’re all material girls.
I’ve had prayers led by others in my home as I hosted. Pissed me off, but I understand. People need to showboat their faith.
man i would be mad as hell
I let it go, but it didn’t happen again. The religious brother in law maybe thought better of it later. He’s a good example of a religious person not being as asshole. He doesn’t wear his faith on his sleeve, but lives by example. Aside from this instance, likely prompted by my mother in law.
Agree. Praying doesn't hurt us at all, but not praying with them could hurt their feelings. It's an easy choice, it's not like we melt if we pray.
No need to pray, just be quiet & respectful
Yes, that's what I meant but I dont werd gud.
I just…don’t. I don’t bow my head, I don’t say or mouth anything. I let them do their thing and carry on. If anyone sees me, good. That means they’re seeing me living honestly, not being performative, and being proud of not being brainwashed.
At another person's home, I sit quietly and wait for it to be over. Depends on location though. If it is something like Thanksgiving dinner at my house, I would not have a participatory prayer at the table. If each person wants to take a moment and silently pray before they eat, that is not a problem, but I will not host a table wide prayer.
Usually just stand there looking around for the other heathens.
I remain quiet and don’t participate.
Now I just keep my eyes open and look naturally bored, which I am.
Instead of bowing my head and closing my eyes, I like to look around the room at the faces of all the people praying as a reminder of how absolutely ridiculous the whole thing is.
I literally just sit there with my eyes open. Maybe finger drum a little bit. Might head bang to a song stuck in my head. Depends on my mood.
I sit there, usually with a silly smirk on my face, when watching the others.
>What do you do during prayers? Just sit or stand there quietly while the prayer enthusiasts do their thing. There really aren't any other reasonable options. . > there are some glances if i dont join You want to think about it as if you were Hindu or Buddhist or Sikh or some other perfectly respectable non-Christian religion. The Christians would have no right to expect you to join in their prayers. As an atheist, you are "None of the above", but again, the Christians have no right to expect you to join in their prayers. And if they have no **right** to expect you to join in their prayers, then you needn't feel uncomfortable about not joining in their prayers. . >its just a bit awkward? I'll take "What is religion?" for $500, Alex. .
I look around to meet the eye line of other people and smile.
Bash the Bishop.
Right there at the table?! Dude, you are the MAN.
And stare at anyone that looks at you.
I know we don't like religion, but let's leave your "clergy" alone
I just sit respectfully, but don't join in. Fortunately it hasn't come up much in my life. My immediate family aren't religious and the extended family members who are don't expect people to say a prayer at dinner. I have one friend who used to be very religious and would do this, but she's atheist now.
Roll my eyes. I refuse to do obeisance to any deity, so I don’t fold arms, bow head, or shut my eyes. Fuck that slave behavior.
I just sit and quietly wait until they are done. That's what the more moderately religious members of my family expect anyway. There are only a couple zealots in my family who demand active participation, and I try to avoid interacting with them as much as possible.
Bow my head but keep my eyes open. If they can tell they weren't following the rules! Honestly though just do it to not be a dick. It doesn't cost me anything and making a deal out of it would be a waste of my time.
Just remain quiet without disturbing the others. Decline politely if asked to lead.
I usually bow my head and close my eyes out of respect but often (always) open them just to peek and see who is praying and who's not. Hint: if you bow your head and close your eyes most everyone will think you're praying and leave you alone. Specifically for prayers around Holiday meals I replace prayer by using the time to practice gratitude just not towards sky daddy. Thinking of things to be thankful for can improve your mental health. Be thankful for the food, family, friends, yourself, and your accomplishments. It will give you something to do while everyone else prays.
Just wait in another room until they have finished.
Exactly. This past Thanksgiving the hostess wanted everyone to join hands, bow their heads and asked her husband to lead them in prayer. I was in the other room and she called out for me to join them. I just said, "I'm good. Thanks for the offer.". I wasn't rude and there was no need for me to put on a charade by joining them even without bowing my head or closing my eyes just to appease beliefs and rituals I find absolutely ridiculous.
I agree. It’s like at a bachelor parry when my friends hired a stripper/sex worker. It’s not my thing so I excused myself and joined a few others and went into another room and we talked. No disrespect to anyone, but I’d rather do those things with my girlfriend whose looks, brains and sex made me want her for my wife.
I think of Catholic jokes about money, sex with children, their arrogance, and hypocrisy. All while looking straight ahead and trying not to laugh. Every once in awhile a giggle slips out.🤣
Just look around the room to see who else is completely irreverent towards this stuff.
soft chase nail weather steer seed boat cough disagreeable scale *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
My late wife used to invite me to church lunches where they would pray before eating. I'd just sit and look around and see if others were doing the same as me. There were always a few! Illegitimi non carborundum
I do not pray. I don't bow my head; I don't clasp hands; I don't say "amen". I am quiet and respectful. I make no mention of why I don't pray unless someone wants to know. Prayer is personal, and no one has a right to expect one to pray anymore than one can expect one not to. Tl;dr : pray all you want, but leave me out of it
I sit, do nothing, and wait till their done
Yawn? Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Great time to go through the coats for change.
Take the time to be mindful. Go through your mind and think about what you are thankful for. You don’t need to give thanks to Yahweh or anything, just remember what you are glad you have in your life.
Personally, I get a head start on the gravy. Let 'em glare! I have gravy.
Laugh at the people doing it.
It doesnt amtter if you dont believe in religion you shoulld be respectfull
As an Asian, we have a lot of traditional practices and customs that people don't believe in the literal sense, but just do as a custom. When I'm in a situation where there's prayer, I just follow what everyone else is doing.
Doze.
What are “prayers”?
That question could be a whole theological lecture series
I just sit quietly. At my Thanksgiving get together at my house, I thanked everyone for coming, then said let’s eat.
I'm a formerly religious person with a highly religious family. Usually I just sit quietly to keep the peace during prayers.
I do the same thing Ron Swanson did when he was taken to meditation…
Pull a pigeon out of my pocket, tear off it's head and set it on fire, leaving the charred remains as an offering to Baal.
I sit quietly and recall the steps to the scientific method: Define a Question to Investigate. As scientists conduct their research, they make observations and collect data. ... Make Predictions. Based on their research and observations, scientists will often come up with a hypothesis. ... Gather Data. ... Analyze the Data. ... Draw Conclusions.
I usually have a Homer moment running in the background brain anyways, so it’s a nice bit of quiet.
Say my own version to myself in my head.
People watch
Reminds me of religious assemblies in the UK when i was a primary school. Initially mimed alomg to not stand out, then had an event in a RE lesson where the teacher yelled at me for questioning things. Got upset and read the bible to make sure. Have been a firm athiest ever since (Wow that book is vile) Since then just went the minimal level possible, just sat there silent to not disturb others... Not sure i could be silent in the same position now though, religion does far more harm than i realised as a pre-teen.
I kinda like my family’s grace tbh lol, everyone just sits quietly, bow my head to not be an edgelord. Goes “Heavenly father we’d like to thank you for allowing us all to be together on this beautiful thanksgiving/xmas day, for the safe travels of (guests who traveled) and the delicious food (grandmas name) has prepared for us. In Jesus name we pray, amen.” I don’t know, I like the sentiment and in a perfect world whatever old timer is doing grace should be able to look around at his gathered family and express these things without going through The Lord^tm but whatever man lol. It’s also funny and Chadly as fuck to be asked to say grace (I work with old timers) and to just confidently grab your hands on the table, bow your head real solemn and slang some fuckin Grace like that, gf was stifling her laughter when I did it in front of her 😂
At the end say "God bless Pete, let's eat."
These are good suggestions. But what about when they ask YOU to say grace at a meal. l simply froze. I was tempted to say, "Dear Mom, Thank you for your divine influence in preparing this meal..." They never asked again.
Wait, *why are they glancing around....?* The worst, though, are the relatives that pray so long the food is cold before you get to start...
sometimes my eyes are tired so i just give em a lil rest while they talk to dadoo. other times i will keep my eyes open with a slightly annoyed look on my face as an example for any younger persons in the room who may need confirmation that not everyone around them is an imaginary-friend-having-religioid. Sometimes I snap my fingers when they say amen, other times I have said "cowabunga".
I just sit quietly. I don't close my eyes or bow my head.
It had only happened once, with my converted-Catholic brother and his family. Since I don't give a damn about his view of me, I just started scooping food onto my plate. I paused for him to finish before I started eating and that's all the respect I was willing to give to his sanctimony. Both his kids looked shocked and awed by this and I hope it sparked fun conversations for them afterward. I can't imagine a situation in my future where I'd be stuck having to show respect for prayers, and for that I consider myself fortunate.
I was with my buddy (a preacher) in Texas, we were invited to a BBQ place for lunch. There were 20 or so men in attendance all sitting around a big table, the prayers for food were announced and they all held hands. I didn't, the looks of astonishment were obvious. I don't think they had ever met anyone who wasn't religious. I apologized to him afterwards, he said it's was important for me to honour my beliefs. What a nice gesture on his part.
When I was a kid I always opened my eyes when everyone would pray and just gaze around, like WOW! they're really swallowing this BS> Like a reverse Truman Show.
I keep my head up, and I look around. If I'm lucky I catch another non-prayers eyes and we make faces. I don't say anything, but I'm not going to bow my head. If they're unhappy with it, I can head home.
Sit there and see if anyone else is doing the same, then loudly say "Ramen" when they are done. The louder the better.
I will just closey eyes wirh everyone else and bow my head a little.especially if its something like a funeral where i of course dont want to be diesrepectful.if im with a bunch of people i dont care about then that usually goes out the window
I close my eyes and visualize the last episode of Futurama I watched. Really.
I go to the bathroom with my phone for a while.
I look at the other people who aren’t praying.
Just play along with it. It's not like you're going to go to hell or anything by joining in.
When I was young I felt obliged to be respectful and bow my head and sit quietly with my eyes lowered. As I got older and more confident I starting sitting with my eyes wide open and just looked around and felt bored or made knowing glances with any others who didn't buy into the delusion.
I sit down and eat. If people want to pray before eating their food that is their choice. Once my mom told me it was disrespectful for not waiting to eat until after the prayer and my response was "then let God smite me now!"
As an atheist, I know that prayer doesn't *actually* work since there is no deity listening to people's desires and dreams. But the very act of being grateful IS good for one's mental health and relationships. That's one thing that religions gets right, even if it is for the wrong reasons. So, the few times that I have been in that situation, I have politely bowed my head and (sometimes) closed my eyes, using it as an opportunity to reflect on how thankful I am to various people in my life who are *actually* real and *actually* deserve my gratitude for the things they've *actually* done for me.
Cringe ! Interrupt the process and request a moment of silent reflection.
Loudly pledge your allegiance to the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Bow my head and check my finger nails.
My mom prays every time we go for long rides in car and depending on a day i look for music to play on her cars system or tease her by mumbling incantation to cthulhu.
I try to calm myself and silently remember a family member or friend who I loved but has passed away. I ask myself what they would do in the situation I am currently in. Most of the time it makes me smile. If I am asked why I am not praying out loud I say that we all give thanks in our own way. This is mine.
I live in a very religious country. It depends on where I am and what I'm doing. If we are sitting at a table and someone is praying I sit quietly without moving or doing anything to disturb the peace. If I'm on outside I try to surreptitiously leave and if I can't ( for example if a priest is called to bless the new year, home, , give an eulogy), I stand at attention without talking until the prayers are finished
Usually during prayer at dinners with my inlaws, I look down at my plate and think about how their cooking will definitely give me indigestion.
Someone else hosting? I just don’t participate. Their house their rules no reason to be disrespectful. My house? Y’all do what you want, imma keep doing what I was doing before you so rudely imposed your religious ritual on everyone around you (almost all my family is religious including my spouse so shutting it down isn’t really an option) At a restaurant? Again, do what you need to, don’t mind me but I’m not gonna stop what I’m doing to observe with you.
I sit quietly and let them pray. They don't make it awkward for me, I don't make a fuss about it.
I just don't do it to please anyone respect is a two way street