What is the point of saying grace before a meal?

[Stevicus]

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?

 

[Thief]

and the Carpenter said....Do this and remember Me....

I thought His intention was to be the topic during a supper meal

never have seen it happen.....anywhere

 

[Enoch07]

Considering how many people go hungry in this world, it seems that God's blessings and generosity only go so far.

That why some people say grace. To say thanks for the blessings we have. A lot of Americans nowadays take it for granted and don't realize how good we have it here.

There are several organizations that are helping poor countries that have trouble feeding the population. If that is a concern of yours I suggest you volunteer or donate to one of them.

 

[Stevicus]

That why some people say grace. To say thanks for the blessings we have. A lot of Americans nowadays take it for granted and don't realize how good we have it here.

There are several organizations that are helping poor countries that have trouble feeding the population. If that is a concern of yours I suggest you volunteer or donate to one of them.

I do, but that's beside the point. It's humans who feed other humans, not God. There is no reason to thank God for the food we eat.

 

[TheBannerofHomuraAkemi]

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?

For someone with faith it's an act of saying thanks for the blessings they received.

Also for some it's a tradition. Like the Japanese people have a tradition of saying thanks before eating. I can't say for everyone who does it, but their not really praying to a god it's just a tradition that's been embedded into their culture.

It's funny that you blame God for all the starving people in the world, but it's do to human greed that people go starving. I mean we have enough food and money to feed our country, but here in the USA we rather spend that money on bombing brown people in the middle east.

 

[Enoch07]

I do, but that's beside the point. It's humans who feed other humans, not God. There is no reason to thank God for the food we eat.

Sure there is. Some Christians want to thank God for living in a country where food is bountiful. Food so bountiful that we are able feed impoverished nations as well. That is a blessing as far as being a Christian is concerned.

Nobody is forcing you to do it. It's definitely not hurting anyone else. So your outrage is somewhat lame.

 

[Stevicus]

So your outrage is somewhat lame.

Your opinion is noted.

 

[Stevicus]

For someone with faith it's an act of saying thanks for the blessings they received.

Also for some it's a tradition. Like the Japanese people have a tradition of saying thanks before eating. I can't say for everyone who does it, but their not really praying to a god it's just a tradition that's been embedded into their culture.

It's funny that you blame God for all the starving people in the world, but it's do to human greed that people go starving. I mean we have enough food and money to feed our country, but here in the USA we rather spend that money on bombing brown people in the middle east.

It's not a question of blame.

 

[TheBannerofHomuraAkemi]

It's not a question of blame.

I mean you could always pray for God to intercede on these starving people behalf, but since people with more faith then have been praying for them and God chooses not too. I doubt he will do it then. Ah oh well I guess all those people will die.

 

[Deeje]

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 never understood why it was called "Grace"....?
I call it "giving thanks" because when someone gives you a gift, its nice to say

Some people are just grateful to be alive and having the means to stay alive in a world that seem bent on killing us in some way or another....well, I am grateful that I have air to breathe as well.....its just a matter of perspective really.

If God is the Creator (and I believe he is) then it was he who gave us, not only the food in such abundance and variety, but the taste buds to enjoy it....the sunshine to make it grow...and the rain to water it. This food nourishes the whole body and water falls out of the sky because no one can drink the salty water in the ocean.

This "living" is a complicated process, dependent upon so many things being in place....I don't happen to think they are accidental, and I am happy to be able to say "thanks" to the provider of all of it.

If humans are starving in this world....I can see that it is because of what man is doing, not because of anything God is doing.

 

[Sha'irullah]

I usually say grace before I eat especially if it is somebody else's cooking. My prayer is:

"Oh please Zeus, Lord of the heavens and all that lay beneath it. Bless this cook with a strong heart and an even stronger skin lest I hit thee with great fury if they cannot cook. I beg of you to forgive me and what I do for I hate bad cooking and would not wish to deny your right to blast this cook into oblivion with the thunder of Olympus. I pray you show mercy on this cook for I wish not to cast this abomination into the trash, In the name of the gods, blessed amongst all that is seen and heard . . .

. . . PS, pass the garlic"

 

[YmirGF]

It simply would never occur to me to say grace. That said, I don't care if someone else want to say it and I will sit quietly and wait for them to pass the peas.

I usually say grace before I eat especially if it is somebody else's cooking. My prayer is:

"Oh please Zeus, Lord of the heavens and all that lay beneath it. Bless this cook with a strong heart and an even stronger skin lest I hit thee with great fury if they cannot cook. I beg of you to forgive me and what I do for I hate bad cooking and would not wish to deny your right to blast this cook into oblivion with the thunder of Olympus. I pray you show mercy on this cook for I wish not to cast this abomination into the trash, In the name of the gods, blessed amongst all that is seen and heard . . .

I can assure you that your taste buds would be sent into overdrive at Chez Ymir where every night is a culinary experience... especially when I don't have the faintest idea what I'm going to make.

 

[taykair]

I do, but that's beside the point. It's humans who feed other humans, not God. There is no reason to thank God for the food we eat.

Kind of reminds me of an old Simpsons episode. When Bart is asked to say grace, he says, "Dear Lord, we paid for this food, so thanks for nothing".

I find nothing wrong with gratitude - whether to God, or nature, or the farmer's hard work, or the person who paid for the meal, or the cook who prepared it, or the friends who share it.

 

[Sha'irullah]

I can assure you that your taste buds would be sent into overdrive at Chez Ymir where every night is a culinary experience... especially when I don't have the faintest idea what I'm going to make.

It seems I would have better hopes of winning 100 games of Russian Roulette then leaving your kitchen without diarrhea. Much thinking to do here, Hmmm . . . .

 

[Augustus]

I do, but that's beside the point. It's humans who feed other humans, not God. There is no reason to thank God for the food we eat.

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.

 

[Altfish]

"What is the point of saying grace before a meal?"

To give the soup a chance to cool?

 

[Kuzcotopia]

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've always found it strange that a god would create an animal that needs to masticate and swallow organic matter of other living creatures to fuel it. What a horribly inefficient system.

If you examine the food chain, humans only get about 1/1000th of the sun's energy through this process. That is incredibly wasteful.

This scarcity is ultimately the source of power and class warfare in human history. The original population centers of ancient city states centered around granaries to avoid starvation in lean times, leading to social classes and other such human nonesense. Wars are fought over land and resources all the time, and the frailty of the human body's need for food can be exploited.

Consuming other life for your own existence is naturally violent, and demands that we must have control over our environment to feel safe. Imagine how many young humans around the world pick up a gun for the first time and join a cause because it leads to the only stable food source they have access to.

Imagine if humans has photosynthetic skin to absorb energy through sunlight, or an organelle in the cell that produced a low level nuclear fission, or we could break down nitrogen as a chemical fuel source through our breathing.

Why must there be an energy exchange at all? Apparently, many who believe in a creator also believe in a soul. Our souls won't have a fuel source in heaven, so why the body on earth? Couldn't a god just "magic" the continued existence of a hunan's life without food? It can raise them from the dead, apparently. . . So there is some precedent for biological overrides.

No, if anyone designed this requirement, then they only want to see suffering through scarcity. if I did believe in such a creator god, I'd be cursing them instead of thanking them.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Also for some it's a tradition. Like the Japanese people have a tradition of saying thanks before eating. I can't say for everyone who does it, but their not really praying to a god it's just a tradition that's been embedded into their culture.

The Japanese saying doesn't mention any gods (it translates as just "I gratefully receive") and it can be construed as being directed to the people who served, prepared, or harvested the food.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Sure there is. Some Christians want to thank God for living in a country where food is bountiful. Food so bountiful that we are able feed impoverished nations as well. That is a blessing as far as being a Christian is concerned.

Nobody is forcing you to do it. It's definitely not hurting anyone else. So your outrage is somewhat lame.

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.

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

 

[rosends]

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?

Just the Jewish POV...

"The Talmud states that the entire world belongs to God, Who created everything, and partaking in His creation without consent would be tantamount to stealing.18 When we acknowledge that our food comes from God, He grants us permission to partake in the world's pleasures. Thus we say a blessing before eating any food."

16. Blessings