Atheists do not believe in the power of intercessory prayer or prayer for actions, for prayer requires a supernatural action to occur, and we know that such things do not happen. However, many religious people also use prayer as a way to reflect on their own behavior, and to call on a fictitious god or gods to give them the strength to better themselves. These types of prayers can be useful, as they are a way to review and modify our own behavior. Prayers are also often used by the religious as a way to give thanks for good fortune at times of life events or holidays. Such prayers are also somewhat reflective, and also serve to mark occasions in the minds of the observers. Finally, prayers also give voice to our hopeful thoughts for the future. Although theists ask god for good fortune, the Atheist will merely voice hopefulness for good fortune or fate in the things we don’t control, and good choices for the things we do.

       Among major religions, there are many prayers for holidays and life events. Having an Atheistic philosophy doesn’t exempt us from the desire for solemnity, reflection, and a formal recognition of such events with something that resembles a prayer. For Atheists, a better way to refer to all such useful prayers might be to call them “reflections.” The word “pray” implies seeking favor from a higher being. However, Atheists may still end a reflection with “amen,” which derives from older words meaning “certainly.”

       Among the various religions and communities, people celebrate positive holidays, holidays of mourning, and holidays of reflection. There are also usually celebrations for birth and marriage, plus a recognition of a child as a person to be taught in the community (akin to a first communion or first confession, usually around the ages of 5 to 8 or the “age of reason”), and a recognition of the attainment of the “age of majority,” variously recognized as a bar or bat mitzvah (age 13), a quinceañera in the Hispanic community (age 15), a sweet sixteen or coming-out party (age 16), the Muslim shahada (often in the late teens), a high-school graduation party (age 18), or a confirmation in the church or temple. Participation in such culturally significant rituals can have great meaning for Atheists, even with some of the structural framework of traditional religion. Some sort of special “reflection” is needed for these events.

       Below are some sample reflections that an Atheist might use when the need arises, for specific holidays they should be amended as needed. Also included are many traditional prayers adapted into reflection form for the Atheist. Many such prayers from traditional faiths are so well-known and comforting that we might keep their honest sentiment while offering an Atheist version to use on a regular basis.

       Note that where many theists would thank a god for their fortune, the Atheist recognizes that fortune itself is responsible for their ability to offer up such a reflection. We are fortunate to be here, reading this very passage, although of course that luck is the result of sheer chance interactions, plus the choices of our ancestors. We can be thankful for it, while rationally realizing that there is no higher being out there to thank. Sometimes we may thank our ancestors for their efforts, but this is in no way a worship of ancestors, merely a way to honestly give voice to our thanks that their actions in a very definite way gave us the chance to be here today.

       Many Atheists may see no need for such reflections. Whether or not this chapter is viewed as helpful is up to each individual. We offer these reflections for those individuals who might seek comfort in words, following the comfortable framework of religion. If saying these words out loud helps to reaffirm your thoughts, your hopes, your goals, and your thankfulness for each day and special event, feel free to do so.

       However, if deeper self-reflection does not interest you, go ahead and ignore this chapter. It is purely up to you, we offer such reflections here for those who enjoy and are comfortable with the feel and structure of traditional religion, but don’t subscribe to supernatural beliefs. For those seeking further guidance, the Secular Humanist movement has Officiants and Celebrants, who act as counterparts to ministers. Officiants and Celebrants may be able to provide you with further words of reflection beyond those provided here, and can officiate at holidays, special events, and times of hardship or mourning. Also, information about other traditional religious groups that welcome Atheists can be found in the Book of Atheists.

       The reflections below are categorized by type. While some are new, many are modifications of theistic prayers that may be familiar to you. Use them if you wish, to help you reflect upon life’s events.

May I treat all that comes to pass throughout the day
with peace of mind and with firm conviction in the goodness of humanity.

May I choose positive deeds and words, positive thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events, may I see challenges, not obstacles.

May I act firmly and wisely,
without embittering and embarrassing others.

May I have the strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day,
with all that it shall bring.
Amen.

Salutation to the Dawn (Hindu)
Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:

The bliss of growth;
The glory of action;
The splendor of achievement;

For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision;

But today, well lived, makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Daily Reflection
Let us reflect.

We are thankful for the fate that has allowed us to arrive at this moment,
and for our ancestors who sacrificed that we, their offspring, could live on.

We are honored by the good deeds of humanity,
and hope that those actions will increase in number, while evil wanes.

We reflect on our own actions and feel regret at our misdeeds
while we rejoice at the goodness we have brought to the world, to our loved ones, and to ourselves.

We commit ourselves to be morally upright,
and to strive to be virtuous and ethical.

We seek to improve our world,
to give love and comfort to those who are dear to us, and to better our own lives.

We promise to take joy in each day we are afforded here,
for we each have only one precious life to experience.
Amen.

Strength (adapted from Lord Help Me)
May I find in myself the strength to bring
Comfort where there is pain,
Courage where there is fear,
Hope where there is despair,
Acceptance when the end is near, and
A touch that is gentle,
With tenderness, patience and love.
Amen.

Steer the Course (adapted from Eastern Orthodox Show Me the Course)
May I be wise enough to steer the ship of my life,
to quiet harbors,
where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict.

May I be discerning,
so that I can always see
the right direction in which I should go.

And may I have the strength and courage to choose the right course,
even when the sea is rough and the waves are high,
enduring hardship and danger,
until I find my way back to comfort and peace.
Amen.

Be (Baha’i)
Be generous in prosperity,
and thankful in adversity.

Be fair in judgement,
and guarded in thy speech.

Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness,
and a home to the stranger.

Be eyes to the blind,
and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring.

Be a breath of life to the body of humankind,
a dew to the soil of the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

May there be peace on Earth and in the universe.
May waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome,
and may the fruits of the earth bring peace to all.

May all good people bring peace to us.
May the spirit of humanity propagate peace all through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may peace itself, bestow peace unto all and to me also.

Brotherhood Reflection (adapted from Muslim Prayer for Brotherhood)
Humanity is but a single brotherhood:
So make peace and reconciliation
between your brothers and sisters;
and may fortune give us mercy.
Amen.

Peace Prayer (Native American)
Let us know peace.
For as long as the moon shall rise,
For as long as the rivers shall flow,
For as long as the sun will shine,
For as long as the grass shall grow,
Let us know peace.

May We Move (adapted from Jain Prayer for Peace)
May we move from death to life, from falsehood to truth.
May we move from despair to hope, from fear to trust.
May we move from hate to love, from war to peace.
May peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe.

Reflection for Peace (adapted from Muslim Prayer for Peace)
We are thankful for the Universe
which has given birth to us
and made us into tribes and nations,
that we may know each other,
not that we may despise each other.

If your enemy inclines towards peace,
do also incline towards peace,
and trust in the power of humanity.
Most gracious are those who walk on the Earth in humility,
and when we address them, we say
“Peace.”

Reflection Before Meals (adapted from Jewish Blessings over bread and wine)
Thankful are we this day for our lives, our fortune in this Universe,
For the lessons of goodness,
And for bread from the earth,
and the fruit of the vine.
Amen.

Mindfulness (adapted from Buddhist Prayer Before Eating)
We are reminded of
the joys and pains of all beings
in our good fortune to have this food.
Let us receive it in gratitude.

And in mindfulness of our sisters and brothers
among living beings of every kind
who are hungry or homeless,
sick or injured,
or suffering in any way.
Amen.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,
May fortune smile upon you.

We are thankful for the fate that has allowed us to arrive
together at this special day,
and for our ancestors who sacrificed that we, their offspring, could live on.

We are thankful for the good fortune
that has allowed us to enjoy
this meal and these gifts.

We take time from our busy lives
to celebrate this day with our loved ones,
and to enjoy laughter and love and tradition.

Let us remember good holidays past,
while we make this day one to remember,
and teach our children so that our traditions may continue.

In the spirit of this holiday,
we renew our commitment to goodness, to self-improvement,
and to the enjoyment of life.
Amen.

Reflection for Holidays of Mourning
Let us reflect.

We are thankful for the fate that has allowed us to arrive
together at this solemn day,
and for our ancestors who sacrificed that we, their offspring, could live on.

On this day,
we remember a great tragedy,
and commit ourselves to prevent such tragedies from occurring again.

The dead lie still now,
Not seeing,
Not hearing,
Not feeling,
Not moving,
Not in pain.
They are no more.

Yet we remember, and their memory still moves our hearts.
We remember their lives and their sacrifice.
Through our actions in their name, they may still make a difference in this world.

Today we thank them.
Today we honor them.
We promise to never forget.
Amen.

Reflection for Holidays of Atonement
Let us reflect.

We are thankful for the fate that has allowed us to arrive
together at this hallowed day,
and for our ancestors who sacrificed that we, their offspring, could live on.

On this day,
we look back at our lives and our actions over the past year,
and judge ourselves.

We take full responsibility for our deeds, good and bad.
We apologize for transgressions and misdeeds against others,
and endeavor not to commit transgressions in the coming year.

We take stock of ourselves, and look at our strengths and our failings,
our motivations and our desires, our relationships and our loves,
with a critical and unbiased eye.

We recognize and learn
from the past,
but promise not to dwell upon it.

We plan for a better future in a better world
as a better and happier person,
and promise to work to attain these goals.

We renew our commitment to goodness,
to self-improvement,
and to the enjoyment of life.
Amen.

I firmly intend to right what wrongs I can,
and to avoid anything that leads me to sin.
I shall better myself, and strive to be virtuous.
Amen.

We are thankful for the fate that has allowed us to arrive
together at this special day,
and for our ancestors who sacrificed that we, their offspring, could live on.

Today,
we celebrate the birth
of the newest member of our family.

We are thankful for their safe arrival,
and for their health
and for that of their mother.

We see this new child,
and recognize their awesome potential
to forever change the world.

Each of us here,
friend and family alike,
will take responsibility to protect and nurture them.

We will teach them right from wrong, good from evil, virtue from vice,
in order that this innocent child will grow up
to be a good, moral, virtuous, and productive person.

We hope that their life
will have a positive impact on the world,
and that all of their dreams will be fulfilled.

And, in seeing such beauty and promise,
we ourselves renew our commitment
to goodness, to self-improvement, and to the enjoyment of life.
Amen.

Reflection for a Newborn Child (adapted from Jewish Prayer for a Newborn Child)
We are humbled by the awesome power of this moment.
From our lives we have brought forth life.
Through our love we have fashioned a child of love.

May our child bring goodness to all he meets.
And may he count us among his good fortune as well.

Parent’s Reflection (adapted from Catholic Parent’s Prayer)
I thank the fate that has brought to me these my children,
and committed them to my charge.
I hope that I may be able to fulfill this most important duty and stewardship.

May I know what to give and what to withhold,
when to reprove and when to forbear,
when to be gentle, and when to be firm.

May I be considerate and watchful,
and spare myself and my children the weakness of indulgence,
and the excess of severity.

And by word and example,
may I be careful to lead them in the ways of wisdom and reason,
so that at last I may be able to say that I raised my children well.

Amen.

Reflection for a Child Reaching the Age of Reason
Let us reflect.

We are thankful for the fate that has allowed us to arrive
together at this special day,
and for our ancestors who sacrificed that we, their offspring, could live on.

Today,
we celebrate our children,
as they reach the Age of Reason.

While in the past, they looked to us for pronouncements on every issue,
they are now of the age where they can think for themselves,
and understand right and wrong, good and evil.

We will strive to nurture
this budding intellect in our most precious of possessions,
our offspring.

And we will walk together with them through the trials and tribulations of childhood,
still their primary source of attachment to the world,
yet knowing that they will now begin to seek their own path in this life.

We promise to encourage their identity,
their joys and their goals,
while gently guiding them around the pitfalls of life.

And, on seeing their newfound independence and self-direction,
we ourselves renew our own commitment
to goodness, to self-improvement, and to the enjoyment of life.
Amen.

Reflection for a Child Reaching the Age of Majority
Let us reflect.

We are thankful for the fate that has allowed us to arrive
together at this special day,
and for our ancestors who sacrificed that we, their offspring, could live on.

Today,
we celebrate our children,
as they reach the Age of Majority.

What we brought into this world as infants,
and nurtured as children,
have now become young men and women.

They are separate from us,
with their own goals, their own friendships, their own likes and dislikes,
their own ideas on how to run their lives.

Yet they are still
and will always be
a part of us.

We promise to offer
assistance, guidance,
love, and support.

But we know that they will make their own way,
and that through the next years they will make more of their own choices,
and rely less on our decisions.

We hope that we have taught them well.
Our children will soon be the adults of the next generation of humanity,
and we rejoice in their success.

And, upon seeing these new adults
and their commitment to their own futures
and the future of humanity,

We ourselves
renew our own commitment
to goodness, to self-improvement, and to the enjoyment of life. Amen.

Reflection upon Majority (adapted from Jewish Bar Mitzvah Blessing)
Thankful are we this day for our lives, our fortune in this Universe,
For the lessons of goodness,
for life, for sustenance,
and for the fate that has enabled us to reach this joyous occasion
of our child reaching the Age of Majority.
Amen.

Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there is no more loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two bodies,
But there is only one life before you.

Go now to your home,
To enter your days of togetherness.

Reflection for the Bridegroom and Bride (adapted from Jewish Wedding Prayer)
Thankful are we this day for our lives, our fortune in this Universe,
for mirth and joy, bridegroom and bride,
gladness, jubilation, dancing, and delight,
love and brotherhood, peace and fellowship.

Quickly, may the sound of mirth and joy
be heard in the streets,
the voice of bridegroom and bride,
jubilant voices of bridegrooms from their canopies
and youths from the feasts of song.

We celebrate good fortune, and the rejoicing of the bridegroom and bride.
Amen.

Reflection Upon Marriage
Let us reflect.

We are thankful for the fate that has allowed us to arrive
together at this special day,
and for our ancestors who sacrificed that we, their offspring, could live on.

Today, we celebrate as two of our loved ones
are joined together in matrimony.

We bestow upon them our wishes
for a long and loving life together, filled with joy.

May each of them take the other completely into their hearts,
and may they be so joined,

in love and life,
for as long as they both shall live.

And, upon recognizing their commitment to their future,
and the future of humanity,

we ourselves renew our own commitment
to goodness, to self-improvement, and to the enjoyment of life.
Amen.

May our good words and deeds endure,
and help to give humankind a safe lodging,
in goodness and righteousness, until the end of time.
Amen.

Remembrance (adapted from Catholic Prayer of the Faithful)
For our loved one,
that they may always remain in our hearts.
We remember.

For all of our deceased relatives and friends and for all who have helped us,
that their acts of goodness may live on in us.
We remember.

For the family and friends of our loved one,
that we may console each other in our grief.
We remember.

For all of us assembled here to say goodbye,
that we may not forget our loved one, but gather together again under happier circumstances.
We remember.