in

These are better days baby

These are better days it's true

These are better days

Better days are shining through



- Bruce Springsteen, "Better Days"



I witnessed the most incredible thing yesterday while watching the Super Bowl. And, no, I'm not talking about that fantastic 12-minute tour-de-force of a performance by The Boss at halftime (now that was a halftime show!!).



Nor am I talking about the game itself, which turned out to be pretty damn good. I mean, I'm not even a fan of football, but the second half certainly made for a thrilling game regardless of which team you were cheering for, which in my case was the underdog Arizona Cardinals with their 37-year-old age-defying quarterback, Kurt Warner.



No, what I'm talking about here had nothing to do with the game, the entertainment or even the ads. What I am referring to is the rarest of occurrences at an American sporting event, something you'll be hard pressed to ever witness again, at least if the recent past is any indication of what's to come in the future.



I'm talking about what happened - or didn't happen, to be more precise - during the post-game interviews that took place immediately following the trophy presentation to the triumphant Pittsburgh Steelers. You probably noticed it yourself. Not one of the four people interviewed - quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, game MVP Santonio Holmes, team owner Dan Rooney or Steelers coach Mike Tomlin - not one of these men expressed any sort of gratitude to God for their big win. That is, unlike after just about every other Super Bowl, NBA, or World Series championship in recent years, not one of these four expressed any sort of conviction or belief in the idea that it was God Himself who had helped them vanquish their rivals and win this prestigious trophy.



That's right, in not thanking God for intervening on their team's behalf these Godless Steelers left open the possibility, not openly expressed in America in recent years, that God, in fact, had no interest whatsoever in which team won this year's championship.



They also - terrifying as it may be for some to contemplate - inadvertently poisoned the minds of the millions of kids watching by instilling in these innocent children the notion that great things can actually be achieved by hard work, dedication, perhaps a bit of luck, and absolutely no divine intervention whatsoever.



Expect Jim Dobson of Focus On The Family to launch a lawsuit within the next few days against NBC for broadcasting such indecency during prime time.



Locker Room Confidential



Perhaps America is, indeed, entering into a whole new era, not just an Obama era of hope and change, but a sane era of logic and rational thought.



But, then again, maybe not.



Because I have to admit that I turned the TV off immediately after that main post-game trophy presentation, not wanting to have this momentous occasion wrecked by some mindless locker-room on-camera comment such as "I just want to thank God for helping us out there today and Jesus for helping us make it through the playoffs and Mother Mary for making sure I, personally, made the team in the first place."



In fact, I realize there's a good chance that I actually missed numerous such locker-room confessions of faith about "God's belief in this team", but, nonetheless, I still want to acknowledge that it was one hell of a historic night. Because, whatever went on in those late-evening interviews, nothing can take away from the fact that the immediate post-game ceremony - for once! - wasn't in any way tainted by mindless illogical ravings.



Priorities



Let's face it, if God can't even intervene to stop the suffering and repression in places like Darfur, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Palestine, Burma and North Korea, do you really think He gives a fuck who wins the Super Bowl? Or any other sporting event, Oscar, or Grammy, for that matter?



As I wrote in an earlier piece, The Don't Thank God For The Lunacy of The Runaway Ego Rant, this belief that God is literally on your side and not on the side of your opponent not only involves a giant illogical leap of superstitious lunacy, but also one hell of an oversized ego... and perhaps even a mild case of maniacal delusions of grandeur.



Thanks Steelers



So thanks Steelers, thanks for an entertaining game of football and thanks for instilling a little bit of rationality into the world of American sports. Thanks, especially, for not confusing the kids with ridiculous notions of divine intervention on the football field.



It is the Super Bowl, not the Superstitious Bowl, after all.



Besides, everyone knows God is a hockey fan.



Mike Cowie (Oredakedo)

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

If you happen to be a fan of The Boss then make sure to check out this recent rave about his new album: Lucky Day: The Bruce and Woody Rave

And if you're a football fan make sure to watch this: Holy F%$&ing Trinity: The Miracle Play

If you liked this "Godless Super Bowl Rant" then you might enjoy this one as well: What If: The Sex and Hunger Rant





And this one too: Touching The Untouchables #5: Pedophile God

And this one: "Loving God" Is Comin' Out Of The Closet - The X'mas Special

And this: The Don't Thank God For The Lunacy of The Runaway Ego Rant

And for a good laugh you should definitely watch this: Another Hilarious Stephen Colbert Clip: "Better Know a Lobby - Atheism"

For more on Religion click here: Religion

