Well the Ravens just won Super Bowl
XLVII, and what a game it was. What I am surprised about most wasn't the
result; it was the influence over the game that God apparently had.
Now look, I
would consider myself a solid religious person and just the talk that God might
actually care who wins the so called "Big Game" somewhat gets under
my skin. He is the Alpha and the Omega, so I would think He has a little more
on his plate than the outcome of the National Football League's championship
game.
Another thing, I'm not bashing the
Super Bowl. I will, however point out that it has become somewhat of a
sideshow, with all the pregame festivities, the halftime show, and lets not
forget all the zany commercials. It's like nowadays it takes one amazing game,
such as the one this evening, to make us all remember a game is being played.
Back to the Religious angle, it is
common knowledge that troubled athletes often rehabilitate themselves
through the power of their religion. No case is more well documented in my mind
than that of Ray Lewis.
He went from being charged with murder (ruled
wrong place, wrong time), to becoming quite religious. He had a cover
displaying a prayer motion on a recent cover of Sports Illustrated, and wore
Psalm: 91 on his undershirt for the game tonight. This is all well and good,
but a statement he made during the Super Bowl post game caught my attention.
Lewis said "When God is for you, who can be against you?" I have no problem with
this quote whatsoever, if it is referring to real life. However, it seems to
indicate that Lewis may believe God was on his and the Raven's side in the
Super Bowl run. Make no mistake, the Ravens won that game straight up, but it's
because they were the best team in the playoffs not because they had the most
powerful fan. I am a big fan of Ray Lewis and will miss watching him play, but this is just the most recent example that got me thinking of this topic.
We hear every day about athletes
giving thanks to God, but I think most are referring to the abilities and
opportunities that God has given them. In fact let's take a look at 49ers'
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He has tattoos all over, that talk about his
Religion. He even has one that says "FAITH" down the side of his arm.
I believe that God gives people the ability and opportunities, but I don't
think much of a theory that suggests He will accomplish the task for the
people.
Many give thanks to God for their athletic accomplishments (Tim Tebow is the biggest example), and again I have no issue with this decision. My issue is the suggestion that God would care about the outcome of a sporting event.
I maybe wrong, but in my opinion, I believe God gives us all the ability and opportunities with help on the way. To suggest that He would want to be anything other than a spectator, especially when it comes to a sporting event, is to me incorrect.
Despite the fact that the 49ers lost to the Ravens, they still wanted to win just as bad. They just weren't the better team on this night. So to suggest God "pulled for" the Ravens in this game and throughout the Postseason would kind of spit in the face of us all being equal in the eyes of the Lord.
This is just my opinion, and I could be wrong, I just think that their is more to life and sports than to reduce God to a fan of a team winning. Besides, if God was rooting for a team to win it all, I would think that the same team would win it every year.
I'm as big of a football fan as any, but it's bad enough that we call the Super Bowl champions, the "World Champs" when we (America) are the only Country that plays the sport of Football. Let's not make it worse by dragging God into the same category of the average football fan. All real big football fans will know what I'm talking about.
That's all for now. This was on my mind, and I felt I just had to get it off my chest. Congrats to Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens, but let us all keep things in perspective.
