Let me present a hypothetical which is at least plausible: A Mum and Dad in a small country town have (say) four daughters. They love them all equally. All girls decide to take up tennis, and so the parents support them all equally: buying equipment, driving them to lessons, etc. The parents neither coach nor umpire, so they have no direct influence on the outcome of the match. What they do do on the morning of each match is give them their Weeties, tell them they love them, and encourage them to try their best. Every year the girls enter the town tennis competition. One year, the only entrants in the competition are the four sisters. The parents, as always, are strictly neutral on game day, following their usual routine. Of course, one of the sisters wins. In her acceptance speech, she thanks her parents. Did Mum and Dad contribute to her victory? Yes. Were Mum and Dad on her side, rather than her opponents'? No. I would suggest that when a victor thanks God, it is somewhat analogous. (I agree that for some people it is a more crass "God helped us to beat our opponents today"), but my point is that it need not be like that). Regards, Peter Ballard Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
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