Dealing with unavoidable Religious Situations

[mamamia88]

How do you deal with unavoidable religious situations like the funeral of someone super religious?

[Something completely different]

I dont talk about religion with my religious friends, then again - I dont have that many religious friends. Not cause I reject them or avoid them or so. I simply live in a country in which 40% of the population is non religious and the rest not fundermentalist. At funerals I simply go with all the stuff but cause I see it as an exception, I would feel like a moron if I would simply walk out of a church when people start praying, so I stay seated and simply listen.

[genkaus]

How do you deal with unavoidable religious situations like the funeral of someone super religious?

Go through the expected motions for a funeral. As for someone super-religious, ignore them if they are strangers, politely refuse to discuss if are simply known to you (especially with authority figures like your boss or other co-workers) and with family or friends - shoot down their arguments one by one until they change the subject.

[My imaginary friend is GOD]

You kinda have to let people be religious at a funeral because it's how they deal with death. But you don't have to bow your head and pray with them. I don't.

[Jackalope]

What genkaus said. I'll add that if religious subjects come up, nod politely and steer the conversation in another direction as quickly as possible. There's no need to make a situation that's uncomfortable for you uncomfortable for anyone else, particularly someone else's funeral or wedding.

I for one am glad that I won't likely ever have to sit through another Catholic service as all of my Catholic relatives are already dead.

[festive1]

I have found editing what I hear in my head to be effective. Replace every mention of "god" with, I don't know, He-Man, or whatever you would like.
I was cornered into going to church with my in-laws over Christmas this year, this strategy worked well for me (I can have knee-jerk reactions to religion). That and when the minister said, "Now let us pray…" my 4 year old shouted, "Blah, blah, blah!" much to the horror of my in-laws.

[frankiej]

I believe Samuel L Jackson describes what you do in such a situation in Jackie Brown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk6Utpg5JcM

[genkaus]

I have found editing what I hear in my head to be effective. Replace every mention of "god" with, I don't know, He-Man, or whatever you would like.
I was cornered into going to church with my in-laws over Christmas this year, this strategy worked well for me (I can have knee-jerk reactions to religion). That and when the minister said, "Now let us pray…" my 4 year old shouted, "Blah, blah, blah!" much to the horror of my in-laws.

The kudos was for your 4-year old. Please pass it on.

[festive1]

Will do! Leave it to small children to give voice to what is "improper" for adults to say.

[iameatingjam]

At a funeral I would just nod your head, its not the kind of place to make a scene.

Although I have never been in that situation, my girlfriend has gigantic christian family and I went to a wedding of theirs last week. I managed to keep my mouth shut most of the time but the one situation that got under my skin is when each table had to fill in the blanks on bible verses and we got to eat in the order they were completed. Don't know the bible? Don't get to eat! I said "at my wedding I'm going to make people recite passages from Darwin's origin of species before they eat"