The Beijing Summer Olympic Games will begin in a couple of weeks, and I’ll be watching the coverage until my eyes bleed. I don’t think there’s any better ever on television that the Olympics.
But in the recent U.S. trials, I saw a horrible trend in full stride. Wining athletes, at the end of their races or competitions, pointing up to the Lord with thanks and starting off their interviews with, “First, I’d like to praise Jesus Christ for this win.”
I used to go to a mega-church where the pastor who comment about how “awesome” it was that an athlete or celebrity publicly praised Jesus after a competition or in an interview. I always winced when he said that.
Let’s stipulate here that Jesus exists. That said, I guarantee you he doesn’t care who wins the effing 100-meter dash or the uneven parallel bars. As the atheist bumper sticker harshly asks, “24,000 children died today from starvation. What makes you think God will answer your prayers?”
OK, take it a step further. Let’s stipulate that Jesus did have a hand in an athlete getting the gold medal in the pole vault. What about the many other pole vaulters, some of them devout Christians? Was Jesus punishing them? Exactly how does Jesus pick a winner from all the deserving Christians in the race, all His children who he loves unconditionally (and therefore equally)?
Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see a Christian pole vaulter, who failed to clear the opening height, point her finger toward the sky and praise Jesus for her last place finish because it was the lesson He wanted her to learn at the moment? At least that would less of a fantasy.
Comic Kathy Griffin, a cradle Catholic, brilliantly parodied this whole praise Jesus for superficial stuff movement when she won an Emmy last year for her reality show. In her acceptance speech, she said,
“I guess hell froze over. A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this. He had nothing to do with this. … Suck it, Jesus! This award is my god now.”
At least she was honest.
12 responses so far ↓
1 Thranil // Jul 22, 2008 at 1:43 am
Another thing that has always bothered me about athletes/celebrities/etc who praise god/jesus/etc publicly for a win/achievement/etc is that it completely demeans the effort that the person put into that goal. I have a friend who will train obsessively for a bike race and then turn around and give ‘jesus’ all the credit… how sad.
2 pat // Jul 22, 2008 at 2:38 am
What is missing here is an understanding of relationship with Jesus and knowing how His sacrifice gives peace for eternity. When athletes give thanks for a win or show humility for a loss and mention Jesus, it is because Jesus is ‘Lord’ of their life and everything they do is all about Him. Giving thanks is not about thinking God gave favor over one athlete for another, it’s about acknowledging first place to the Creator in everything we do. What saddens me is those who miss the peace of knowing we were created for relationship with God. Giving Him praise is the least we can do for the One who sustains us and breathed us into existence.
3 Cheryl // Jul 22, 2008 at 3:53 am
Is there a god? And is he all knowing and powerful? And is he good? And if he is good and all the other stuff afore-mentioned, then WHY does bad stuff happen to innocent and kind people (and animals)?
That is always MY argument when I hear that “god” or “jesus” helped someone “win”.
4 Steve in Nashville // Jul 23, 2008 at 8:32 am
William,
I was a big fan of your tri blog (and even met you once at IM Florida), but I have to say your latest website interests me even more. I am a long-time follower of Jesus Christ but I appreciate your views. I know from personal experience God loves you and is interested in your well-being. You can write all the stories, read all the books, take all the classes, attend the best churches, and never fully understand the grace of Jesus Christ. Its big-ole spooky stuff ya know. In my opinion you have to have a personal relationship with someone that has been changed by this whole God-thing before you truly understand what its all about. I pray one day you will meet that person. Love ya bro.
5 24,000 children died today from starvation « Unreasonable Faith // Jul 23, 2008 at 9:23 pm
[...] —Atheist bumper sticker (via William Lobdell) [...]
6 Alexander // Jul 27, 2008 at 12:17 am
Cheryl,
In answer to your question, I’m posting a link to my post in which I cut and paste Greg Laurie’s message on “Why does God Allow Evil?”
In reading William’s blog and comments I see I lot of your argument in here. So, this is not only for you!
http://thescroogereport.wordpress.com/2007/04/15/why-does-god-allow-evil/
7 pat // Jul 27, 2008 at 2:13 am
Thanks Alexander for this site. I appreciate his thoughtful answer to this much answered question. Greg Laurie has quite an interesting past himself and wrestled with deep issues
8 Thranil // Jul 29, 2008 at 10:45 pm
So I just read through the article that Alexander posted, and here’s my response: Epic fail.
His argument might (and I mean MIGHT) hold some sort of weight if there weren’t so many other religions saying that their god is the “True God ™” at the same time. If the only question was whether there was the god of Christianity or no god, then the argument might be interesting… but as this is not the case.
Why do I feel this distinction is important? Well, according the christianity, we humans have the excruciatingly important task of choosing the right god to believe in or we spend eternity in hell. Ho are we supposed to do this? Well, most of us just go with whatever we grew up in or around (i.e. most Americans are christian while most Indians are hindu, etc). Now if we realize that a god outside of our immediate culture might be the “True God ™”, then we have to be open to the possibility that the god we have been exposed to thus far is a false one.
Now how are we, mere mortals, supposed to make a good decision with this especially with the stakes so high? Well, we have to use our ‘god given’ faculties of reason and logic with a healthy dose of skepticism. Being able to ask ‘why’ about various issues regarding various gods is the only way that someone can make such an important decision (without just going with what your culture has predisposed you to accept). Of course, when you do this with the christian god, you will quickly figure out that he’s a complete bastard, but you have to actually engage your brain to do this (hence I’m not holding my breath).
So, getting back to the article in question, if the only faculty that we have to determine which god is the “True God” is our own ability to think, then one important aspect of determining this is to evaluate whether this god is as ‘good’ as his followers claim he is. The christian god fails this litmus test out of the gate, unless, of course, you use circular reasoning in order to say that anything he does is good because he is good… the reality is that when you take a hard look at the bible and do not treat it with kid gloves (i.e. assume that it tells the truth before verifying that it does), then you will find the morality of a primitive people which was consistent with the times they lived in reflected in the pages of this document. Nothing more. You will also find this in the various tomes generated by the various religions that we know about throughout history. The gods of the time always reflect the morality of the people that live within those times.
So we have to, with our modern view of what is moral and what is not, decide whether or not something is right or wrong. We do this in every day life, but when it comes to the bible and god, then we are supposed to suspend this activity? That’s known as special pleading, and it does not hold water with anyone who does not already wish your myth to be true.
9 pat // Jul 29, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Thinking is important, but there is a supernatural element involved in making a decision to follow Jesus. Philosophy serves its purpose by endlessly thinking. The link Alexander posted was from Pastor Greg Laurie who recently had wide recognition from being on Book Tour. This week tragedy struck his family-his son was killed. Greg’s response shows how God comforts in time of loss. The book he wrote was a very transparent depiction of his journey with Jesus and how he developed a personal relationship with his saviour.
10 Thranil // Jul 30, 2008 at 12:19 am
“Thinking is important, but there is a supernatural element involved in making a decision to follow Jesus.”
supernatural = magic.
Provide me with any (any at all) evidence of the supernatural which science has looked into and NOT debunked or found a natural explanation for.
If you can do this one thing (a thing which no one else has done) then I might take your claim that something ’supernatural’ is involved in anything anywhere in the universe. Until then, you have no credibility with me when you invoke ’supernatural’ to explain anything.
11 pat // Jul 30, 2008 at 12:56 am
Supernatural is word I’m using for Holy Spirit, what God sends as Comforter and Guide. Magic is what people do for tricks like David Copperfield. Since noone else has ever proved this before, I guess I’m in good company when I say that the proof isn’t to be had the same way by every person. So I guess will have to let it stand that I have no credibility with you.
12 Tom (Iron Pol) // Aug 1, 2008 at 5:02 am
I guess my only two questions would be these:
First, for those who believe there is no God (or at least seriously question it), why does it matter if an athlete chooses to thank Him. Would you badmouth an athlete for thanking the spouse who stood beside them, or the coach who provided the training program to get them there? If not, why question ANY thanks they give.
And there are plenty of people out there thanking God for gifts that are perhaps less publicized then the Olympic medalist. I didn’t see a lot of cameras around me when I finished Ironman. But I firmly believe nobody makes it through that race without help.
You must log in to post a comment.