Have You Stolen Anyone's Thunder Lately?

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

I have no time for violence and killing. There’s a peace to build.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

When I consider your works, I am in awe.
When I consider the works of humans, I can be surprised, disgusted, inspired or disgusted.
When I consider your works, I bow in reverence.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“You know, Dad, this Pat Robertson disciple is trying to steal our thunder.”

[So it seems. Won’t work. And He never had to say this, but see below for where the phrase came from.]

D. Blog: Word (phrase) of the Week – “steal one’s thunder”

Meaning
Someone 'steals your thunder' when they use your ideas or inventions to their own advantage.
Origin
Devices that produce the sound of thunder have been called on in theatrical productions for centuries. The methods used include - rolling metal balls down troughs, grinding lead shot in bowls, shaking sheets of thin metal. The latter device, called a thunder sheet, is still in use today…

The story that lies behind 'stealing someone's thunder' is that of the literary critic and largely unsuccessful playwright, John Dennis. In 1704, Dennis's play Appius and Virginia was produced at the Drury Lane Theatre, London and he invented a new method of creating the sound of thunder for the production. We don't know now what this method was (some texts say it was a refinement of the mustard bowl referred to by Pope, in which metal balls were rolled around in a wooden bowl), but it is reported that after Appius and Virginia failed and was closed, the method was soon afterwards used in a production of Macbeth. Dennis was less than pleased at having his idea purloined and this account of his response was recorded by the literary scholar Joseph Spence (1699–1768) and later quoted in W. S. Walsh's Literary Curiosities, 1893:
"Damn them! They will not let my play run, but they steal my thunder."

The actual words are in doubt and are also reported as "That is my thunder, by God; the villains will play my thunder but not my play!" What is clear is that Dennis's experience was the source of this attractive little phrase.

[I won’t try to steal Gary Martin’s thunder. He wrote this article for phrases.org.uk]