prayers

When I was growing up, we always said the blessing before a meal. If we started eating before the blessing, I thought the food would be poisoned because God hadn't blessed it yet. I don't know how I survived all those unblessed snacks!

Catherine

I used to think that the prayer went:
Godice great, godice good, let us thank him....

Could never figure out what a 'godice'was, knew what a goddess was, but this was different...

Gen

It's wonderfully comforting to find out I wasn't the only kid wondering who the heck these strange people were who kept cropping up in our prayers. In my Lutheran church we usually said the Apostle's creed during Sunday service. But on special Sundays we said the Nicene Creed. One line says "[he] ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come again in glory to judge both the quick and the dead." But as a kid, I always thought the second part of that was "and Nancy shall come again in glory to judge both the quick and the dead", and I just couldn't figure out who Nancy was, or why she was so special that she was not only coming in glory but getting to do the judging as well!

Anon

I used to believe that if you didn't agree with a section of a prayer (if it was a group prayer at church or somthing), you could just open your eyes and it didn't count on your part.

Anon

i used to believe that praying was jsut a way to get things because in church they said God would listen to your prayers and grant them. i used to wish for weird things like candy and the ability to fly. Now i know that is selfish!

Kelsey

I used to think that when you prayed, you should bend your head and shut your eyes because God in all His glory actually came right into the room with you and if you peeked at all you would be blinded by his glory and beauty forever. I don't know how long it took me to figure out this wasn't true, but it was a major relief.

Jordana

I used to have to say the Lord's prayer everyday, but I would wonder where my daily bread was.

caledonia

When I was little I would say a prayer with my mom before bed. For my prayer I'd say, "God bless mommy, God bless daddy, God bless Grandma" and so on.

On night I finally broke down and asked the question, "Mommy does that mean all those people sneezed today?"

Anon

when I was a little girl I used to think that in the prayer, "Our Father" it said, " lead a snot into temptation" I know now that its not and can laugh about it with my daughter in church when we say the prayer

Anon

My mother was a proud supporter of the feminist movement in 70's era America. At the end of every prayer said at mass or in my classes, I would always shout "and a-woman too" in response to the amen said at the end of every prayer.

Diane

I used to believe that from Good Friday to Easter I had to pray to God instead of Jesus because Jesus was "dead" for those 3 days.

Jessica

I used to believe that if you talked after saying your bedtime prayers the prayers would be null and void and you would have to say them all over again.

dee

I was raised Catholic, and was clearly a feminist since at least 5 years old. There is a certain Catholic prayer that goes, "For our men and our salvation, He came down from heaven." For years, I thought salvation MUST mean women, because why would Jesus come only for our men?

Jessibat

I thought that when they held a funeral, the vicar used to say, 'In the name of the father, the son, and in the hole he goes' instead of Holy Ghost! Oh dear!

Brenda

I used to believe that God's name was Harold, because when we said the Lords Prayer at primary school, I thought it was 'Our Father who art in Heaven, Harold be thy name'

Brenda

when i was very little, my dad took me to hear bells being played at one of the local churches. on the way home we were saying "God bless Mom", "God bless Dad", etc. Finally my dad asked, "what do you think happens when we say God Bless?" In all seriuosness i replied, "they sneezed."

claire