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"Thank God"

I was watching a TV show recently that featured a professional athlete who was talking about all of the success he had in life. He spoke about long days he spent practicing and about how driven he was to always be the best he could be. The person he was speaking with said "Congratulations you must be good." to which the athlete replied "I'm not good, I'm just blessed."

Comments like that always put me off. You hear it from so many people from athletes to movie stars to great humanitarians and everything in between. So many people working so hard to accomplish their goals and then so eagerly give the credit away. Many people see it as an act of grace but all I see is invalidation of their own effort. I always want to ask why they even needed to work or try if God was going to bless them with the end result anyways. Anyone else find themselves cringing at these statements?

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Permalink Reply by booklover on August 28, 2011 at 2:49pm

Seriously? Wow. Just, wow.

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Permalink Reply by roland707 on August 28, 2011 at 3:12pm

Saw BUNCHES of that down here in April.

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Permalink Reply by Atheist Andrea on August 27, 2011 at 7:13pm

It must be maddening if you are an atheist surgeon and hear a family say that god worked miracles to save their loved one.

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Permalink Reply by Carla on August 28, 2011 at 9:22am

I completely agree with you...and I would LOVE to be able to find an atheist doctor! :)

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Permalink Reply by booklover on August 28, 2011 at 4:18pm

I take something for anxiety. I have to go to a therapists office to get it, even though I don't get therapy. When I switched to a new one, and I've put this on here before, when she was getting to know me for our first appt., I said I was an Atheist. She said "But you seem like such a moral person." WHAT?????? She seems SO naive it's ridiculous. I'm glad I only have to go twice a year to get the prescription renewed.

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Permalink Reply by Atheist Andrea on August 28, 2011 at 6:01pm

You must have been so furious! I am pissed just reading it. What a follower this person is. It would have been great to say, " I thought you had some intelligence with that degree!".

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Permalink Reply by booklover on August 29, 2011 at 7:39am

I seriously think she wouldn't understand what I meant!

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Permalink Reply by Atheist Andrea on August 28, 2011 at 5:59pm

Oh man, you are a tough patient! But hell, you are so right!

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Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on August 28, 2011 at 6:30pm

Nothing says humble like claiming that God specifically chose you!

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Permalink Reply by annet on September 1, 2011 at 3:45pm

congratulations!

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Permalink Reply by booklover on September 1, 2011 at 6:33pm

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you tried this reasoning with some imbeciles though, their answer would be "God works in mysterious ways...". MY answer to that is "What a MONSTER!!!!"