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Praying for a Win?

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It's no secret; I hate stupidity, and it doesn't matter whether it comes from the Left or the Right, whether it's religious or secular. I still hate it, and feel free to hold it up for public mockery. So it is with an article in yesterday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, noting that a number of religious authorities, including several clergymen, said that it was alright for locals to pray for a Steelers' victory in the Super Bowl. Completely disregarding the fact that they didn't win, am I the only person who finds this kind of talk simply ludicrous?

Even if one believes that there is a God who answers prayer, I fail to see how such a Deity, who must surely be the most busy entity in existence, would care about a single game on one day that in reality is far less important than most people seem to think.

This is a blatant sop by Western Pennsylvania religious figures to a public whose devotion to the Steelers approaches a quasi-religious level. While most may simply be inclined to dismiss this with a little smile, say that, "Well, it's just a game and all in good fun," I see no reason that this talk should be greeted with a wink and a nod. It is yet another example of faulty theology and faulty thinking.
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  1. Herla cyningFebruary 7, 2011 at 5:14 AM

    Preach it, brother. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ronnie PollockFebruary 7, 2011 at 1:07 PM

    I find the notion that God is incredibly 'busy' a little bit silly, as it is based on an anthropomorphism related to the technical functioning of God. However, do you think that praying to be healed from cancer is more or less trivial-sounding to God than asking to win a football game? It's obviously important to us, because we fear death and find it unpleasant, but the same could be said for losing a game. Both are related to our comfort and wishes, while God obviously is above these opinions. To us, one seems appropriate and one seems inappropriate, but from God's vantage point, they are more or less the same. If you believe in prayer, then either none of them are too trivial or all of them are too trivial.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ZenFebruary 7, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    Real gods watch roller derby! ;)

    The level of spiritual narcissism American Christians exhibit is truly astounding.

    "Dear God, please help my favorite team win and bless these snacks we are about to binge on. Amen!"

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brady ClemensFebruary 7, 2011 at 6:36 PM

    Ronnie, anyone can tell the BIG difference between cancer and a football game. If something isn't done in the first, a person may die. If something isn't done in the second, well, no one dies. The latter is trivial, the first a matter of life and death; don't pretend that you don't know the difference. Some requests are just plain petty and selfish. If a person prays for a Jaguar, just because they want one, should we pretend that it is a reasonable and sincere request? If I pray to win the lottery and become rich, is that to be understood on the same level as praying for someone in intensive care?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ronnie PollockFebruary 11, 2011 at 7:23 AM

    A matter of life and death is trivial from God's perspective. Is it not selfish to pray for your own health? It is certainly okay to pray for the little things and the big things, but when we start saying some things are too trivial, we are clearly looking at things through human standards. I never mentioned material goods, because that brings in a whole other spiritual dimension not encountered when you simply pray to win a game.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownFebruary 13, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    Stupid people taste good though! Om Nom Nom Nom!

    ReplyDelete

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