Who would think that praying at the dinner table was a relic of the ancient past? An embarassment to those present? Well, I was surprised to find that praying over one's dinnertime repast is not common at all in the Netherlands. There is a movement of some conservative christian protestants, who are called "black socks," in Holland. They are seen, according to some catholic Dutch, as religious, in the extreme sense. Perhaps those people are really as extreme as they seem. But, that is for another blog, another day. For now, my comments are solely dedicated to the issue of how prayer is seen in the Netherlands.
However, prayer isn't "seen" at all, because no one prays in Holland (or I have not seen anyone pray, anyhow). Perhaps, if anyone does pray, they may confuse some of the younger ones here, who may not have seen anyone pray before eating dinner. If one does venture to pray outloud (that is, me), they are "shhhhhd," as praying may be irritating to those who do not pray. I have to confess that, sometimes, it isn't the Dutch who are confused as to what "praying means."
In a recent conversation with someone from the states, we both came to the conclusion that prayer is, in a way, "cultural" and relates to saying "Thank you" to God, for taking care of us, feeding us, keeping us whole, and healthy. A bit of Thanksgiving Day throughout the year.
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Just a note: The photo is called Dutch Prayer: Global Prayer Day. It was taken June 4, 2006 in Upper Hutt City, New Zealand by Mangee of Flickr. There is no affiliation with my article, except that there appear to be Dutch people praying in the photograph. Some rights reserved.
However, prayer isn't "seen" at all, because no one prays in Holland (or I have not seen anyone pray, anyhow). Perhaps, if anyone does pray, they may confuse some of the younger ones here, who may not have seen anyone pray before eating dinner. If one does venture to pray outloud (that is, me), they are "shhhhhd," as praying may be irritating to those who do not pray. I have to confess that, sometimes, it isn't the Dutch who are confused as to what "praying means."
In a recent conversation with someone from the states, we both came to the conclusion that prayer is, in a way, "cultural" and relates to saying "Thank you" to God, for taking care of us, feeding us, keeping us whole, and healthy. A bit of Thanksgiving Day throughout the year.
...
Just a note: The photo is called Dutch Prayer: Global Prayer Day. It was taken June 4, 2006 in Upper Hutt City, New Zealand by Mangee of Flickr. There is no affiliation with my article, except that there appear to be Dutch people praying in the photograph. Some rights reserved.
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