Do you mind being prayed for? Here in the Deep South there are prayers aplenty: prayers before public meetings (court rulings be damned), prayers before sports events, prayers before the beginning school bell. Even though I am an agnostic, I never mind the prayers because praying in those situations seems like a group-hope for a good outcome. Here, prayers are more of a tradition than a religious experience.
When I worked at our school-board office, a new young man came to work there. He overheard a conversation between my office mate and myself, which was about the book, The DaVinci Code. He immediately jumped into the conversation, and after maybe a half-hour of heated argument, he declared that I was an unbelever and that he would pray for me. I don't know why, but that statement --- that he would pray for me, sent me into a rage. How condescending of him! Of course I told him NOT to pray for me, that I did not want, nor need, his prayers. His reply that was he would pray for me anyway, every day. The conversation developed into more silliness, for two grown-ups, when I told him that everytime I saw him in the hall, I would hold up two crossed fingers in his face to negate his prayers. I laugh now, but I was quite serious then.
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