With the NFL Playoffs currently in progress, I thought now would be a good time to bring up a discussion about God and Sports.
I can remember when the Dallas Cowboys were nicknamed, "God's Team". Why? I do not know, but that's what they were called. Notre Dame, being a Catholic school, has always had playful media references to the tune of "divine" intervention, in many last minute victories in South Bend. And, there are still many teams that engage in a generic locker room prayer, before games.
But, Bob Knight once said something along the line of, "I don't believe God cares about sports. When you ask Him to help your team win, you are asking Him to screw the other team". One could then assume, he thought the better prayer would for the health and safety of all players in the game, or he didn't care about any prayer at all. But one thing he appeared to be certain about was that God is not an unfair God.
What do you think? Does God care about who wins and who loses sporting contests?
13 comments:
I don't think that God cares which team wins. But He does care about how honorably the teams compete.
As to the Dallas Cowboys being God's team...Possibly a reference to God's country (Texas) or to the manager's being an evangelical Christian.
On a slightly different note, I sometimes wonder what God thinks of dangerous sports--risking the temple of the Holy Spirit.
God loves the Chicago Bears but sometimes gets pissed off at Grossman. He told me so.
That said...
AOWT, IMO is correct. Why would God care about sports? However, I think he cares about individual players, in regard to their souls, that is. I think you can pray to God for the protection of the players, that there are no serious injuries or possibly pray that they can stay focused and not throw into heavy coverage (Grossman!).
In general, I think people may pray for a win, but it is more of an attempt at comfort for themselves that somehow God would listen to them. Just as you would pray to win the lotto (LA!) I'm not sure if God is all that thrilled with people having an excess of money, it often brings the temptation of greed.
I've always held to the idea that God gave us free will so we can make our own choices. I think we've been put on this earth to learn and grow in spirit. It's our choice in how we want to accomplish that.We can squander the time we have and only think of ourselves, or we can have a balance of doing what we can do to make this world a better place and still enjoy the gifts that God gave us...which may include the ability to play in a sport. Honor in play, IMO, is important for the reason that sports figures should set an example to the younger generation. If a kid is going to have a hero, it would be nice if he was someone like Walter Peyton and not Terrell Owens.
Although, we will see if this "Bears Weather" that God sent us today will be a help or a hindrance for our team. Personally, I could do without the ice and sleet!
Go Bears!!!!!
8 minutes and 24 seconds into the game and...TOUCHDOWN! GO BEARS!!!!!
well, throughout the ages, states and armies have claimed that god was on their side.
since sports developed to keep men in good shape between wars, it only follows that this train of thought would carry over.
personally, i can't imagine trying to know what god "wants," but it's certainly been a popular pasttime in human history.
God does love the Chicago Bears...but he made us sweat this game out. Bears win by 3 points in OT. Phewwww!
OK, LASunsett, we'll see about God and sports next week. Did He let the Bears win so His "Saints" can beat us? Perhaps it will be a message from God? Or, will He let the Bears beat his "Saints" to show He's not a God of Prejudice?
Oh...and regarding the weather...the sleet and snow stayed away and it looks like it won't start up for a few more hours. What a guy, that God!
:-D
AOW,
//I sometimes wonder what God thinks of dangerous sports--risking the temple of the Holy Spirit.//
Tough call. I see your point, in one way.
But, I think we have to consider that many that get into boxing would be into some worse things if they did not have this sport to elevate them out of a life of crime.
Bottom line, many would be doing worse things if it were not for organized athletics.
ME,
It's fun watching you rationalize that God likes the Bears (because you like them) and the Saints (because of their name).
Everyone knows that the Colts are his team.
;)
MsM,
//personally, i can't imagine trying to know what god "wants," but it's certainly been a popular pasttime in human history.//
Mankind is attracted to mysteries.
God cares about who or what we are a slave to.
God or mammon (sports, our job, pornography, things, etc.)?
you cannot serve two masters, you will love one more than the other.
I think God uses sports to show His sense of humor. Especially in Chicago.
Go Bears!
All I Can Stands
Of course God has a sense of humor and loves to play with us Chicagoans. Remember the "Fog Bowl" when the Bears played the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1988 playoff's? That was hilarious! I think it was the second quarter when the fog rolled into Soldier Field, you couldn't see anything! They still won that game, 20-12. Of course that's when we had my favorite kicker, Butler.
Another example of God's sense of humor regarding the Chicago Bears...Refrigerator Perry. :-D
Man, those were the days, eh?
Mary Ellen,
Oh, the 80's. The Gipper was president, the Bears won the Super Bowl and Conservative Talk Radio was born. What a decade.
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