What Does God Have to Do With It?

North Miami Beach, Florida Aug. 31, 2000 Aaron H. Schectman
THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then. Opinions pro or con are welcome.
WHAT DOES GOD HAVE TO DO WITH IT?
More properly, this piece should say, "Was winning ever caused by prayer?"
We may ask, how can thinking people accept the notion that their lives are
dependent upon the power of an unseen God? Of course, an answer to this is
that, for them, belief is paramount.

The present excitement in some parts of America over the selection of an
observant Orthodox Jew as a vice-presidential candidate sharply brings into
focus the notions we have about "God". If Gore, the present vice-president,
were to win and then die, his running mate, now vice-president would become
President. This is just the way things would be should those events happen.
With the demise of Al Gore, Joseph Lieberman would become President of the
United States. Joseph Lieberman invokes the idea of and the name of "God"
all the time. Are you comfortable with this?

This nation was founded on the principle of separation of church and state.
This idea has been under attack, has been eroded, and is seriously
questioned in the present political climate. What happened to that idea?
Moments of silence are observed in some schools as a substitute for prayer.
In others coaches or students lead groups in prayer.

An interesting notion is that a "civic" or non-religious religion replaces
God by substituting "Government" as the deity. For those desiring more or
less government, this is a good point of departure.

Here are some questions for you. Have you ever seen evidence that prayer
led to favoring one side or another in a dispute? If two school teams are
opposed and each prays to God, does God make one the winner? Does the
prayer make the difference? Why, then, does one lose?

I have long held the foolish belief that if a student in my classes
believed that prayer was a serious substitute for study that he would, in
all probability, end in failure. Could that student then blame God for his
shortcomings? Seriously now, what do you think?
Carol's Evaluation: 9 out of 10.