Someone offered to pray for DS!

Is it ok to do anything for another person, especially a stranger, without knowing or checking that your action is something they would welcome?

A kindness that you didn't want isn't really a kindness is it? It's an invasion.

He should have accepted it with the good grace it was given. A total stranger wished him well, what's his problem?

And this was a stranger, it might have been different if it were a friend - but even then, whilst I'm sure my lovely Christian friends pray for me, they would never tell me they were doing that - why would they? And syn I couldn't disagree with you more - I'm critical (not up in arms) about the OP's example because of what it says about the woman's attitude towards disability and her presumptious, patronising attitude towards a man she doesn't know at all.

Elegran thats a false comparison - a beggar is sitting there begging. OP's son was not carrying a placard saying "Im disabled, pray for me".

It's not the praying in itself which is the issue, it's that the person felt the need to share that with your son. If they believe in the power of prayer, then just go away and pray anyway.

It has happened to me three time- once in the middle of Waitrose, once on the pavement near where we lived in Leics and once in my own home. On each occasion I remained calm and let them - and never really had it in me to say I felt it was innapropriate and wrong- but I was quite annoyed on each occasion. I do wish I would have said- sorry, but no, thank you.

Giving money to a beggar is often done to make the giver feel better, too. Should we resist the impulse to try to help in case we are being deluded by our wish to feel generous?

maryeliza I totally agree. It is socially inappropriate and done to may the prayer giver feel good. Intentions are irrelevant. If people are that religious they should remember that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Exactly Elegran, damewithaname, MissAdventure, Maggiemaybe and countless others with such loving open minds. Pride (and a closed mind) is a terrible thing and the very reason a young man said that he was so shocked at the unpleasant reaction of a stranger when he offered his seat to someone clearly struggling. The main reason that this particular incident has evoked such a response is the challenge faced when a believer prays. If you truly do not believe you would not be so up in arms ...... but then perhaps you are actually not as sure as you thought?
As one of my own friends says, "If I am wrong then when we all die nobody will know but if I am right then we will all know for eternity and if I do or say nothing then I have to explain to my creator why I didn't tell people or pray for or with them and that is quite a thought." I totally understand his position.

What a wonderful gesture! Prayer can work wonders for healing

A stranger (or anybody) offering to pray?

Maybe she was warped enough to think that he had been penalised with his current condition by a God who believes in retribution for something he'd done or not done?

Cheeky beggar! She should go an pray for some bluddy discretion and the strength to keep her nose out......

ill or die

Sometimes prayer seems to work, most of the time it doesn't or nobody would ever be ill or

Nevertheless if someone asks for prayer then I think it will be helpful to them to know that they are being prayed for and comforting to the person whose praying because they feel they are doing something to help.

But to pray for someone who hasn't asked? Especially if they've made it clear that they don't believe. Isn't that disrepectful?

A few people with faith prayed for my daughter. It never offended us: we were touched.

If it had been an offer of physical help to someone who appeared to be in difficulties - "Can I give you a hand with that heavy suitcase" - none of you girners would be up in arms about it. The person getting the offer might have felt a bit peeved that he wasn't thought capable of doing it himself, but the reaction of most people would be that it showed kindness.

But because the help being offered was a more intangible kind from a source which many people reject, it is condemned out of hand. Someone who was convinced that prayer could make a difference had been ready to use it on behalf of a stranger. That is generous, whether you believe it will help or not. Refuse a similar offer if you don't want it, but do it graciously and don't throw it back in the donor's face in righteous indignation. The woman showed more humanity than some of these posts.

There is no reason to believe the prayer was the cause of the improvementll

Without knowing the circumstances, how can you possibly know?

skyandblossom said “I have experienced two healings after prayer”..

There is no reason to believe the prayer was the cause of the improvementll. This is an example of the post-hoc fallacy (post hoc, ergo propter hoc, “after this, therefore because of this”). The healing would have happened anyway.

It’s like alternative medicine. There is absolutely no tested evidence that it works, but if people take an alternative remedy and get better, they think the “remedy” has worked.

It may not be good enough for you when you are forming your opinion maryeliza but it is obviously good enough for others. Why do you see that as 'excusing'. I think it was an attempt to understand. Obviously not something you feel the need to do.

It’s really not good enough to say it was ‘kindly meant’. Why should we excuse patronising attitudes towards people with disabilities? Instead such people need educating not excusing. It’s tough enough living with disability without being the object of someone’s good deed for the day. Prayer won’t solve the many issues that people with disabilities have to cope with in everyday life - it’s not prayers we need but a more ‘disabled’ friendly physical and social environment.

What a strange thing to do, Christians never cease to amaze me, but having said that I'm sure it was kindly meant.

It’s patronising and deluded and I would have been very angry. It would have made the woman herself feel good about herself, that’s the only reason she said it.

Why not just say "thank you"? I imagine it was kindly meant and in this day and age I think we need all the help we can get.

This thread has certainly made me think. I often pray for people. Some in general terms like the homeless or refugees and sometimes for individuals. I don't tell them.
I certainly don't spend all day praying for everyone and everything but if when I am praying, certain people or things pass through my mind like a neighbour with terminal illness, friend whose marriage is going through a bad patch, a child who is lonely then I often include them in my prayers. Usually I pray for them to be comforted, supported or helped in some way. I've never thought of it as pity or because I feel I must do it or because I feel superior in any way it's usually because I feel sad I suppose. I don't think I would ever approach anyone and ask them if they would like me to pray for them or even ask if they'd mind if I did.
It is possible that this woman had some problems of her own, I don't think many people would approach a stranger and ask if they could pray for them. It is a bit odd.

It wouldn’t bother me. I expect it was kindly meant. Also, I have experienced two healings after prayer.

kitty that did make me laugh (your last post that is). Tell him I said one and to let me know when he's found them!! Pray-ers are like buses - there's never one around when you need them!