Why do religious people give God credit for things they do themselves?

[Beaudreaux]

yes, i believe that's right thing to do.

.

But why??? Why would God even WANT credit for something you clearly did on your own?

 

[Beaudreaux]

God is the one who gives me strength to do what I need to do so I always thank God. If that annoys people, so be it.

How does he give you that strength? Does this divine strength allow you to do things that people with ordinary strength cannot?

 

[Beaudreaux]

nope, you do what you could do in your power to gain whatever you want. putting effort is about free will. you chose to work on something. therefor effort is an obligation for success. but effort and success are not the same things. i believe success comes from God, not my effort. i can not chose to be successful, i can chose to give effort and in case i was successful i would thank God because i know that guarantying success is not within my power.

.

This is good. I think I am starting to understand. So, you believe (quite reasonably) that effort alone does not always produce success. Take the NBA example. Many many people try their best to be good at basketball because they have dreams of playing in the NBA, but only a small percentage of those people make it. You are saying that God influences physical events on earth to "select" who will be in the NBA and who will not. Those who God has "selected" and who understand this process are quite reasonable in thanking God for their situation.

My only problem with this approach is that God always seems to select a crappy team for Philadelphia.

Seriously though, have I elaborated your position correctly?

 

[Beaudreaux]

Oh come on. Sure some of his policies were...questionable, but how could you not like the guy as a person? He's like the the lovable uncle that comes to Thanksgiving with great stories and a kind smile.

Moving on to your question - humility?

Well, there's humility and false humility. The farmer in the story, IMHO, was being humble in that while he was showing his work to the preacher, he was not going on and on about how great he was for doing it. He only spoke up when it seemed he was being wronged. But for a person to claim that someone else is responsible for a good thing that they clearly did themselves...that seems false to me.

 

[ChristineES]

How does he give you that strength? Does this divine strength allow you to do things that people with ordinary strength cannot?

I just believe that God gives us what we need when we need it. We do the work ourselves but I believe that God is with us.
I wouldn't call it "divine strength".

 

[blah782]

God is the one who gives me strength to do what I need to do so I always thank God. If that annoys people, so be it.

How do you know this? Or are you just speaking about your assumptions? Just saying...people often say "God gave me the strength" as if they knew God personally handed them the strength. If you didn't have the strength for something, would you blame God? I doubt that you would. So why one and not the other? Surely if he is given credit for giving people strength, he should be blamed for not giving or taking from people right?

Not an attack, I am just curious as to what other people think.

 

[Beaudreaux]

I just believe that God gives us what we need when we need it.

All of us? Because I gotta tell ya, I see a LOT of people not getting what they need when they need it.

We do the work ourselves but I believe that God is with us.

What do you mean that he is "with" us? Proximally close? Rooting for us? What?

 

[blah782]

All of us? Because I gotta tell ya, I see a LOT of people not getting what they need when they need it.

What do you mean that he is "with" us? Proximally close? Rooting for us? What?

lol very true.

Another thing I want to bring up is that religious folks say God doesn't chose favorites... he "loves everyone the same". Then why is it some people have no indication of his existence and others do? Many people who don't believe God (myself included in this) have tried to connect with 'God' and it never happened. Many have searched for answers and prayed and all that. So it certainly isn't a miss communication problem on the persons end. Because the person not receiving help from God could easily be doin the very same things the other person who does supposedly receive help from God.

I wonder if it EVER occurred to religious people if there is even a slight possibility that this "inner strength" they get from God..is all in their own mind. That these feelings of him being near as ways to cope with really being alone. I get so confused about if they actually believe he is giving them strength and that he is really out there...or if they just go along with the motions and try to believe it because they want to. When you (religious people) receive strength from this supposed God, do you feel this warm feeling coming over you and see a magical light beam fly around your body? That would be a wonderful indication you got your strength from something other than yourself.

 

[ChristineES]

How do you know this? Or are you just speaking about your assumptions?

They are assumptions to you but not assumptions to me. I see God as giving me strength, but you just see me as gaining strength myself.

All of us? Because I gotta tell ya, I see a LOT of people not getting what they need when they need it.

No, that is too true but it is not caused by God, it is caused by government and other things of such. My family and I live from hand to mouth- we are not rich and seem to wonder where we are going to get money for next month's bills.

What do you mean that he is "with" us? Proximally close? Rooting for us? What?

According to what Jesus said, the Kingdom of God is among us.

My own note- As a theist, I believe in God. As you are atheists or agnostics or whatever, I don't expect to be able to answer your questions in the way you want me to. I am not sure of your motives are in keeping up this questioning- I like to assume the best- that you are trying to understand why a person continues to believe in an unseen entity. But I can't help but get the feeling that you are trying to shake up my faith (not that it would work) Believe me, I understand- I was agnostic before I found faith and often thought the same questions you ask me.

 

[ChristineES]

Another note: Jesus never promised us we would get rich. He even told us things such as "It is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than a rich man to make it into the kingdom of God".

 

[blah782]

They are assumptions to you but not assumptions to me. I see God as giving me strength, but you just see me as gaining strength myself.


No, that is too true but it is not caused by God, it is caused by government and other things of such. My family and I live from hand to mouth- we are not rich and seem to wonder where we are going to get money for next month's bills.

According to what Jesus said, the Kingdom of God is among us.

My own note- As a theist, I believe in God. As you are atheists or agnostics or whatever, I don't expect to be able to answer your questions in the way you want me to. I am not sure of your motives are in keeping up this questioning- I like to assume the best- that you are trying to understand why a person continues to believe in an unseen entity. But I can't help but get the feeling that you are trying to shake up my faith (not that it would work) Believe me, I understand- I was agnostic before I found faith and often thought the same questions you ask me.

Speaking for myself personally, I am not trying to shake up your faith at all. I am not trying to put you down or anything like that. I am honestly just curious about how religious people think. I did not grow up in a religious family... my brain is not like yours (don't mean that in an offensive way). I couldn't be a religious person even if I wanted to..it doesn't make sense to me and what I know. I have always been a free spirited person and thought for myself, I have never followed rules in a book because that never even occurred to me as something I needed to do. I am curious to know how people like this think, and how they can believe in God...and better yet IF they believe in God or just want to believe there is a God out there. I am from New York and maybe that has something to do with my liberal way of thinking and questioning things. But just for the record, I am trying to understand people who think differently than me.

 

[ChristineES]

Speaking for myself personally, I am not trying to shake up your faith at all. I am not trying to put you down or anything like that. I am honestly just curious about how religious people think. I did not grow up in a religious family... my brain is not like yours (don't mean that in an offensive way). I couldn't be a religious person even if I wanted to..it doesn't make sense to me and what I know. I have always been a free spirited person and thought for myself, I have never followed rules in a book because that never even occurred to me as something I needed to do. I am curious to know how people like this think, and how they can believe in God...and better yet IF they believe in God or just want to believe there is a God out there. I am from New York and maybe that has something to do with my liberal way of thinking and questioning things. But just for the record, I am trying to understand people who think differently than me.

Then I figured correctly. I do get paranoid on occasion and wonder what people's motives are. I am on the RF because I want to understand people, too. I want to understand all faiths and those who have no faith. It can be difficult, I know.
I meant no offense, either.

 

[.lava]

This is good. I think I am starting to understand. So, you believe (quite reasonably) that effort alone does not always produce success. Take the NBA example. Many many people try their best to be good at basketball because they have dreams of playing in the NBA, but only a small percentage of those people make it. You are saying that God influences physical events on earth to "select" who will be in the NBA and who will not. Those who God has "selected" and who understand this process are quite reasonable in thanking God for their situation.

My only problem with this approach is that God always seems to select a crappy team for Philadelphia.

Seriously though, have I elaborated your position correctly?

lol i do not know about Philadelphia. teams of football and basketball are like firms. people select players.

what i am trying to say is not just about success. if a friend of mine invites me over, i would say i'd be there if God lets me. i can not say i will be there because i can never know even if i was gonna be alive ten minutes later. choosing yourself a target in life (includes daily stuff) is in your power, putting effort to reach your goal is your choice too but none of us has power to make it sure. when one gains success, imo it is right to thank a greater power. OK, success is reward of certain effort. but we are not able to control dynamics in life. we do what we can do and we should leave the rest to God. people who think and say "i did it" knowingly or unknowingly challanging God. take surgeons as an example. a doctor would do everything in his power to save one's life. but a doctor can never guaranty he would survive. when one dies, we can not blame doctor. doctor is not God to keep people alive. he would do what he could do like any other person, that's all.

.

 

[lunamoth]

Ronald Reagan once told a fantastic joke. To paraphrase:


A great joke (Gosh sometimes I miss Reagan) and one that resonates with me. There are other examples from real life. When a professional basketball player, who has spent his life training and working to hone his skills, makes a great shot, I will often see them point to the sky to "give the glory to God." Why? Clearly their success has come from their own hard work. Why do the religious sometimes feel the need to claim that God should get the credit for their hard work?

It is a good joke.

But, the way I see it, all of our gifts, including those we must cultivate, are given to us by God and are for 'God's glory.' I suppose it could be a disucssion in itself what that means, and it probably means different things to different people. But, I think the athletes are acknowledging that their talents and success come from God. Personally that would not be my way of doing things. To give God glory I'd rather see my gifts bring out the fruit of the spirit and be of the aid of those around me.

But we all have different styles.

Back to the joke, when God was tending it I'm sure it was giving abudance for whatever use He had for it.

:sorry1:

 

[S-word]

Ronald Reagan once told a fantastic joke. To paraphrase:

A great joke (Gosh sometimes I miss Reagan) and one that resonates with me. There are other examples from real life. When a professional basketball player, who has spent his life training and working to hone his skills, makes a great shot, I will often see them point to the sky to "give the glory to God." Why? Clearly their success has come from their own hard work. Why do the religious sometimes feel the need to claim that God should get the credit for their hard work?

God rewards the industrious person who takes that which he has been given to them and increases it ten fold, and he punishes the one who hides what was given and makes no effort to increase it. I look forward to my reward for the good that I do, and I do not hold anyone other than myself accountable for the pain and sufferings that my mistakes have inflicted on others, and I look forward to the day that I will be able to recompense all for the loss damage or sufferings that I have caused in my physical life, for I know, that this I must do in the after life.

 

[DallasApple]

I give God credit for anything I do good because I know he drove me to it.

Love

Dallas

 

[no_spoon]

OK, let me try to cut to the heart of the issue (we'll see how it goes):

#1 - effort toward a goal is a necessary but not sufficient element
#2 - some people who are quick to give credit to God do so because they are aware of how close they came to losing everything at some point (drugs, traffic accident, serious illness, family or emotional problems, etc.) and looking back they feel that they were rescued by God's grace and cannot point to any actions they or anyone else took
#3 - some people (myself included) have talents that appear to be disproportionate to any effort I ever invested...there are just some things I "get" that others don't, and I have been doing this from a very early age...in other areas I am clueless, so it ain't intelligence!
#4 - some people have "centered" themselves in the Universe in such a way that they see a symbiotic relationship with God, a partnership...sadly, this is not me, but I have met these kinds of people.

I think in situations 2 through 4 it would be reasonable for people to give a hand slap to God in gratitutde. I defend this belief by giving non-spiritual examples: if an oncologist saved my life from cancer, or if my parents taught me valuable skills at an early age, or if I was good friends with a rich person who helped me accomplish great things, then I would give them hand slaps at times that I achieved great things.

I cannot, of course, say how many religious people who do this fall into those categories.

 

[S-word]

Ronald Reagan once told a fantastic joke. To paraphrase:

A great joke (Gosh sometimes I miss Reagan) and one that resonates with me. There are other examples from real life. When a professional basketball player, who has spent his life training and working to hone his skills, makes a great shot, I will often see them point to the sky to "give the glory to God." Why? Clearly their success has come from their own hard work. Why do the religious sometimes feel the need to claim that God should get the credit for their hard work?

Why do religious people give God credit for things they do themselves?
Why do religious people blame Satan for things they do themselves?

 

[no_spoon]

Why do religious people blame Satan for things they do themselves?

I think this question was answered (to some extent, and somewhat humorously) in the C. S. Lewis book "The Screwtape Letters".

 

[Smoke]

The one that really drives me batty? The First Step. Admitting that you're powerless and turning it over to "your higher power."

Me, too. I have a friend who's in Narcotics Anonymous, and it's working really well for her, but that First Step belies everything that's making it work for her. She's done a lot of hard thinking and hard work to get to where she is. She's the one with the power, and her success in the program doesn't validate such nonsense -- especially since successes like hers are remarkably rare in 12-step programs.