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Video: Watch a video of the pre-game prayer at the Nebraska-Penn State football game last month.
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Pick a restaurant.
Maybe Omaha's upscale French Cafe. Maybe the neighborhood Runza. Doesn't matter.
Before the food touches her lips at any eatery, Sharon Ishii-Jordan bows her head, makes the sign of the cross and says grace.
"If prayer is something that's important to you," she said. "what prevents you from saying grace before meals at restaurants?"
For many people, the answer to that question might be complicated. Many are self-conscious about what might be considered a showy display of faith. Others might be worried about offending someone.
Saying grace in restaurants is just one form of public prayer, an issue that has gained attention lately, especially after last month's pregame prayer by Nebraska and Penn State players. Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has drawn a national spotlight for taking a knee and praying during games. It's common to see athletes in other sports offer the sign of the cross before shooting a free-throw or looking to heaven in thanks after hitting a home run.
Not everyone is comfortable praying in public, and some people think athletes who do so are only trying to promote themselves and build support among some fans and advertisers. Others say it's just the natural expression of their faith.
"They want the publicity," said David Silverman, president of American Atheists, based in New Jersey.
For most of us, such displays of prayer outside church or other worship space don't arise in the end zone or at the foul line. Of course, many people pray in public without making a sound, so no one ever knows. But it pops up out loud at restaurants, particularly during this time of year, when families are gathering and celebrating.
Ishii-Jordan, a Creighton University associate dean and a member of St. Leo Catholic Church, recently gave a presentation at her parish about changes in the Mass. During that talk, she encouraged people who pray before meals at home to continue that tradition at restaurants.
Doing so helps remind us that God is with us, she said, no matter where we are, no matter what we are doing. The goal isn't to impress other diners with your reverence, she said.
But if other people happen to notice, there can be benefits, said Tim Wiebe, a pastor at Omaha's Brookside Church.
"It's cool to show people you are living your faith in public,'' he said.
A few years ago, Ishii-Jordan was traveling through central Nebraska when she stopped and spent the night at a motel. The next morning before eating breakfast in the motel dining area, she prayed.
A woman at a nearby table walked up and said she'd always been embarrassed to pray in public, but decided she would do it from then on after watching Ishii-Jordan.
Silverman said his organization has no problem with people who choose to pray openly in a restaurant.
"That is their right,'' he said. "We may not think they are correct, but they don't think we are correct either. Freedom of religion goes both ways."
Athletes have that same right, he said, but he believes their motivation is different. They have a camera on them and a crowd watching, he said.
"It shows (the athlete's) interest in promoting their religion above the sport," he said. "I don't want Christianity in my football."
Charles Fisher, a 23-year-old senior at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said it just doesn't make sense when athletes pray after scoring a touchdown or some other achievement during competition.
If an athlete prays after scoring a touchdown, he should also pray in recognition of the other team's accomplishments, said Fisher, who's from Omaha and majoring in art with an emphasis in art philosophy.
It would be selfish for people to pray for only their own success, he said.
Dan Britton, an executive vice president with the national Fellowship of Christian Athletes, said athletes who pray during competition are doing it because of strong personal beliefs.
He said some people misinterpret an athlete's prayer as an attempt to "spiritually show off."
That's not the case, he said.
"Praying is a humble act of acknowledging they play for God,'' he said.
Athletes who pray set an example for fans, said Todd Salzman, a professor of theology at Creighton.
"It gives permission for prayer to be more expressive," he said.
An official of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska said public prayer — whether by an athlete or a restaurant diner — does not raise any constitutional concerns as long as it's a personal choice.
"There is a difference between what an individual does to express their own religious beliefs and the use of government authority to require or prohibit a belief," said Laurel Marsh, the ACLU Nebraska executive director.
A 2007 Pew Research Center survey indicated that prayer is a common religious practice in the United States. Nearly six in 10 adults said they pray at least once a day. Frequency was highest among women and people 65 and older.
Muslims daily face the prospect of public prayer, said Raheem Yaseer, a Muslim and assistant director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at UNO.
Muslims are obligated to stop and pray five times each day. Some find a private place to bow or stand while praying, but some pray even if they are at a park or another public place, he said.
Onlookers often take notice, he said.
"It creates curiosity and sometimes suspicion,'' he said.
Attitudes among Christians about prayer before a restaurant meal also vary, said Pat Blewett, associate pastor at Omaha's Westside Church.
Some people, no matter how strong their faith, aren't comfortable praying openly, and that's fine, he said.
He said he knows people who prefer to say a silent prayer, which is just as good.
"God still hears,'' he said.
Inhibitions and family upbringing play a role in why some people are uncomfortable praying openly, said Dawn O. Braithwaite, professor and chair of the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
It's the same reason some people feel uncomfortable kissing their spouse in public or standing up and cheering for their favorite team.
"Everyone has a different communication style,'' she said.
Heather Lo Sole, a manager at Omaha's Lo Sole Mio restaurant, sees all sorts of prayer styles.
Some families hold hands around the table, bow their heads and pray aloud. Others bow their heads, but don't hold hands. Others whisper prayers to themselves.
A few years ago, she sat two couples at a table and they told her they planned to pray before their meal. Then the couples asked her if she had anything she'd like them to pray for.
That was easy, she said. Her kids. Lo Sole said that seeing diners pray is a reassuring sign of God's presence.
"It makes me feel blessed,'' she said.
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