a few days ago one of my neighbors passed away. we were not close neighbors. we would wave to each other when we saw one another and say a few plesentries. he and his wife had only moved in a few months ago and i am usally quite busy.
yesterday when i arrived home from work and picking up my two year old from day care, his wife was outside. i went over to tell her how sorry i was for her lose. she thanked me, and we talked about my son and her husband for a while.
after a few minutes i could see the tears starting to well up in her eyes. she had told me that her husband and her used to enjoy watching my kids play outside. after a few minutes. she asked if i thought her husband was in heaven. i am an atheist and do not believe in heaven. not wanting to hurt her feelings, i said yes. she then asked if i would pray with her. again not wanting to hurt her , i pretended to pray with her.
do you believe, what i did was wrong.
2006-07-20 05:27:16 · 41 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
i am courious as to what you think. of the actions that i took and not in what you think of me.
2006-07-20 05:28:49 · update #1
this question will be left for a vote.
2006-07-21 05:29:27 · update #2
What you did was very noble. You helped comfort a fellow human being in their time of need. That is one of the noblest things we as humans can do.
2006-07-20 05:34:02 · answer #1 · answered by Quantrill 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wrong would have been talking advantage of her while she was on her knees praying. Wrong is me making that kind of an observation. I think that true Christianity is about loving, caring and supporting each other in a way that we think Jesus would. The only difference between what you would say, and a Christian, would be that the Christian would make it a point to not pass that kind of judgement one way or the other. I would maybe repond with a, "you both seem like caring folks, I am sure God was always there for you and will continue to be" type of response. Just because someone is taking away is not a bad thing. A mother who lost her son to a drunk driver created MADD, and saved who knows how many other mothers from experiencing the same fate, and create a support system for those that have. Life does not always make sense, but strong faith is our guiding light when things are cloudy or rocky.
2006-07-20 05:38:31 · answer #2 · answered by gplay2001 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should never lie to anyone to save from hurting their feelings. You should have told her the truth. That you are an atheist and do not believe in heaven. The fact that you prayed with her was not wrong. Unless you said anything you did not really mean. Trying to comfort a hurting soul is not wrong, lieing to them to try to help them is. The wrong thing for the right reasons is still the wrong thing.....
2006-07-20 09:44:33 · answer #3 · answered by Theresa B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, I'm not sure what I would have done in that situation, but probably the same thing. She is grieving and you gave her comfort. There's nothing at all wrong with that. While you were praying, I'm sure you were just concentrating on helping her with her grief, and there is definate value in that. I have been in similar situations and when asked to pray, I will bow my head and just think good, kind, comforting thoughts in the hopes that by doing so I'll project a demenour that others do indeed find comforting.
2006-07-20 05:33:50 · answer #4 · answered by tenzo0 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hold on, what did you do again? i dont see anything that anybody would consider a sin. sin exists only for people who are bewitched by god, i.e. christians, and nobody's forcing you to make your life a living hell by believing everything you do is a sin. if you're an atheist, why are you talking about sins? when she asked you whether her husband was in heaven, you shouldve told her that you dont know, because you just dont. You shouldve told her "if heaven really existed, im sure youre husband is there." and for the prayin part, what else could you have done than pretend to pray?
2006-07-20 05:41:49 · answer #5 · answered by Maus 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You did what felt right to you in that moment. There is nothing wrong with following your heart. As long as you don't feel you have compromised yourself. How will you deal with it when a few months from now she asks you to pray with her? Or she invites you to her church? You say no I don't believe in God and she remembers that moment you bowed your head with her and spoke about her husband in heaven. I try not to lie about anything ever. I don't believe it is better to tell little lies because they never stay little. I would have to say what I believe if I am asked.I don't compromise myself for the good of others because I just don't think it is good for me or them. You need to just follow your heart.
Love & Light
Sharon
One Planet = One People
2006-07-21 06:02:41 · answer #6 · answered by skippingsunday 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, what you did was wonderful...even if you are an atheist what you did was a consolation, not hurtful or wrong. She needed you to be there for her and instead of being inconsiderate you did something to help and console her. You're a kind, compassionate person...you were just helping your fellow neighbor and friend, simple as that, you should have no guilt or remorse in your actions...
2006-07-20 05:38:17 · answer #7 · answered by Cynicaldreamer 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I beleive that since you are an atheist, and do not beleive in God, then you were just hoping, and not praying. And it is not considered a sin, b/c if you had said no, this woman could have been very hurt, and nobody knows what she could've done, b/c she is already depressed. So, I say, Good Job!
2006-07-20 05:40:21 · answer #8 · answered by saasay00 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You did not sin, You actually prayed for this woman. God will bless you for that. I will pray that someday you will turn your life over to the Lord. Jesus is coming back in our lifetime. It would be such a shame to see someone like you with a heart that cares the way you do miss your chance to get to heaven becasue you did not accept Jesus as your savior. The Lord is moving through you.
2006-07-20 05:34:43 · answer #9 · answered by Carol M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is the funniest factor i've got seen all day! interlectual --> psychological Your occasion is rather undesirable, besides. in case you had a room with 10 human beings of distinctive races, and you needed to handle all people however the white individual, the team could be referred to as "non-whites". it is not offensive - it is basically easier than calling something of them out one after the different. There are believers and there are those that have not got self assurance. Non-believers. How is this an argument?
2016-10-08 03:14:33 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What you did was not wrong, and it certainly was not a sin. It was an act of compassion.
What purpose would it have served at a time like that to discuss your beliefs, or lack of them, other than to hurt or shock a grieving woman. A lack of belief in god doesn't rule out caring about other people.
That's the difference in atheists and most Christians, we respect their right to believe and don't try to convince them to stop believing..
2006-07-20 05:37:40 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋