Thank Goodness is an alternative for those who don't want to say Thank God

Who or what is goodness?

I grew up hearing people say Thank God, Thank Goodness, and Thank you Jesus. I never put much thought into the wording until yesterday. I was watching a television show where a man said "Thank goodness" and the revelation hit me like a ton of bricks.

Even though people of faith use all three phrases I instinctively knew that "goodness" was a replacement for God for those who don't believe. Why this came to me in my 67th year of life I don't know but when the lightbulb went off I decided to look it up. It turns out my hunch was correct.

I found several website indicating that "goodness" was an alternative for "God." The irony to that is the Bible has many scriptures that indicate that God is goodness. This leads me to wonder who or what people who don't believe in a Creator are thanking when they tank goodness.

The secular versus faith

I have heard preachers say Jesus split time because it is divided into BC (Before Christ) and AD (Ana Domini) In the year of our Lord. As a person of faith spending my life around other believers I had no reason to consider that anyone would be uncomfortable using these abbreviations.

Those who were not raised the same way would have no reason to beliee or understand these terms. Only in later life have I been seeing the terms CE (Common Era) and BCE (Before Common Era) which are for those who do not consider Jesus their Lord.

It makes sense that no one would want to be tied to a deity they don't respect or believe in but we do it every day with the days and months of the year which are named for Greek and Roman gods.

The days and months are based on mythology

Now I have the days of the week song stuck in my head that children sing where they snap their fingers and sing to the tune of the theme from The Adams Family.

No one protests about the names of the months and days even though most believe Greek and Roman Mythology is just that a myth. Some Christians say there are demonic forces behind the names and the statues that represent the ancient gods and goddesses but no one has suggested we change the names of the days of the week and the months of the year.

The created versus the creator

Even so, there are people who do not desire to acknowledge a Supreme Being and that is their right. Now I have an image in my mind of the Supreme Commander from The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars. He appeared to be a huge refrigerator but inside was a small hearing aid. Excuse me, I enjoyed a lot of animation as a child and continue to.

Everyone should have the right to decide who to thank whether it's God, goodness or Jesus. Some people say "Thank heaven" or they thank the universe. No one doubts there is a universe but not everyone believes there is a omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, almighty creator behind it.

I have heard preachers say this line of thinking admires the creation without giving credit to the One who created it. Those who don't believe in a creator think it's crazy for people to say Thank God, Thank You Lord, Thank You Jesus.

Thank Goodness, Thank God or Thank people

The Thanksgiving holiday came about because the pilgrims thanked God as they understood Him for bringing them to the New World. I have wondered, when those who don't believe in God give thanks, who or what they are thanking on that day. I have read articles indicating that Atheists thank people who have been a blessing to them during the holiday season.

These are my musings and ramblings based on the culture I was raised in. I mean no harm or disrespect to anyone. I just enjoy pondering situations and having discussions. I thank those who have viewed this article for taking the time to read about the terms "Thank God" and "Thank Goodness."