AIBU to be annoyed by religious replies to Facebook posts?

[Allotmentblackfly]

am i unreasonable to be annoyed at people replying to facebook posts about sick relatives along the lines of ‘ pray to JESUS’ etc etc. i am not adverse to religion per se but i dont think there is much evidence that prayer helps and the message to me seems to lack compassion for whatever the original poster is going through. It feels more like an advert for evangelical christianity than a truly loving redponse

They're probably bots, assuming it's a public page. I'm not sure there are any humans talking to each other on Facebook anymore.

I know what you mean. I am on quite a few cancer groups and it never seems to enter many people's heads that you are not Christian. They are all in the US and seem to have a problem thinking for themselves.

Reminds me of when I was about to be (street) homeless and a Buddhist friend - who lived alone in a 3 bed house - said she really wanted to help me ... so offered to teach me some Buddhist chanting to help me get through this difficult time. 🙄
Completely tone-deaf and unhelpful!

Are these personal posts or ones you see in general? Are you in the US? A lot more religious than the UK.

Someone saying they'll pray for you, assuming they can't do anything practical, is ok IMO, like saying "I'm thinking of you". Telling YOU to pray, especially in a poorly-spelled impersonal message in capitals, is extremely grating!

Agree that its irritating but most of the replies to Facebook posts these days are ads or AI anyway.

Religious people are going to do religion when they can. Its a major reason I have never got faith.

@TeaPot496
... it never seems to enter many people's heads that you are not Christian. They are all in the US ...

An awful lot of people in the US seem to forget the internet is international.

Yes i have seen that quite a bit on disabillity groups
Blind faith that the lord will cure if you pray hard enough .

I would agree. I belong to a couple of groups on Facebook which are aimed at parents and carers of children with a particular, debilitating, genetic condition. People will post, obviously suffering from a great deal of stress and half the responses will be 'praying for you'. Quite often posters from the US.

Anyone who takes offense at anyone else trying to comfort you, in their own way, is unreasonable. Maybe you should put a bullet point list of comfort options and have people select so you're not offended.

Yes my son was very ill in critical care a few years ago and the the nurse who had been looking after him all day said he would pray for him i was quite touched even as a very lapsed catholic

See also, "my son is cured, he is testament to the power of positive thought, he never gave up, you can do it too"

No Susan, it was pure luck. What about everyone else who thought positively, never gave up and still died? So insulting.

It's pure stupid-think.

I can deal with the people saying they'll pray for you - that's them exercising their faith and it's their way of showing you're in their thoughts, given that for them prayer is the top tier of thoughts.

For me it crosses a line when they tell you to pray or go beyond a very simple "I'm praying for you" - ie shit like saying it's part of god's plan or whatever.

Incidentally, stuff like this was one of the first things that killed Christianity for me in my teens. The idea that survival or good fortune had an element of popularity contest attached to them - that God was sitting there going "well, I was going to let Steve die but now he's got 20 people praying for him, so I'd better have a rethink." The logical inconsistency of the need for human intercession with the idea of an omnipotent and omniscient deity wasn't something I could make sense of, and started me on a broader journey of questioning.

No, that's bollocks.
It's always religion.
Never anything practical... hopefully the sky god will pop down and sort shit out.

Who cares what you think about it, though? That's your view. We don't all have to share your view. If you have such a visceral reaction just from the word 'pray' maybe you need to think about things.

I assume from the spelling you’re from the US. The world does not revolve around your country or its beliefs. It’s perfectly possible to offer words of comfort in a culturally sensitive way.

You assume wrongly. The world doesn't revolve around your unbelief, either. You don't get to dictate the terms of others ability to comfort. That is such an entitled, childish view.

Ok:

Do not put the burden of responsibility onto them reaching out. "let me know if there's anything you need" is not good enough. Just turn up with something actually helpful.

Use your own words, I don't want platitudes, odd phraseology that makes me feel othered or copy and paste words from a Hallmark card. Tell me it's fucking shit and shocking and you hate it too.

Don't say anything that starts with "at least.." Nobody wants your advice.

But this isn't your call to make unless you're the one making the post, in need of comfort and then, as I said, put a bullet point list for people to know how to comfort you. It's childish but that's your choice to make. You don't, however, have the right to be offended on behalf of others just because their beliefs are mentioned and you don't like them.

My cat died. I'm so sad. Comfort me by:

a) sending chocolate
b) emojis
c) GoFundMe

What nonsense.

You’re very unreasonable. Who are you to decide that distressed people in their time of need require an unasked for dose of your beliefs? It’s centred around your needs and not theirs - incredibly self centred. Honestly fuck off. And learn to spell.

Read your whole sentence and apply it to yourself and you'll see why I think you're being silly. And back at you 😘

I agree. I think they are writing knee jerk autopilot evangelism, like bots.

I think if people have strong feelings about what they do or don’t want to read in response to a post, they should probably not post on public Facebook pages. Doing so is effectively inviting the world to comment.

"Thank God for saving this child by curing them of leukemia"

That's all well and good but why did God give that innocent baby leukaemia in the first place 🤔
Nice of him to change his mind though!

Pray to Jesus, as simple as this. Being bitter and lacking faith is the worse you can do to yourself and your sick relative

I have used a bullet point list for my family and friends, along the lines I replicated here. Nobody would dare mention jesus or god to me.

It's not childish, and it's my business if I choose to think less of someone who is harassing people with religion and not using their brain.

Jesus sounds a bit bitter if he'll only help people if their relatives are praying.