God Likes Plymouth, Too

A special USA-365 commentary by Mark Smith 3-30-2005 PLYMOUTH, IN (3-30-2005) - I am not deeply religious although I believe in the concept. You'd have a tough time convincing me that any major religion is significantly better than any other. But my tolerance of spiritual values and ideals boils down to an old credo that former NFL-star Fred Dryer used to say in the 'Hunter' detective TV series in the early 90s. Whenever something seemed logical and possible to him, Hunter would look at the camera and say, "Works for me!” If what you believe works for you, more power to you.

But I'm not a true believer. I can't get a good grasp on the clergy who claim that an all-powerful God is responsible for all good but no bad. 'He' (or she) had nothing to do with the tsunami but his will spared a would-be victim found days later in the rubble. God is responsible for a young blond Atlanta woman talking a troubled black man out of continuing a killing rampage on one dark night.

But the holy father wasn't in the house during her drug addicted and checkered past and God also could not stop his descent into homicide from what, by all reports was a God-fearing and upstanding 'purpose driven life.'

God insists that the after-life is glorious and ever-lasting but insists that you keep a brain-damaged housewife alive even though her husband insists that her choice would be to move on to that sweet reward.  That's too convenient for me. It sounds like an answer made to fit the question.

The present-day secular concept of God is fairly well detailed on the television show 'Joan of Arcadia', which has a teenage heroine who hears and sees God in the form of everyday people she meets and tries to do his bidding.

The concept of the Lord as somewhat of a shape-shifting 'Dr. Phil' who has all the answers, squeezes all good through his theological window and disavows responsibility for things that go wrong, is unacceptable to this human being who is (and should be) held responsible for the good and bad that he does. But people see things through the prism of their own needs and wants. And, again, if it works for you, I don't have a better way. I can celebrate your faith.

To a point. When Washington trailed Plymouth by one point with 2 seconds to play in the Indiana state basketball championship game on March 27, the Hatchets, from southwest Indiana's Daviess County needed an athletic miracle.

As a sellout crowd of more than 18,000 looked on, Washington, not surprisingly, threw the inbounds pass to 6-11 All-America forward Luke Zeller, who sank a 40-foot jump shot, giving Washington a 74-72 overtime win.

After the game, Zeller, who will attend the nation's most famous Catholic school, the University of Notre Dame, sounded very much like a very religious young man who will be attending a major religious institution. “God is good,” he said. “God told me I was going to hit that shot.” Zeller reportedly peppered most of his comments with allegiance, praise or deference to the almighty. “I took the shot and put it in God's hands,” he was quoted as saying.”

Clearly God has good hands, to drop a 40-footer, all net, with the state title on the line. Next time, God might want to got sub in Jesus at the point to handle a delay so the Hatchets don't lose an 11-point fourth quarter lead to a much small Plymouth team.

Sometimes God-fearing people simply say the wrong thing. The idea that any version of God wanted any version of teenage boy to hit a game-winning shot in a basketball game is so blasphemous it is almost laughable. Putting aside arguments that perhaps the ball had free will or maybe that the entire tournament was a spiritual epiphany in some type of interdenominational affirmation of the four class playoff system, I would doubt that any self respecting higher power would be caught dead (excuse the indelicate timing here) the day before Easter in Conseco Fieldhouse. Unless the Lord had Washington and was giving a point and a half, I doubt if he was even listening or watching on television.

I am familiar with the mindset that insists that, in a God-based life, the Lord has a hand in everything one does and, as far fetched as it seems that God would help you run the motion offense, the very faith that requires you to believe in him without proof, requires you to believe in even the most extreme and ludicrous example without similar back up. I can accept that.

But if a believer's job is to spread the word or at least to represent it in a positive light, comments like those of Luke Zeller's after a meaning less (in the larger scheme of things) basketball game, don't get that job done. Don't insult my intelligence or inadvertently ridicule people of true faith by attempting to shine holy light on a great achievement of yours.

God helped Luke Zeller wake up the morning of the 27^th. Just like helped his teammates and his coach wake up and get to the game on time. Just like he helped everybody from Plymouth get there and be safe. Perhaps some life was changed on the last Saturday in March but it was just as likely that of a bench warmer, cheerleader or someone the 67^th row.  I'm afraid it is the ultimate in conceit to say or believe that God split time between deciding whether a comatose invalid should live or die and helping you knock down a three-pointer in a one-possession game. Athletes and athletics often suffer the sin of great ego. They can be forgiven but only if they admit what I'm sure they already know.

That being:  I am almost positive that whatever bible studies Luke Zeller undertakes, it would tell him that God isn't in it for the wins and the losses, the fame and the glory. His or yours. Many athletes have a similar slip of the tongue in a moment of triumph and we all tend to accept it because of the winner's prowess or good fortune. We shouldn't. I don't ever expect Zeller or any athlete to stand up and boast, “God was with me when I went 3-for-21 from the field. God is good but I had an off night!!!”

No one should ever say that the spiritual force by which they live their lives is so superficial and lame that it would have anything to do with putting a leather ball through an iron hoop, not even in Indiana. Children should be stopped from saying that it was God's will that they won. It was not. Religion, to have meaning, must have a moral base or it ceases to matter, even in the mind of a believer. It is not a one stop serves all cash stations where you can pick up a spiritual wad to comfort you and reaffirm your life journey.

You can be serious one minute and trivial the next without tying the two together. And you can selfishly try to win a basketball game for yourself without trying to sell the innocent on the concept that the big ref in the sky favored you over your foe.  That's a bigger sin than losing.

God didn't help Washington defeat Plymouth.  From what I read, I'd bet He kinda likes them too.