[net.religion] Non-Sectarian Dinner Prayer

ea@hogpc.UUCP (E.ARIAS) (02/21/84)

My wife is in need of a non-sectarian dinner prayer 
to lead a group of Club Scouts in saying grace at a
group dinner.

Participants will represent many faiths.  We would be 
very grateful if a person on the net could provide a
prayer or reference.

Many Thanks,
Ernie Arias 	[ihnp4!]hogpc!ea

pector@ihuxw.UUCP (Scott W. Pector) (02/22/84)

At first, this seems to be quite difficult.  But I think I have found
a way to not offend the followers of any religion or philosophy, or any
atheists!  In fact, here are two alternatives:

	1.  We'd like to thank the Invisible Hand of Adam Smith, for
	    it is not due to the kindness of the butcher or the farmer
	    or the processor or the grocer or ...  that we have our
	    sustenance before us today; rather, it is the needs and greed
	    of the above parties that invisibly guides them to provide
	    for our well-being.  Amen.

	2.  We'd like to thank the good people at (fill-in-your-food-
	    stores) for selling the sustenance before us and to thank
	    all those who, in a chain of services, allow the (foodstores)
	    to stock what we are about to eat.  We'd also like to thank
	    (fill-in-your-employers) for the money we had to purchase
	    the aforementioned sustenance.  Amen.

I hope these suffice.  (This isn't sarcastic, it's just good clean fun.
Honestly, I don't know how ANYONE can make a prayer that would not offend
SOME group.  Remember, atheists are people, too!)

						Scott Pector

mcmillan@eosp1.UUCP (John McMillan) (02/22/84)

"May The Force be with you."
					- Toby Robison
					allegra!eosp1!robison
					decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison
					princeton!eosp1!robison
					(NOTE! NOT McMillan; Robison.)

pso@utastro.UUCP (P Samuel Odoms) (02/23/84)

But what if one (or more) of the Cub Scouts is atheistic?  And why do you
need to have a prayer for a Scout dinner party anyway?

---
From one who doesn't need a crutch,
Sam

bch@unc.UUCP (Byron Howes ) (02/23/84)

The following is the Philmont Prayer, used at the Philmont National 
Scout Camp (courtesy O. Ivins:)

For food,
For rainment,
For friendship,
For fellowship.
For all these things,
We thank thee Lord.   Amen.

I suspect this would be singularly appropriate for a cub scout dinner,
given the source.  Were I using it, I might modify the last line to
read:

For all these things,
We give our thanks.

In case there were those who might be put off by the use of Lord.
-- 

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"

					   Byron Howes
					UNC - Chapel Hill
				  ({decvax,akgua}!mcnc!unc!bch)

scw@cepu.UUCP (02/27/84)

"For what we are about to recieve, may we be truly grateful."
-- 
Stephen C. Woods (VA Wadsworth Med Ctr./UCLA Dept. of Neurology)
uucp:	{ {ihnp4, uiucdcs}!bradley, hao, trwrb, sdcsvax!bmcg}!cepu!scw
ARPA: cepu!scw@ucla-locus
location: N 34 06'37" W 118 25'43"