Some atheists are offended when people say that they will pray for them. I have no such issue with prayer. I simply don’t believe it will work.But just because I don’t believe that it will work, does not mean that I believe that it won’t work either. To get offended, when one prays for you, suggests that you believe that what they are doing is wrong. It suggests that you believe that gods do not exist, that prayer is ineffectual, etc. In that case, someone praying is a contradiction of your beliefs. But I hold no such beliefs. I am a weak atheist. I simply do not hold a position on gods in general.
In fact, to complain to someone who wants to pray for you is rather selfish. Why? Even if prayer does not work, it does help ease the suffering of the person doing the praying. And we are social creatures. If we suffer, those around us often sense it and suffer as well. A friend, family member, or someone in the community who wishes to pray for you is doing so, in part because they are suffering with you. Demanding that they do not pray is saying “no; you cannot ease your suffering because I do not believe that your prayer will help ease mine.”
But of course that too is wrong. Just as they suffer when we suffer, we suffer when they do. So if prayer eases their suffering, I see no reason why I should prevent them from praying, regardless of whether or not I believe that it will have some supernatural impact on me. I simply will not be that selfish.