Thanking God for Food.

During the holiday season, many families gather together: to eat dinner, exchange presents etc. During the meals, many thank God for the food (in the form of saying grace etc). This is a fairly common tradition. But putting tradition aside, what is the logic here? There are many elements to this which are illogical and pathetic. For the sake of argument, let's say there is a God (maybe throw in a pink unicorn as well). Here we have a group of people sitting around a table (keep in mind God created them). These people had no choice in whether or not they wanted to be born. If God did indeed create them, then does that not make them prisoners of this world (being that they are stuck here, and had no choice in the matter)? This is the same as getting kidnapped and thanking the kidnappers for being fed. It is the least they could do (a dead hostage is not of much use). This is why thanking God for merely providing food is pathetic.

What about in countries like Ethiopia? Where countless numbers of people (many of them children) are starving to death, or have already done so. Did these people not pray hard enough? Does God not like them (strange behavior for an all-loving god). If God is to be thanked for providing food, he has morality similar to the Germans during World War 2 (prisoners + Ethiopians, use your imagination).

Thanking an 'invisible guy' may seem a bit schizophrenic. However the real problem is the fear of pride. In reality, people are the ones that deserve the gratitude here (not some god). They are the ones that bought/grew the food. Why is feeling pride a sin? If only there was a way to feel more guilty and unworthy, the holidays would be that much more enjoyable.