The House of Lords should expand on the prayers that begin each sitting to take account of religious diversity, a Lib Dem peer has said.
Lord Roberts of Llandudno, a retired Methodist minister, asked on Thursday if it was time that the prayers reflected the different faiths and different denominations "not only in the House but in the United Kingdom".
He added: "Isn't this an opportunity for us perhaps to have a minute of silence or minute of reflection in addition to the prayers we have at the present time?"
However, many peers voiced their anger at change of the current format during daily questions in the chamber.
Currently, the House's bishops take it in turns to lead just under five minutes of prayers, based on the book of Common prayer, ahead of the start of business.
Labour peer Lord Anderson of Swansea said that despite being a Welsh non-conformist, he was "wholly satisfied with the timeless sentiments and superlative prose of the present prayers".
Conservative Lord Cormack said: "There are many in this House who are not of the Christian faith, such as my noble friend who sits beside me and is a Hindu [Lord Popat], who warmly welcomed the sentiment contained within the prayers and the majesty of the language with which they are uttered."
Honorary vice president of the British Humanist Association, Lord Hughes (Lab) said: "My personal preference is that we should not have prayers at all."
Lord Brabazon of Tara pointed out attendance at prayers was "voluntary" and that bishops sat "by being representatives of the established church and the prayers reflect that".
Should an opening ceremony be necessary, the "views of humanists" should be taken into account, he said.
The chairman of committees said the practice was believed to have first started in about 1558 but the present form of prayers probably dates from the reign of Charles II.
He said: "It might be a little premature to consider changing them."
And he said that if and when there is a new House, it would be "for that House to decide whether it wants Prayers and, if so, what form of Prayers it wants".
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