Prayer in public places (or is there a "time and a place" for everything)?

Let me preface this by saying I don't have a problem with people saying a quiet prayer in a restaurant, or on the beach or wherever else they might feel the need (or want) to pray.

BUT my husband and I were in a restaurant yesterday, and there was a very large table of people. There were only two other couples besides my husband and myself in the restaurant besides them. Their food was brought out, and one of them got up and said it was time to pray. Much to my surprise, they all start singing very loudly. It was a very obnoxious (in my opinion of course LONG (it seriously lasted 4-5 minutes) loud song and I thought it was very rude of them.

So here is my question to you. Is prayer of any kind acceptable in any place simply because it is prayer? Or is there a time and a place for everything and they should have considered a different, quieter, maybe non-sung prayer out of respect for the other diners in the restaurant?

[up|dn]

Sounds pretty abnoxious.

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

[Kytro]

Sure, it's acceptable, you don't have a right not to be offended.

However the owner / manager of the restaurant can govern the rules in the restaurant

[Linzyhop]

Originally Posted by 03 white zx3

Let me preface this by saying I don't have a problem with people saying a quiet prayer in a restaurant, or on the beach or wherever else they might feel the need (or want) to pray.

BUT my husband and I were in a restaurant yesterday, and there was a very large table of people. There were only two other couples besides my husband and myself in the restaurant besides them. Their food was brought out, and one of them got up and said it was time to pray. Much to my surprise, they all start singing very loudly. It was a very obnoxious (in my opinion of course LONG (it seriously lasted 4-5 minutes) loud song and I thought it was very rude of them.

So here is my question to you. Is prayer of any kind acceptable in any place simply because it is prayer? Or is there a time and a place for everything and they should have considered a different, quieter, maybe non-sung prayer out of respect for the other diners in the restaurant?

if it affected your enjoyment of your meal, which it would have for me, i would have said something. a simple "god bless this meal" or equivalent would be fine, but singing???? in a restaurant????? doesn't seem like a simple prayer to me.

[JaJae]

I think it was bad etiquette. Some people need to realize not everyone wants to hear their singing and praying when they're out paying for a meal. While I don't have anything against praying in public, it should be done with respect of other people. That goes for any religion or any other reason. Going out to a restaurant is supposed to be a relaxing and enjoyable event. You shouldn't have to deal with such a large distraction of any form, religious or otherwise. It's a shame too because if they were up and down screaming the latest Britney Spears lyrics they probably would have been asked to quiet down or leave. Yet because it was a prayer it draws a fuzzy line and puts the restaurant at risk of making the news if they attempt to silence it. So while the few people in the restaurant with them might have been annoyed, at least they didn't get bad press over it...

I think overall it's just rude. If I had been after a little while I probably would have told them to shutup. If they got rowdy over it I would have left some cash on the table for my tab and walked out. Then again if I was out with family or my girlfriend I probably would have stayed silent to not offend or bring them into whatever ensued from it.