Proof God Does (Not) Exist
Dear Ones Loved by God,
Even if you're just a casual sports fan, you probably heard the news involving Megan Rapinoe, one of the most decorated soccer players in US history. She was on two winning World Cup teams (2015, 2019) and was named the FIFA Women's Player of the Year in 2019. This past Saturday she was playing in her final game before retiring from professional soccer when, in only the sixth minute of the match, she tore her achilles.
As you can imagine, it was an extremely emotional scene. Regardless of what you think of Megan (she can be a rather polarizing figure), it was impossible to not feel for her in the moment. This is not how the greats are supposed to go out. It was an end of a era and a sad one at that.
Much of the sympathy people had for her, however, quickly evaporated after the game ended. Meeting with the press, she was asked for her thoughts on what had just happened. She replied: "I’m not a religious person or anything and if there was a god, like, this is proof that there isn’t." Ironically, she concluded the press conference by saying, “Thank God I have a [expletive] deep well of a sense of humor.”
She certainly isn't the first person to make such a claim. In fact, it's almost a natural reaction when pain and suffering come close to us: "If God really existed, this would've never happened to me." If we're being honest with ourselves, we've all probably said something similar at some point in our lives--demanding that God do or prevent something if He wants us to believe in Him. The difference was, when we said it, it didn't make the national news.
My initial reaction when I heard Megan's quote was disappointment bordering on anger. Sort of like if someone were to badmouth your spouse or child: "No one talks about my God like that!" The next couple days the headlines started to shift as "conservative Christians lash out in response to Rapinoe." My reaction shifted with them from anger to sadness.
Honestly, I think some of the 'Christian' responses might have been worse. Because we should know better. The most common response I saw online, including from some very famous Christians was, "Rapinoe getting injured actually proves God does exist!" The thought being that God had doled out some sweet justice by punishing an obvious atheist.
Jesus actually addressed a similar situation in Luke 13. Some people in the area had recently died in a particularly strange and painful way and the assumption most were making was that they must have done something especially evil to deserve such a disturbing end. Jesus cleared that assumption up real quickly: "Do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Lk 13:4–5).
Similarly, Jesus and His disciples once encountered a man who was born blind and the disciples asked Jesus what was, again, the common assumption of the day: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Again, Jesus set them straight: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life" (John 9:2,3).
I wonder how many Christians used Megan's injury and comment not just as a reason to call her to repentance but also as a reason to repent themselves. Or instead of praying for God to smite her, how many of us prayed that the work of God might be displayed in her life?
If you were Megan, what would convince you more to give this whole 'God thing' a hearing? To know a bunch of people who claim to believe in said God were gleeful over your suffering, going so far as to say that God sought to prove His existence by injuring you? Or if those God followers responded with mercy and compassion, praying for not only your body to heal but more importantly, your heart and soul? Perhaps she'll never be convinced of God's existence.
Lord, have mercy on us for being such poor representatives for you on earth. Open our eyes to see the love you have for all your creation. Open our hearts to emulate that love for our neighbors. Open our ears to receive your forgiveness. Open our mouths to speak your love and forgiveness to others.
God bless and keep you today and always!
In Christ,
Pastor Bater