What is the point of saying grace before a meal?

[columbus]

chain of custody goes God>gatherer>preparer>consumer (possibly with other intermediaries, but hopefully you get my point).

No.
I don't get your point.
I see gratitude as a recognition of the huge web we are all part of. Therefore, say Grace. That's my point.
What is yours?

We shouldn't bother?
Tom

 

[columbus]

If I were God, I would personally come down to tell you to take your thanks and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.

I like my God better than I do yours.
Luckily, both are figments of the imagination.
Tom

 

[Sleeppy]

Care to name them ?

What's your sexual orientation? Want to try a new one?

 

[Koldo]

What's your sexual orientation? Want to try a new one?

How does one 'try a new sexual orientation' ?

 

[Koldo]

Sorry, I don't get your point.

If (1) the 'psychological well being' of the individual is the parameter you use to determine whether something is good enough to be done and (2) 'Ignorance is bliss' then (3) you would rather be ignorant, wouldn't you ?

 

[David T]

Gawd 200 years ago kierkegaard said pray wasn't for God it was for the individual. Sheesh 200 years ago.

 

[David T]

I don't say grace, but scientific research has shown that consciously being thankful for things we have can increase psychological well being.

It can be argued that saying grace, prayer, etc. can benefit the individual regardless of whether or not there is a god to hear it.

Kierkegaard said this 200 years ago. How is that possible!!!! ** ×

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

No.
I don't get your point.
I see gratitude as a recognition of the huge web we are all part of. Therefore, say Grace. That's my point.
What is yours?

We shouldn't bother?
Tom

No, that's not my point. I didn't touch on the issue of gratitude at all. I'm only talking about property and ownership.

@rosends argued that partaking of food without getting God's "consent" is tantamount to stealing from God. My point is that if the food was freely "given" by God at some earlier point in the chain (e.g. at harvest or slaughter), then it stopped belonging to God at that point. Eating without saying grace can't be considered "theft from God" if the food didn't even belong to God.

Of course, consent from the owner of the food is still required, but asking God for his permission is irrelevant to this if God isn't the owner of the food.

 

[Vee]

I say a prayer before meals to show God my appreciation for the food and all the other good things I have. A lot of people are not as lucky and I never want to take things for granted.
For me, it is very important to say "thank you".

 

[rosends]

Out of curiosity: why say it right before you eat it? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to ask permission and give thanks when you first take it from God (e.g. at the time of harvest/slaughter/etc.) instead?

Assuming that such a prayer was already done at harvest- or slaughter-time, hasn't that consent already been obtained?

... if it has been obtained. Isn't it presumptuous to assume consent just because you asked for it?

The permission is to enjoy it at the moment you enjoy it. That other blessings are said at other times is immaterial. (And they are).

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The permission is to enjoy it at the moment you enjoy it. That other blessings are said at other times is immaterial. (And they are).

Wait... so it's wrong to experience enjoyment without God's permission? How is it "stealing from God" to experience joy without God's consent?

Do I understand you correctly?

 

[Sleeppy]

How does one 'try a new sexual orientation' ?

You don't know?

 

[Araceli Cianna]

"Only when eating with others"... basically when with my family. I always think that it's the farmers and workers and the earth that needs thanking.

 

[Koldo]

You don't know?

Nope, do you ?

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

I say it silently.

 

[columbus]

What's your sexual orientation? Want to try a new one?

Why would anyone do that?
How could they?

Could you try a "new sexual orientation"?

What does "try" even mean?, in this context?
Tom

 

[Jeremiah Ames]

As I've often heard it said, there's no such thing as a free lunch, so no one, not even God, is actually "giving" us any food. The way food prices are these days, it would appear that those who supply us with food are being well compensated for their efforts, so even they don't need any more thanks than what they're getting.

As a kid, I remember we would say before each meal: "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen."

Considering how many people go hungry in this world, it seems that God's blessings and generosity only go so far. In the West, a lot of food is wasted, and some people eat far more than they actually appear to need.

So, is "grace" just an empty gesture and empty words? Does it actually mean anything to most people, or is it just something we're supposed to say before a meal?

I thank God (for anything and everything) on a regular basis, whenever it comes to my mind to do so. No compulsion to say ‘grace’ before a meal, unless someone requests it.
Saying ‘grace’ before a meal is most likely a habit or tradition for many. If it comes across as heartfelt thanks, then God is pleased.
That is His desire. If it’s just a string of words repeated the same each time, without a thankful heart, God would be more pleased without the effort.

imo

 

[Sleeppy]

Why would anyone do that?
How could they?

Could you try a "new sexual orientation"?

What does "try" even mean?, in this context?
Tom

Nope, do you ?

You are ignorant of certain differing sexual orientations. Is that ignorance valuable to you?

If you're heterosexual, try homosexuality. The most straightforward method would be to have homosexual relations.

How valuable is your ignorance of differing sexualities?

 

[Enoch07]

Nobody's hurt directly, but it perpetuates a dangerous and harmful mindset: that prosperous people are being favoured by God, which implies that destitute people are not being favoured by God... and God, being just, wouldn't punish someone unless they had done something wrong.

Nope and if the impoverished countries that are Christian and want to give thanks can. Thanks for America being blessed and being to help.them. Or not it's their choice nobody is forcing or expecting anything. Just because a country is struggling does not mean God is punishing them. That is false equivalency. A good example is the lower crop yields in the U.S.S.R due to Lysenkoism - Wikipedia. The famine was due to poor leadership, not God.

If God is to thank for the countries where food is plentiful, then God is to blame for the countries where food is scarce.

Not when a country is impoverished due to poor leadership, dictatorship, or war torn that does not or cannot provide for it's citizens. See above Lysenkoism.

 

[Jeremiah Ames]

No.
I don't get your point.
I see gratitude as a recognition of the huge web we are all part of. Therefore, say Grace. That's my point.
What is yours?

We shouldn't bother?
Tom

It makes no sense to make an analysis ahead of each time you want to thank God for anything, based upon whether someone already made thanks for it.