Surprise surprise! Something I heard on tv that upset me.

[Bluzmann57]

I was watching local news last night and when sports came on, they were showing highlights from a local HS football team which is in the state playoffs. Anyway, the qb handed off to a rb who then had the ball knocked loose straight back to the qb, who then ran it in for a touchdown. Miracle play right? The sports anchor said ,"A gift from God." This disturbs me on several levels. First and foremost, I watch the news to get information, not religion. Secondly, the play, while improbable, was simply a matter of a player being in the right place at the right time and I suspect if it had happened to the local team's opponent, the anchor wouldn't have uttered that particular phrase. Third, it seems that any supreme being wouldn't really care much about a high school football game. Am I being ridiculous? Some people I have mentioned this to seem to think so. If so, it will be neither the first nor the last time I have been accused of being somewhat "off center" or something like that.
I should mention that the anchor graduated from that particular HS and his brother played briefly in the NFL, so they are held in high esteem in that small town. Not sure if that plays into it or not. But I suspect it does.

[baldguy]

1. Don't you know? God is a HUGE football fan - and He takes sides.

[lsewpershad]

20. Seems so.

Apparently he spends so much time for sports that he has no time left to do anything for the dying poor, those of his children dying in wars even those who are dying without health care.

[donheld]

2. So let me get this straight/gay

There's so much massive need in the world yet they think their god give a crap about a football game?
Seems down right stupid to me. No buddy you're not the one off center. They are!

[barbtries]

3. are you in NC by any chance?

i don't watch the news. but i do listen to WRAL when i'm coming home at 6 pm. they do not miss a chance to bring up gawd. they have a feel good segment where they give kudos to a local person who's overcome great odds and said person always must give thanks to gawd. and it annoys me, it really does. so i don't think you're weird. i don't think you're going to stop them though. out here they name their streets after churches. coming from CA i have to say i never saw anything like it. i'd love to just once, just hear the news.

[petersjo02]

13. Bluzzie is from eastern Iowa.

Unfortunately this gawd stuff bubbles to the surface here, too, sometimes. Usually all the religious nuts (e.g., Rep. Steve King) are from western Iowa.

[FLyellowdog]

18. Perhaps WNC? They are gawd cra-za-zy. n/t

:hi:

[barbtries]

30. raleigh

:hi:

[Bluzmann57]

24. I live in Eastern Iowa

and the local news also covers Western Illinois, which is a solid Democratic area. I think the phrase was just his personal belief.

[NCarolinawoman]

26. Uh, the church names are are a bit of history and served a practical purpose.

In the "olden days" you had all this wilderness and dirt roads, so if there was a lone building sitting on that road and it was a church, it served as a marker. An example would be Ebenezar Church Rd. Just like all the roads named after mines or mills: Lassiter Mill Rd, Edwards Mill Rd, Leadmine Rd, Mineshaft, etc.

Now in California, it seems that there are a whole lot of cities and towns named afer Catholic Saints or have something to do wth the Catholic religion: Santa Barbara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, etc. etc. I could say that was all really strange, but I don't. It's a part of the early people. A part of the history. :-)

[barbtries]

29. that makes sense

CA names by and large came from Mexico and indeed from a priest, father junipero serra, who established the missions all up and down the state. catholic as all hell. we went to the missions on field trips when i was a kid. sure enough, i just didn't think.

[lapfog_1]

4. God loves our sports!

Considering all of the "miracle plays" that happen.

Humans, not so much, considering all of the war and death and disease.

[HopeHoops]

5. Like you said, why the hell would God give a shit about a HS football game?

If anything, I would expect him to be making banana peels materialize on the field during the Super Bowl - just for shits and giggles.

[LuvNewcastle]

6. What about 'Hail Mary' passes?

I've known Protestants and Catholics who use that phrase. I don't think the sports announcer was trying to push religion on anyone. I think it was an attempt at humor.

[dysfunctional press]

10. an attempt at humor...?

in what respect?

[LuvNewcastle]

12. I don't know anyone who seriously believes

that God helps people win football games, except maybe gamblers and they're a superstitious lot. The player had a bit of luck and the sports reader was trying to convey how unlikely it was. I don't think he was saying that God literally put the ball in the player's hands, he was just stressing how unusual it was.

[pipi_k]

15. Ooooohhh...you don't know my friends...

they're not superstitious, just very religious.

They believe God is involved in every aspect of their lives. And I do mean every aspect.

He's healed them, gotten them a new vehicle, kept them safe from the "marauding hordes" they were fearing at Y2K, and if they were sports fans, they would also...seriously...believe God let their team win.

They talk to God all the time.

I've known them over 20 years and in all that time they've never been able to convert me... I think they probably see me as a special challenge... :D

[LuvNewcastle]

16. I am not a religious person by any means,

but what passes for faith in some people looks a lot like blasphemy to me. For instance, I've seen people jump up and down and yell "Thank you Jesus!" when they hit a slot jackpot or get on a good roll of dice in a casino. I guess we're all superstitious to some degree because we see patterns and then we see chaos and our minds try to make sense of the two. But the way we try to make sense of things can often have hilarious consequences. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that people would pray for a favorable outcome in a football game. I just wonder if they really believe it makes a difference.

[dysfunctional press]

22. there's a lot of blasphemy AND hypocricy...

but that's okay, because god forgives all sins.

[dysfunctional press]

21. i disagree.

there are all sorts of people who do believe it. every time a team or an athlete has a victory, they will almost always thank god for watching out for them, or even completely attribute the victory to god/jesus' doing, rather than their own athletic ability.

you may not think that they're being serious- but thy most definitely are. i'm now a devout atheist, but i was raised in the world of the religoids. and it's a very scary place.

[barbtries]

7. lol

just had to add this. after commenting i went back to the latest page and there it was: "thank god jack kennedy was president back then"

NO! thank the voters of the USA. thank him for running. 'nough about this friggin' GAWD everyone's always harping on.

[bertman]

8. What I want to know is where is this all-seeing, interventionist god when little children

are being, kidnapped, sexually molested, tortured and murdered. Oh, I guess he was watching a high-school football game and didn't have time to check on the little ones.

Dawg Bless America. We sure as hell need it.

[pipi_k]

14. He's also busy answering the prayers of people

who need a new car, or some extra spending money for Christmas.


Not to mention all the meddling he's doing in people's sex lives..."OH GOD...OH GOD...YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! AUGHHHHHHHH!!!!!"


Seriously...I think God needs a helper or two so he can get back to what's really important...

[Bluzmann57]

25. You mean I can pray for extra money?

Man oh man, I thought I actually had to put in overtime at work. I've been missing the boat for a lot of years.

[geckosfeet]

9. And how does he know that it was not a designed play?

[ZombieHorde]

11. God loves sports and celebrity award shows, God hates starving children. nt

[hfojvt]

17. there is another gift from God

it's call equanimity

pass it on

[Cleita]

19. Hail Mary pass?

Football seems to have a lot of religious references. Maybe the mantra, "there are no atheists in fox holes", also holds true for the football field too?

:evilgrin:

[Bluzmann57]

23. Hail Mary, Full of Grace

Get this shit outta my face.
No offense to you at all. It's just a (lame) attempt at humor.

[Shandris]

27. If the sportscaster said it in a reverent tone, implying that it were...

...indeed a 'gift from God', then I would likely be mildly annoyed. If it was said as so many other religious phrases are (including the aforementioned Hail Mary pass) then personally, I would think you're being ridiculous. IMO, there is more than enough wrong in the world for us to focus on. Its a large world and there are a ton of battles, don't pick ones you either can't win, or won't gain anything BY winning.

As always, others may disagree. :)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. Ugh, I hate that!

Message to all sports figures who thank God for winning games, scoring points, etc.: God is not your personal errand boy.

[npk]

31. If god did give a shit about football

It would only be pro-football. And then only Saints.

[Skittles]

32. ASSKICKING SCHEDULED FOR NPK

YES INDEED