This ^
I agree to pray when asked, though I’m a closeted atheist IRL, and I always politely bow and participate in prayers no matter what the denomination or religion. Instead of mumbling words, though, I actually search for concrete, tangible ways to help instead. Sick? Visit, or check up on them, cook and deliver a meal, flowers or vegetables from my garden, attempt to coordinate outside help from other friends and acquaintances. Death in the family? Make a note and follow up in a couple weeks. Unemployment, romance trouble, or any other unpleasantness: check up in a couple weeks and offer to listen or provide other support. I agree to pray, but I don’t; I take action instead. I think it’s safe to assume they are comforted by the belief that we are rooting for the same team. I’d rather lie and spare someone’s feelings than burden them with the belief they must also worry over the state of my eternal soul in addition to whatever issue is vexing them.
And every member of my family and most of my friends do the same. Nod, mumble some Amens, then find some way to assist the troubled person.
Yes, although I don’t need to kneel. I pray anywhere, anytime, in any position, out loud or silently, sometimes short & sweet, and sometimes long. I believe it’s the feeling in your heart, the intent, not the manner.
I pray for anyone, regardless of their faith. But not that they will convert. If someone has expressed a need, I might pray that they find God who can help them. I might share with someone my beliefs and let them know how much it comforts me. But I’m not a recruiter.
Me too. I don’t pray so I won’t say I do. I won’t say “you’re in my thoughts” either if they won’t be. I don’t like to lie.
I will remember them in my prayers. I don’t, however, pray for people to leave their own religion, although I might if I knew anyone in the Westboro Church, or some type of polygamy.
I don’t even say “bless you” when somebody sneezes. Prayers work just about as well as making a wish when you blow out the candles on a birthday cake.
This, kinda. I’ll only tell someone I’m praying for them if I think it will comfort them to know this. I might pray for people without telling them so. I try never to tell people I’m going to do anything without actually doing it.
Certainly not as such (unless they’ve specifically asked me to pray such a prayer). First, because I’m hesitant to pray anything for anyone that I suspect they wouldn’t want me to pray for; I don’t want to disrespect their autonomy or integrity. And second, because—though I do believe it’s a good thing—I’m not convinced that formally converting to Christianity (or joining Christian[sup]TM[/sup] Brand Organized Religion) is either a necessary or a sufficient condition for salvation or happiness or spiritual health & well-being or pleasing God. For all I know, they may be exactly where they “should” be in their spiritual journey.
But I have and do, at least occasionally, pray for atheists or other nonchristians. Sometimes, if they’ve been expressing hostility toward or contempt for or confusion about God or religion or Christianity, I might pray that God would open their mind or soften their heart or allow them to be enlightened. I might pray that they would encounter God, or experience the love of Christ. I might just ask God to bless them, and leave the details to God.
This.
I haven’t actually kneeled to pray for a very long time, but yes, if I say I’ll pray for someone, I do at least once.
However, I have never once prayed that someone would find God, though I suppose it’s good if they do. My flavor of Christianity doesn’t believe that non-believers (or anyone else, save Satan) will go to hell.
My daily prayers aren’t aloud or on my knees. While I do pray the Lord’s Prayer daily, most of my praying is not in the form of composed prayers. I have knelt on one or two occasions when I felt moved to do so.
Certainly I will pray for anyone who asks me to directly. Saying “you’re in my prayers” or “I’ll pray for you” is not really part of the tradition I grew up with. I am careful not to say it lightly. If a facebook friend or someone here asks generally for prayers or good thoughts I usually don’t post a reply, but I do pray.
In the thirty or so years that I’ve been praying it never occurred to me nor has it been suggested by anyone that I pray for anyone to convert.
I don’t know how to pray. I honestly don’t comprehend how it is supposed to be done. I know how to wish – wish upon a star, break a wishbone, blow out a birthday candle – but I do not grok how to pray.
Then you probably don’t say “You’re in my prayers”, right?
If someone asks me to pray for them I will do it then and/or try to remember to bring it up when I am at church.
As far as us praying for non-Catholics, The Roman Catholic rite does have prayers for non-Catholics as part of Good Friday:
**
For the Jewish People:**
Let us pray
For the Jewish people,
The first to hear the word of God,
That they may continue to grow in the love of his name
And in faithfulness to his covenant.
Almighty and eternal God,
Long ago you gave your promise to Abraham and his posterity.
Listen to your Church as we pray
That the people you first made your own
May arrive at the fullness of redemption.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
**
For Those Who Do Not Believe in Christ:**
Let us pray
For those who do not believe in Christ,
That the light of the Holy Spirit
May show them the way to salvation.
Almighty and eternal God,
Enable those who do not acknowledge Christ
To find the truth
As they walk before you in sincerity of heart.
Help us to grow in love for one another,
To grasp more fully the mystery of your godhead,
And to become more perfect witnesses of your love
In the sight of men.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
**
For Those Who Do Not Believe in God:**
Let us pray
For those who do not believe in God,
that they may find Him
By sincerely following all that is right.
Almighty and eternal God,
You created mankind
So that all might long to find you
And have peace when you are found,
Grant that, in spite of the hurtful things
That stand in their way,
They may all recognize in the lives of Christians
The tokens of your love and mercy,
And gladly acknowledge you
As the one true God and Father of us all.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
but generally it’s not something I pray about. Selfishly I am more worried about my own salvation. 
Was Christian. Then: Yes, usually at night whenever I had a moment and then again in the morning immediately after getting out of bed. Yes, once as soon as possible (just a quiet moment and a thought) then again at the end of the day in the big wrap-up prayer. No, never prayed for somebody to convert (why yes I was Episcopalian, why do you ask).
Now agnostic. Now, if someone asks me for prayers, I do still take a moment, whenever I can get it in, to just think to myself about that person and their situation. I know my thoughts aren’t being transmuted into divine beneficence, but, it’s good enough to me that that keeps them in mind so that I can follow up and ask how they’re doing later. I try not to go about telling people I’m one way or the other, but anybody who knows me knows that I’m not devout.
I haven’t had someone ask me to pray with them in years, but if they did, I’d go along, unless I knew they’d be hurt by the thought of a horny, tailed, red-skinned atheist faking praying with them. We do prayers before family dinners when we’re all together. I still do those too.
I rarely say the phrase in the title, but I do say “I’ll pray for you,” and I pray right there on the spot so I won’t forget. Saying someone is “in my prayers” would mean I’ve already been praying for them.
I’m not big on even little white lies.
Thank you all for your informative answers! How fascinating. I haven’t prayed in twenty-five years or more, and I don’t recall if I ever prayed for anyone else, so I was curious.
How are you on bald-faced whoppers? Because I’m going to continue until someone is self-righteous enough to explain the harm in my lies.
In my lifelong experience in the Bible Belt, most people devout enough to request prayers or bring up faith in everyday speak are preoccupied with spreading the Word, with adding to the flock and earning credit for rescuing damned souls. These people take “Happy Holidays” as a deliberate, atheist agenda to discount their God. Surely if I admit I don’t pray, they’ll take it to heart to witness in earnest and fret over my soul. And I can guarantee they’ll out me to the community in a fit of righteous determination to either convert or expunge the community of a demon-haunted non-believer.
Artifacts of the Satanic Panic are still among us here. Churches pay for billboards about praying in school. The denomination of even small time political candidates are listed along with their qualifications in the paper. Certain bands are boycotted, and if they play anyway: picketed with local news coverage. The “Happy Holidays” controversy is water cooler fodder, an opportunity for the devout to loudly shame cashiers, and a news-maker. There are no atheists here; if one is not Christian, one is a demon.
But I’ve nothing to lose, personally. I accept this climate I live in and do my best to respect an all-encompassing force I don’t subscribe to. I’ve nothing to lose if I were to rudely reject a prayer request. But I’ll never do it. I like people, and I won’t vex them just to take a stand on my lack of belief. What could be more pointless or willfully combative? My job is secure, my closeted friends and family are good, generous people, and we agree that lying about our faith and prayers is better than burdening a troubled person, and that taking action to help beats aiming thoughts at them. We do this not because we have a sneaky agenda to trick gullible people; we genuinely care about the individuals in our community and do what it takes to support them, to lift their spirits, and to reassure them they are cared for.
I rarely say it, and when I do it’s here and generally to people who have specifically asked for prayers.
I do include people here in my prayers but they’re not necessarily the same ones who get the “you’re in my prayers” response, as I don’t necessarily respond from a time and place in which I’m going to pray. But there is a convent I visit often, whose nuns have “Nava’s internet friends” in their prayer list: other people ask them to pray for their family; since my family was already in their list, I added you guys.
Yes, I do (not with the kneeling, though).
I don’t hardly ever say it, though.
To get all technical, praying for another is known as an intercessory prayer. There are also, in broad categories: prayers of praise (directed to God), penitence (asking forgivness of the prayer’s sin), petition (asking God for something), and thanksgiving (appreciation). Prayers tend to encompass more than one category.
I would never say it, because I would never do it.