That prayer to Jesus is inappropriate at a company party?

[Kate8889]

I went with my husband to a company Christmas party and before we started to eat a woman came to the microphone and said a short prayer in the name of Jesus as thanks/blessings for the food. Everyone was expected to bow their head.

This is the first time I've been witness to something like this, it is a secular company with many Jewish, Muslim and agnostic people. We have been going to this Christmas party for 7 years and it's never been like this.

Why do you feel it’s so inappropriate to not want to show some tolerance? You absolutely don’t have to agree, bow your head or do anything at all. It’s a festival celebrated by Christians round the world.
I’m a Christian and I’ve been at various events where people of other faiths, or none, have said words or a prayer. I just stay quiet and respectful and just disregard the words if I don’t believe them. I’m not offended by it or feel the need to complain. I really don’t understand the outrage. If you don’t believe, it’s just a few words, nobody is hurting you.

No it isn't.

It's a work party. Religion should stay out of it.

OP said that everyone was expected to bow their head and that is inappropriate. People shouldn't feel pressured to bow their heads if they don't believe.

before we started to eat a woman came to the microphone and said a short prayer in the name of Jesus as thanks/blessings for the food.

There is nothing in the post of the OP that suggests that the grace before the meal was in anyway related to the feast of the nativity of the Christ child, which is celebrated by mass on Christmas Eve.

So all this going on, and on, about Christmas, and my own exhortation about the fact that it is in point of fact Advent, and remains so until Christmas Eve, is irrelevant.

What the OP was objecting to was a public Christian grace before a meal. I’m not clear why one would thank Jesus rather than God but that then gives rise to a discussion on the invention of the Holy Trinity, which perhaps might be served better on a separate post.

So make it an end-of-year party. Why call it a Christmas party at all?

It's a Christmas party! The clue is in the name. If one finds it offensive to mention Christ at it then don't attend. Britain is a Christian country & it should be respected P.s. I'm not Christian

Christmas is a Christian celebration. You’re being completely unreasonable.

No of course she wouldn’t but Christianity is fair game to be made a mockery of.

I’m an atheist, it would have made me feel uncomfortable. That’s because, although I was brought up in a religion, anything religious has always given me a deep cringe factor ever since I was a little.

But if there was no Jesus they'd be no Christmas, was everyone happy to eat, drink, get presents, get pissed, enjoy themselves?

That's hilarious. My head would have stayed upright

Those were all happening before Jesus was born so we would still be doing those things without Christianity

What is it for then, why is it called a Christmas party, why give gifts.

And then we'll get the 'Work's erasing Christmas for the Muslims!' type of threads - along with at least one 'My boss is a Satanist, he's cancelled our Christmas party in favour of making us celebrate Yule'.

It seems and odd thing to do but lots of evangelicals cant resist an opportunity to prosyletise. If it was a sit down formal dinner maybe with an MC and a speaker the saying of Grace its often traditionally done before people are seated but in today's modern society with people of all faiths and none its less common and has all but died out Personally as an atheist I would respectfully keep quiet and look on but some people of another faith could feel offended, if this might apply perhaps a word should be said as to whether this Grace was planned. Things often happen at parties that we personally dont do or like. Some people dont drink alcohol and dont like to be around it others are vegetarian, some see it as an opportunity to snort drugs, others take liberties and cant behave. I think this matter of the Grace is largely irrelevant in the scheme of things and is of little consequence but if the person is pushing an unwanted religious agenda in the workplace thats another matter.

A family member had this foisted upon them in a similar situation. They felt extremely uncomfortable and excluded. It’s incredibly arrogant to do this.

It's Christmas. Any very devout and observant Jew or Muslim would probably not attend a Christmas celebration anyway. As an atheist from a Christian culture If I were invited to any celebration for Diwali, Eid, Purim, Passover or whatever, I'd fully expect their to be some sort of religious blessing or prayer or some reference to the faith in question and I would not be remotely offended by that.

I would be put out by any praying, it is a personal thing and so awkward for others to be imposed upon.

It's called Christmas party because Christianity appropriated original festivities and put this name on them.

Now it is just a name for majority, similarly to any other situation when a successful brand name becomes a generic word , as with Xerox -> to xerox something.

Just because many people did bow their head in prayer, or at least bowed their heads out of respect for those who were praying, it doesn't necessarily mean there was an expectation or a demand that everyone should do it. Unless they were requested or told to bow their heads then the OP is just being silly. She could have sat with her head bolt upright and I doubt anyone else would even have noticed unless they were doing the same.

I just wouldn’t take part or pretend to. It’s weird to try to force your religion on others.

I am also atheist, and just to expand a bit on something you said: "... but some people of another faith could feel offended...".

Plenty of Christians could be offended too, indeed, should be offended.

Matt 6: 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full"

A direct order from the man himself to not pray in public. So a Christian should stop her, because she is committing a sin ?

And the prayer was led by a woman.

1 Tim 2:12 " I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet."

So a possible compounded sin is happening, a double sin perhaps ?

I post this half in jest of course. It is Ironic though, that the woman leading the prayer might believe she is earning brownie points with him upstairs, but according the Bible, she is doing the exact opposite ?

Then next time don't go.

CHRISTmas is a Christian festival and has been from about the 4th century. You are right that the date (ish) was taken over from a pagan festival. So the date (sort of) was originally a pagan festival but the festival of Christmas itself is very much a Christian one.
As a Christian, I’ve not known anyone who would object to somebody who is atheist or of any religion celebrating Christmas. Personally, I think it’s rather nice actually; I believe that family, friends, nice food are all God-given. I can’t understand this level of ‘offended’ that appears so often; it is indeed the modern disease.

Exactly!