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Comment by Steph S. on August 3, 2012 at 11:19pm

Comment by Paula T. on August 3, 2012 at 8:35pm

That's a great story, booklover. Very refreshing to hear you have such an open-minded(?) friend. She sounds like a keeper :)

Comment by Patricia on August 3, 2012 at 7:33pm

I can't say it never happens here, but it's usually the US with the thanking gawd thing.

Comment by booklover on August 3, 2012 at 6:57pm

Good for you Idaho Spud!  I need to get out and exercise.  I met two religious friends at a public-pool today, one was the one I went to the lake with yesterday.  I said I had to get home to watch the evening news.  She asked who I watched and I said Brian Williams.  She  said she couldn't stand his voice.  We had been talking about the friend that 'broke-up' with me over me putting something on Facebook that Richard Dawkins said.  She laughed and said "I'd never break-up with you because you're an Atheist, but I would because you watch Brian Williams and I can't stand him!" and we both started laughing.  It was just so silly and the way I wish it was between all of my friends who aren't Atheists and me.  Some just are too offended or dumb to get it though, so bye to them! :)

Also, It's interesting that Clara Hughes didn't thank 'god', and she's not from the US.  Do you wonder if it's just mostly the US athletes who do this on a regular basis?

Comment by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on August 3, 2012 at 6:42pm

Good for Clara Hughes. I too got tired of hearing about God from winning athletes.

Comment by Idaho Spud on August 3, 2012 at 5:27pm

Love Tony's melting dog and saved it.  Also saved booklover's gene pool police.  I often want to shout that at someone.  Ian's angry cat also got saved.  

Thanks to all.  Some I like never got credit because I've been spending more time in the garden, walking, and bicycling.  My doctor was pleased with all the exercise I've been getting.

Comment by Joan Denoo on August 3, 2012 at 3:50pm

If someone works very hard, develops their coordination, trains their reflexes, learns to be flexible, keeps their eye on the goal, is coached by wise and caring people, has support of family and friends, overcomes obstacles and wins a race or some performance, the reference to god as reason for fine performance is to claim the performer and all those who participated in the achievement is somehow special, a chosen one/s.
What about the person who does the same hard work, has the same good coaching and support, and loses; is that person not special, not chosen by some higher power to come in first or do the best? 
A team, sports or work team, that prays before performance puts notions of achievement beyond their own capacity to perform and when they fail to "win, do they blame some deity? 
Did the first to climb successfully Mt. Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953, pray for success or did they keep telling themselves, "I can do it. One more step, then another," until they reached the top. 

What about the climbers who worked as hard, kept a positive attitude, and died in the attempts? Did they say prayers, or did they rely on their training or did they include prayers to a deity? Were they not favored in the scheme of things?
Whether succeeding at a task or failing, there are circumstances that make differences. With all the training and support in the world, disasters happen, especially when taking such risks. But life is like that, people who use good judgment and work hard may be faced with an uneven playing field, or there may be hidden information not available to them, either on purpose or not yet understood.

When a banker or financial mogul manipulates the markets, makes fortune for himself and his cronies, and others who work hard struggle just to keep functioning, then the struggler can hardly be blamed?

When one nation deliberately commits genocide, such as USA attempted destruction of Native American culture, can Native peoples be blamed for their harships?

When one segment of society, because of race, keeps others of another race in slavery, prevents education, and uses brutal force to "keep them in their place", can the slaves and their heirs be blamed for failure to flourish? 

Many wealthy act as if they earned their treasure because of work  they performed, when indeed, thousands of others may have participated in making the product.  

If an individual puts his/her faith in an unseeable, unhearable, and unknowable entity and expect things to happen, there is a dependence that begins in the mind and influences behaviors. 

If an individual puts his/her mind and body to work to solve a problem, there is no blame to impose, but rather encouragement to try again and keep trying until problems or conflicts resolve. Failure comes from dependence, not being open to different options, expecting others to resolve issues, and stopping thought and action. 

If a winning athlete credits god for his/her victory, then we witness delusion and denial. Call them on it. 

Comment by dr kellie on August 3, 2012 at 3:18pm

Booklover, you put it well.  God loves Gabby so much that she gets a gold medal while other kids get cancer and all kinds of horrible diseases, starvation, etc.  I just don't know sometimes.

Comment by Ian Mason on August 3, 2012 at 2:34pm

I wonder if people would be shunned in some countries if they didn't do the "thank God" routine? Or even stoned in a few! Expressing a non-comformist opinion can lead to being dropped as two Americans and one Aussie found out in '68 after the famous fist salute.

Comment by Paula T. on August 3, 2012 at 2:30pm

Wow, I hope our athletes in the U.S., both pro and amateur, begin to give THEMSELVES credit, along with coach, family, etc. I give Clara Hughes credit for putting the credit where it belongs!

It drives me crazy when I watch the Detroit Tigers on TV and a couple of players in particular knock in a run or hit a homer, they cross themselves, look, and point up. I look at it this way...If I was standing at home plate and hit a home run, THAT would be a miracle and god could possibly get the credit (if I believed!), but as sk8eycat said, athletes work for YEARS to have the skills they do in order to make it. No skydaddy was involved in their success - only their own dedication and hard work.

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