duncan228
12-27-2008, 06:30 PM
I wasn't sure where to put this, I actually wasn't sure whether to post it at all. :lol
Please move if it belongs somewhere else.
Is God Fickle in His Allegiance to Specific Sports Teams? (http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/homo-consumericus/200812/is-god-fickle-in-his-allegiance-specific-sports-teams)
By Gad Saad, Ph.D.
A few days ago, I watched parts of the basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns. Of course, as a Canadian, it is my national duty to support Steve Nash (a fellow Canadian), the Suns' two-time league MVP and star point guard. The Spurs won on a last second three-pointer made by Roger Mason. In the post-game interview, Mason thanked God for having helped him make the winning shot. This was not a generic "Thank God" as might be uttered by countless individuals including atheists as a matter of speech. It was a very specific one-to-one mapping between a human action and Divine intervention. Incidentally, this is hardly a rare phenomenon. Watch soccer players as they are about to come on the field as substitutes, and they will invariably cross themselves (if Christian) or hold their hands out with palms pointed to the sky followed by a wipe of the face with both hands (if Muslim). Once a player scores a goal, he will oftentimes point to the sky as a means of acknowledging God's contribution to the goal. Who could forget Diego Maradano's goal scored with his hand against England, which was coined subsequently the Hand of God goal? Most post-game interviews of NFL players and/or coaches invariably involve "shout outs" to God. This is particularly common when Super Bowl champions are interviewed. Typical statements might include: "We could not have won but with the Grace of God," "God was on our side," "God answered our prayers," "Thank you Jesus," etc. I could provide countless additional examples but I suppose that you get the picture.
This strikes me as problematic on several levels including:
(1) By definition, all of the athletes and coaches who engage in such Divine attributions believe in a personal and interventionist God unlike say deists who espouse a more "laissez faire" deity. If so, it seems somewhat narcissistic to think that the creator of the Universe who is obviously infinitely busy (notwithstanding His omnipotence) would bother to intervene to help Roger Mason make the winning shot in Thursday's basketball game, or would care to provide the necessary Divine support to enable the New England Patriots to establish their winning dynasty.
(2) Let us suppose that God helped Roger Mason make his winning shot. Clearly then, He must be a San Antonio fan (or at least He must like them more so than the Phoenix Suns), as several Suns players were equally praying to God to win the game. Hence, two sets of competing players prayed to God yet only one team won. Hence, it is difficult for me to see why God would favor one team over the other unless He were manifesting His sports allegiances. If so, why does God like the San Antonio Spurs so much? I suppose that God works in mysterious ways. Who am I to question His plan?
(3) If we now assume that God is a certified fan of the San Antonio Spurs, He will invariably end up "abandoning" them during some future game wherein a player from a competing team will make the last second winning shot against the Spurs. The player in question will likely thank God for having allowed him to make the shot. Oh Lord, no one likes a bandwagon fan. Pick a team at the start of the season and stick with them through thick and thin.
(4) God appears to intervene to help not only individual players (e.g., Roger Mason) and club teams (e.g., San Antonio Spurs), but also He seems to play favorites with national teams. For example, it has been suggested that Brazil's dominance in the World Cup (soccer) is in part due to God's support. If so, it would seem that God favors Roman Catholics given that Brazil is a largely Catholic country. Wait a second though. Zinedine Zidane, who happens to be a Muslim, was instrumental in the Brazilian defeats in both the 1998 World Cup Final, as well as in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup. Incidentally, when it comes to Nobel Prizes, Jews are extraordinarily overrepresented on a per capita basis. Not surprisingly, some Jews (albeit not the Nobel recipients) have attributed such lofty intellectual achievements to divine favoritism. Perhaps God is driven by an egalitarian ethos, sprinkling divine favors equally amongst His human flocks. This strikes me as the appropriate feel-good conclusion befitting the holiday season.
Oh Merciful, Benevolent God. Since You can will the future as You see fit (notwithstanding our illusion of free will), I was wondering if You could send me a private message regarding the eventual winner of the upcoming Super Bowl. I promise to use the information judiciously. For example, I would like to place a bet on the eventual winning team in order to raise sufficient cash to buy a beach house in sunny Southern California. I am assuming that divinely received information cannot be construed as inside information, and as such this clears the celestial ethical guidelines. Thank you God. I await your Word.
Please move if it belongs somewhere else.
Is God Fickle in His Allegiance to Specific Sports Teams? (http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/homo-consumericus/200812/is-god-fickle-in-his-allegiance-specific-sports-teams)
By Gad Saad, Ph.D.
A few days ago, I watched parts of the basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns. Of course, as a Canadian, it is my national duty to support Steve Nash (a fellow Canadian), the Suns' two-time league MVP and star point guard. The Spurs won on a last second three-pointer made by Roger Mason. In the post-game interview, Mason thanked God for having helped him make the winning shot. This was not a generic "Thank God" as might be uttered by countless individuals including atheists as a matter of speech. It was a very specific one-to-one mapping between a human action and Divine intervention. Incidentally, this is hardly a rare phenomenon. Watch soccer players as they are about to come on the field as substitutes, and they will invariably cross themselves (if Christian) or hold their hands out with palms pointed to the sky followed by a wipe of the face with both hands (if Muslim). Once a player scores a goal, he will oftentimes point to the sky as a means of acknowledging God's contribution to the goal. Who could forget Diego Maradano's goal scored with his hand against England, which was coined subsequently the Hand of God goal? Most post-game interviews of NFL players and/or coaches invariably involve "shout outs" to God. This is particularly common when Super Bowl champions are interviewed. Typical statements might include: "We could not have won but with the Grace of God," "God was on our side," "God answered our prayers," "Thank you Jesus," etc. I could provide countless additional examples but I suppose that you get the picture.
This strikes me as problematic on several levels including:
(1) By definition, all of the athletes and coaches who engage in such Divine attributions believe in a personal and interventionist God unlike say deists who espouse a more "laissez faire" deity. If so, it seems somewhat narcissistic to think that the creator of the Universe who is obviously infinitely busy (notwithstanding His omnipotence) would bother to intervene to help Roger Mason make the winning shot in Thursday's basketball game, or would care to provide the necessary Divine support to enable the New England Patriots to establish their winning dynasty.
(2) Let us suppose that God helped Roger Mason make his winning shot. Clearly then, He must be a San Antonio fan (or at least He must like them more so than the Phoenix Suns), as several Suns players were equally praying to God to win the game. Hence, two sets of competing players prayed to God yet only one team won. Hence, it is difficult for me to see why God would favor one team over the other unless He were manifesting His sports allegiances. If so, why does God like the San Antonio Spurs so much? I suppose that God works in mysterious ways. Who am I to question His plan?
(3) If we now assume that God is a certified fan of the San Antonio Spurs, He will invariably end up "abandoning" them during some future game wherein a player from a competing team will make the last second winning shot against the Spurs. The player in question will likely thank God for having allowed him to make the shot. Oh Lord, no one likes a bandwagon fan. Pick a team at the start of the season and stick with them through thick and thin.
(4) God appears to intervene to help not only individual players (e.g., Roger Mason) and club teams (e.g., San Antonio Spurs), but also He seems to play favorites with national teams. For example, it has been suggested that Brazil's dominance in the World Cup (soccer) is in part due to God's support. If so, it would seem that God favors Roman Catholics given that Brazil is a largely Catholic country. Wait a second though. Zinedine Zidane, who happens to be a Muslim, was instrumental in the Brazilian defeats in both the 1998 World Cup Final, as well as in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup. Incidentally, when it comes to Nobel Prizes, Jews are extraordinarily overrepresented on a per capita basis. Not surprisingly, some Jews (albeit not the Nobel recipients) have attributed such lofty intellectual achievements to divine favoritism. Perhaps God is driven by an egalitarian ethos, sprinkling divine favors equally amongst His human flocks. This strikes me as the appropriate feel-good conclusion befitting the holiday season.
Oh Merciful, Benevolent God. Since You can will the future as You see fit (notwithstanding our illusion of free will), I was wondering if You could send me a private message regarding the eventual winner of the upcoming Super Bowl. I promise to use the information judiciously. For example, I would like to place a bet on the eventual winning team in order to raise sufficient cash to buy a beach house in sunny Southern California. I am assuming that divinely received information cannot be construed as inside information, and as such this clears the celestial ethical guidelines. Thank you God. I await your Word.