The Ever Annoying "gobs Is Giving Me Strength To Do X" And Other Variants...

[EternalEquinox]

Hello everyone it's been awhile since I posted anything. I'm still really active on here - reading everyone's posts and all. Sorry I haven't been more active but school takes precedence more than replies to posts and besides I'm sometimes a lazy little heathen. 

 

All that aside, I came to vent about my dad. Yes I love him with all my heart but sometimes parents are just a big pain in the ass, even more so when religious. Recently in the past week or so since my dad started his new job my dad has been revving up the Jebus and Gobs malarky more than usual. It's been grating on me and I really feel isolated since I don't have my car (dad is using it to drive to work) to go talk about it to my friends. But I do realize that he really doesn't know how annoying and grating his comments are. I can't fault him for his ignorance and his need to give his skydaddy all the praise but sometimes I just want to strangle him like Homer Simpson strangles his son Bart. 

He has been saying things such as (and I paraphrase 'cause my memory hates me): "God's giving me strength to be able to outdo all these younger guys." (he and the other guys are garbage men. My dad is 52)

Today, he got sick and is losing his voice from coughing so much. He breathed in a lot of pollen that were on the trash cans and trash bags. It sucks, I know but guess what lovely gem he whips up when he got home today? "God's humbling me for trying to show my strength/show off."  

Some info about my dad. He has always given his best when he works, whether he was working as a garbage man in his 20's or so to working as a truck driver/worker for concrete companies. He is like a maniac really. He is always the first one there and the last to leave. He was always Go! Go! Go! nonstop at work and when he'd get home he would eat dinner and go to bed.

This is a man that uses his OWN strength at work. He doesn't need/never would need some magical deities "strength" to do what he already CAN do and DOES do and has done this kind of work his whole adult life. It boggles my teenage mind. My mind is mentally countering his religious quips and remarks with like speed and yet I can never voice it. It's frustrating and oh so tempting to say to my father, "You don't need your gods strength. That's YOUR strength that is getting you through work everyday and it hasn't changed for decades!" Ugh!! 

[Moxie]

Thanks for posting!

 

It's sad when christians give all the credit to a figment of their imagination. When I realised that it was me who created the events in my life by choosing my reactions to stimuli, I felt empowered.

[Ellinas]

To be honest, his statements, though facile, are entirely consistent with his belief system.  Anything good is god's grace, anything unpleasant his discipline (which, of course, is always "loving").

 

I know it is annoying to listen to this, but it is only what you can expect from him.

[EternalEquinox]

To be honest, his statements, though facile, are entirely consistent with his belief system.  Anything good is god's grace, anything unpleasant his discipline (which, of course, is always "loving").

 

I know it is annoying to listen to this, but it is only what you can expect from him.

I agree with your statement totally. I'm not really that surprised nor offended by it. It's just that I found it really getting on my nerves because he was nonstop god this, god that, and cooled off from his god high yet. He goes through highs and lows like an addict. He snorts the crap, go's all god obsessed and then when it wears off he becomes bearable again. 

 

Gotta love my life.  

 

In all honesty I just came to vent and bitch. Cause that's why I love Ex-c--the people listen and understand and know how I feel. 

 

 

Thank you Ellinas and JoJo, for taking the time to respond to my semi coherent rant. I appreciate it. 

[Positivist]

I have a family member who does this. She has a complete lack of self efficacy and in hard times (which occur ALL THE TIME) says in her breathy voice, "God is helping us to get through this." But clearly (1) he is not, and (2) she needs to dial up the self-efficacy.

 

Hearing her say "God is helping" them or whatever makes me want to put a fork in my eye. 

[EternalEquinox]

I have a family member who does this. She has a complete lack of self efficacy and in hard times (which occur ALL THE TIME) says in her breathy voice, "God is helping us to get through this." But clearly (1) he is not, and (2) she needs to dial up the self-efficacy.

 

Hearing her say "God is helping" them or whatever makes me want to put a fork in my eye. 

YES!!! This so much. Especially when it's actual hard times and they're just so...god this and got that and by then I am just so done with listening to them. Never do they think that it was they themselves who did all the work to get out of the hard time. Sometimes I just want to reenact my thoughts on those people - with a fist and "godless heathen" books glued to that fist.   

 

I am da Devil!! 

[mymistake]

I have a family member who does this. She has a complete lack of self efficacy and in hard times (which occur ALL THE TIME) says in her breathy voice, "God is helping us to get through this." But clearly (1) he is not, and (2) she needs to dial up the self-efficacy.

 

Hearing her say "God is helping" them or whatever makes me want to put a fork in my eye. 

 

 

I use to be that guy.  In my experience spouting off religious cliches was my way of handling

 

not knowing what to do and all my fears.  But now that I am an atheist I skip that step and

 

start looking for a solution to the problem.

[traveller2]

I used to be that guy too.to me it was in line with how I thought god wanted things but alot was fear that God would withdraw any imagined strength in offence and umbrage, if I didn't come out with all that crap,or he'd give me some illness or somthing.christ what a world I constructed for myself.no wonder I was so fucked up.