This is just a follow up to this story, a followup you will no doubt not find anywhere else, because crazy religious BS is never called out in the media, especially when it involves celebrities. At the start of this month, Dwight Howard confidently declared his team, the Magic, would win the NBA championship because of his god. The exact words were, "God. That's the reason, I'm telling you." Well, the Lakers won and he and his team lost. So where was his god?
I don't remember seeing the Lakers riding iron chariots, do you? That's apparently kryptonite to the god of the Christian bible (Judges 1:19), which I assume is the one Dwight was referring to. Maybe his god didn't like the shout out. Maybe he failed to give the appropriate burnt offering to his god, which of course smells so sweet to his god (Numbers 29:6). Maybe, despite the promise and the belief from Howard, his god already had the outcome worked out. Maybe he would have liked to help out the Magic, but you know, there's that whole non-intervention, free will thing which prevents him from interfering. Maybe he was able but simply not willing?
We could go around and around like this all day. It's fun, but not really the reason why I'm doing this followup. The reason is I'm really tired of the media giving a pass to nonsense like this. When anyone claims something is going to happen because of some supernatural entity, that everyone needs to beg such an entity for some favorable outcome like rain, or that we must do this or that in order to secure continued favor from such an entity, those kinds of claims need to be called out in the media, and in cases like this where the claim was made and the claim turned out to be bunk, well somebody should be calling that out, and it certainly shouldn't just be me.
Comments
YOU'RE ON IDIOT!
umm...calm down. Dwight has a right to believe in whatever he wants. I don't think God necessarily has anything to do with the outcome of ballgames, but if that was his source of motivation, then let him have it. sheesh..you people get so worked up.
RIGHT ON BRO! about time somebody called BULLSHIT to this bullshit! you are SPOT ON THE MONEY and i commend you for having the stones to say so. we are living in 2009...NOT 1666. NOBODY in the mainstream media has the balls, except may Jon Stewart or certainly Bill Maher. WAY TO GO!!! i hate the Lakers, but in this aspect, was THRILLED they won. 7
@ Ash: Howard has a right to believe whatever lunacy he wants, but he should keep it OUT of the public and so should the NBA. and WE have a right to dispute his ancient, illogical, irrational superstitions. also, let me be so kind as to buy you a clue..."God" has absolutely NOTHING to with with ANYTHING as he doesn't exist...PERIOD. There IS NO GOD. OK? get it??? wake up and smell the REALITY
It (the Bible) is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies.
- Mark Twain
ONLY FOOLS FOLLOW SPORTS, THEY DROOL ON EVERY SCRAP OF THE GLADIATORS LIFE, MEMORISE STATS, DRESS IN THIER JERSEYS, TALK AND PRETEND TO BE LIKE THEM, WITHOUT THIER PRECIOUS SPORTS, THEY WOULD HAVE NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT, THE SAME GOES FOR RELIGION!
GOOD ARTICLE!
I guess God doesn't do Magic.
Meanwhile, Satan won the Stanley Cup.
"YOU'RE ON IDIOT!"
- Which idiot do you believe I'm on?
"ONLY FOOLS FOLLOW SPORTS"
- Only fools can't figure out how to accentuate their words without caps. ;)
"but if that was his source of motivation..."
- That's not what he said. That's the defense religionists always make for these sorts of comments by sports figures, but there's simply no way you can use that in this circumstance.
The point, in case you missed it, is to call out bullshit, and Howard spouted some bullshit. The god bit was just icing on the cake. He should have been called out even if it were a mere Joe Namath type of prediction for victory, but sadly the media won't do it. I mean, if they're not going to call out bullshit reasons for invading another nation, why would they step up for this?
Philadelphia Critical Thinking Examiner
haha, that was a good read. I think the problem is that Howard didn't do the Tim Tebow thing and have John 3:16 painted on his face for the championship.
Imagine if an nba player said his reason for winning was atheism, because it provides him with a sense of reasoning and judgement based on evidence, thus enhancing his ability to judge the distance of the hoop from where his shooting, how high he needs to jump to catch a rebound, what direction the man he is marking is going etc. I'd be willing to bet if he lost the series religious apologists would jump all over him saying how atheism fails, not to mention the discrimination he would receive from his fellow nba players.
If god is responsible for good things happening, then he should be big enough and strong enough to claim ownership on bad things as well. And if its all part of his so called "plan" he already knows bad people are going to do bad things, but punishes them anyway.what a bully.
More atheists need their voice heard in public.
Well that player would be a bit clueless too, since reasoning and judgement based on evidence don't come from atheism. That's putting the cart before the horse. If one values such things, they should eventually reach an atheist position.
Critical Thinking Examiner
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