Being prayed for

[BuckingFrolics]

I'm an atheist and my DM knows this - indeed she and my DF raised me as one. She "found god" when my DF left in my early teens

She says she prays for me.

AIBU to tell her to stop, as I find it offensive?

Ask her to stop telling you that she is. Telling her to stop probably would not work anyway.

Yes. She can pray for who she wants. Its not harming u. She is your mum. Not worth potential argument. Let it go. It can only offend u if go let it. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. (The praying not your DM). Bigger problems in the world. Your mum praying for u is not one.

What Blackeyed said.

Yes. You can ask her not to
She may still pray for you when you’re not together - not much you can do about that but if you’re there you have the right to ask them to stop
They should ask your permission first tho

You don't believe in God, why are you offended by your DM praying to something you believe doesn't exist?

She says she prays for me

That's nice. I also talk to cats. Has the same effect. Smile.

As an atheist, I'd be a bit offended too, but I'd also see it that she is pretty much just talking to her imaginary friend about me! As I don't believe in god, her praying for me would annoy me, but it holds no power for me, so would just let it go.

You can ask her to stop talking about it but it's up to her if she wants to say prayers in private

Just say 'thank you' and move on

Why does it matter if it gives her some comfort?

YABU: she means it kindly and it does you no harm.

I’m a Christian although was raised fairly atheist. I often pray for non-Christian friends and family, not as in while they’re sitting there, just when I’m praying generally. If you really don’t believe, just take “I’m praying for you” the same way you’d take someone saying “I’ll be thinking of you”. It’s a way of expressing caring.

It's a bit mean of you. It's just the equivalent of her saying she's thinking of you.

I'm an atheist too but don't get why you need to be offended. If you know God's not real why get wound up about it?

Ask her to stop telling you but she can pray all she wants.
I’m not religious but wouldn’t go as far as saying I’m an atheist. I haven’t ‘prayed’ since school but did pray for a friend of ours and his fiancé the other day. Desperate for them to have good things come their way after all they have been through and thought it can’t hurt. But I’d never tell them that, obviously!

I don't really understand why this is offensive to you. It just means she wishes you good things and is thinking of you. It's nice. Smile and ignore.

Why does it offend you? Uncomfortable maybe but not offended. Just take it as a sign that she loves and cares for you.

It’s the same as “sending positive vibes”
Absolutely nothing bad in it and only good things intended.

It’s this kind of thing that makes us atheists more annoying than the super religious.
Live and let live

If you dont believe in God treat it as she is wishing for good things for you. Won't make good things happen but won't do you any harm.

I also don't understand why you find this offensive. Pointless, yes, but offensive, no.

Someone once did this right in front of me.

I was telling her about my bad day and boom - she closed her eyes and sent one up, right there and then.

It was difficult to know how to react, tbh.

Is she hurting you - no is she doing it because she loves and cares about you - yes. Stop being offended by something so harmless and mundane.

Freedom of religion is important. It would be utterly wrong to tell a religious person not to pray.

It wouid be reasonable to ask her to stop talking to you about her prayer life, and to tell her not to pray when with you (if the person was of a faith where praying at set times was normal, they could briefly step aside to a more secluded place to do so, they could also pray in silence)

“I’m talking to an imaginary man in the sky” is much along the lines of “thinking of you”, “wishing you all the best” or “sending good vibes your way”.

She’s doing something she considers positive, with you in mind.

Tell her you’re dabbling in witchcraft these days and you’ll cast a spell for her in return.

Interesting responses thanks. I guess I experience it as patronising like offering help that's not wanted. Or like she thinks she has some magic influence over my life. So if something good happens for me, it's not because of my hard work, or luck, but down to her prayers. So it kind of discredits reality.

I also see it as a huge "virtue signal".

I'm an atheist and for me I think it depends if someone says they're praying for me and I genuinely believe they are going to sit at home and pray for me (e.g. that I'll get the new job I'm going for or whatever) then I think that's lovely. Although obviously I don't think the prayer will have any affect I like that they're rooting for me. If on the other hand they're saying it in a smug - my beliefs are right and if only you'd see the light - way to make a point about how superior they are it would piss me off.