If Jesus helped him THAT much he should be disqualified, no one else had a chance.
Well, actually, the omnipotence thing sort of proves that idea. If others were praying for guidance and didn’t win, and ZJ did, then the implication is indeed that God likes him better. And he wants to gloat about it.
In the industry that I used to work in, we’d laugh at a few of these ‘come to Jesus’ folks. We had a good reason, though.
Well, because there were several times that one of them won an award, accepted their award, and said they owed it all to their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And we would laugh at them. Why would we laugh?
Because these were the same people, who after the awards show at the parties, would either be in the bathroom, snorting coke or getting a hit of X; or going home with random men after the show (both men AND women). I would typically find one such person, who was quite religious, in the bathroom doing hits of coke all night.
Apparently, Jesus loves drug addicts who sleep around. Who knew?
E.
I have a day-long meeting with a client, so I’m folding. No more participation in this thread for me. Have fun trying to rationalize the irrational.
Do you suppose that may have been, well, rude?
I mean, I don’t say to my Jewish buddy “Oh, like God REALLY CARES that you don’t eat pork. C’mon, have some bacon! What are you afraid of?”
Well, maybe you do.
I don’t say to my vegan friend “I’m up for another big slab of MEAT, how about you? Maybe some veal slathered in cheese and cooked in butter! Why, what’s the matter with you? They’re going to kill the cow anyway! What’s your problem, vegan girl? You think that poor sad bunnywunny is going to live forever just because you don’t eat it?”
Now, you can think whatever of it that you like. The OP for me is a big ol’ shrug – I didn’t hear the comments, I don’t know how overboard he went. It used to bother me when I heard these comments too; for obvious reasons, not so much anymore. But while invoking God’s name after you win a game seems a bit cheesey to me, a dedication like “Thanks to my coach for teaching me all I know, thanks to my wife for believing in me, thanks to Mom and Dad for encouraging me, and thanks to God, through whom all things are possible” wouldn’t really trouble me.
And even if it did, I wouldn’t make snarky comments to the originator. What he believes is his business. I understand the argument that he’s “rubbing his religion in your nose”, but I tend to reserve that for the people who explain to me that I’m going to Hell because I play D&D and wear pants. It’s about as much rubbing his religion in your nose as “I’m moving because my wife wants a change of atmosphere” is rubbing his marriage in your nose…
To those of us who do not equate life, the universe and everything with a traffic accident, giving thanks is obligatory.
To pray for something other than help on the path to God is to suggest God needs help with life, the universe and everything.
Jesus can walk beside you at the Master’s too. So can Harvey the White Bunny. Five golfers can have Butch Harmon as their coach, Butch can give them all advice, and - while he can’t walk with them (unless he caddies, which he can only do for one guy - and I suspect you can’t have Butch Harmon as your caddy), he can be with them mentally - and I’ve heard golfers talk that way about their coach - “I really felt like Butch was out there with me today.” It doesn’t disqualify you to take all the imaginary friends you want on the course, or to take all the real friends you want on the course in spirit. Zach believes Jesus was with him in spirit. I’m willing to bet that several golfers on the course at Augusta also felt Jesus was with them in spirit, and while they didn’t play well enough to win, that doesn’t negate their feeling that Jesus was there. Jesus isn’t an ace in the pocket for these people - their belief gives them emotional strength, like carrying a lucky penny.
I’ve heard people say “it was a lot easier because I knew my wife and kids were out there rooting for me.” What’s the difference? So you don’t believe in Jesus - he does. And he found strength from that belief. I personally find public professions of faith to be inappropriate - I think Zach talking about Jesus is the same thing as if he had said “I had fantastic sex with my wife last night” - but that is because I believe religion is an intensely private experience. Obviously, not everyone does.
Or maybe he prayed harder. Or maybe God helped him out because he had more faith. Or he was sick of Tiger winning over and over. Or a hundred other things.
Well, there could be multiple winners and only one victor…
Butch Harmon is not imaginary. If he walked beside Johnson giving him power and guidance, Johnson would be DQ’d.
Jesus has the ability to render power and guidance while being invisible. He either did, or he did not. If he did, then he helped Johnson to the detriment of every other competitor. If he did not, then Johnson felt a presence which was not there, which makes him appear to be mentally unstable. At any event, he would be wrong about Jesus helping him.
So success is a measure of faith. Good. Tell that to all the faithful who suffer and die in abject poverty. Tell them they just need to pray a little harder.
He credited Jesus for the victory. Quibbling over the meanings of “winner” and “victor” does not change that.
You mean like the Paralympics? I tried that argument last time out but my bookmaker wouldn’t have it. 
Look, I’d roll my eyes at that behavior too, but to be fair, I think it’s clear from the New Testament that Jesus does in fact love drug addicts who sleep around. Among many others. That’s the point of His message.
Assuming, for the purposes of this discussion, that you believe, and so on, of course.
Sailboat
True. And that’s the Jesus that I believe in. But having known these folks, the Jesus that they believe in doesn’t quite think that. That’s where the eye-rolling came in. Hey, I have no problem with drug use or sleeping around if that’s what you choose to do (I wasn’t an innocent in some of those things either), but to claim one thing about Christ and then do something completely contradictory to that bugged the shit out of me.
E.
Contrapuntal seems to be a convert!
I’m not saying Butch Harmon walks beside someone physically, but a lot of pro golfers believe their coach walks beside them metaphorically. Apparently, you are a very concrete thinker and don’t get the idea of someone, or something, being with you “in spirit.”
Last I checked, Jesus wasn’t casting any shadows at Zach’s side. So he wasn’t breaking any rules.
What about devout golfers who have a bad day?
What is God doing for them?
I understand that religious people are pleased by the thought that their God is watching over them.
But once you bring in competition, it seems a lot harder to me to explain.
If an atheist wins, what was God doing? Why didn’t He give his followers more strength?
To pray for anything suggests that, doesn’t it?
Yet plenty of other* athletes also praise God or Jesus or whatever. Watch football, or boxing, or any number of sports and you will see athletes do this in their victory speeches. It’s not all conservative white guys. Doesn’t bother me, a guy can bite the head off a chicken if he wants to for all I care.
- I originally said “non-white”, since golf is dominated by white conservatives. Not sure about their religious make-up.
I guess I like others view it more as a kick in the teeth to people who really are suffering, starving, dying and praying for help and nothing becomes of it.
Imagine some soldiers widow with children who prayed and prayed for her husband to come home safe from Iraq and he ends up dead from a roadside bomb. Imagine some abducted child who prayed and prayed for help but ends up being molested, abused, and killed. How about that child’s mother who prayed and prayed for him to come home safely.
Then they have to turn on the TV and see some kid who spends his days on manicured golf courses thanking god for the strength to do his best at GOLF?!
Imagine that. Some people choose to “glorify god” by, I don’t know, actually helping people in need? Become doctors, become social workers, volunteer at soup kitchens, become school teachers, become firefighters or policemen.
This guy does it by playing golf? Narcisstic ass.
Of course not. But you compared Jesus’ contribution to Johnson’s victory to that of a swing coach (seems like damning with faint praise, but, whatever.) A swing coach provides no power or guidance while the player is playing. Any such help is literally “all in the player’s mind.”
Jesus, according to Johnson, walked beside him, gave him power, and gave him guidance. Not metaphorically. Really. In reality. An actual concrete occurance. No violation of the rules of golf, of course, but a very arrogant thing to believe.
Do the Christers thank god when they lose?
I appreciate that people have all sorts of comforting ideas. Wear these particular socks / carry a photo of your parent / have a lucky necklace / eat beans just before playing.
Firstly if a golfer said “I avoided walking under a ladder coming out the clubhouse and that’s why I won”, people would smile and not take it seriously.
Secondly, is God actually doing anything?
Does He give His worshippers special powers?
Can we test for this and prove His existence?
I think if Jesus inspires a club choice for a player, then He is indeed breaking the rules. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted a 4 iron, then the thought came to me from the Almighty - use your 5 iron!”
“Sorry, but you’re disqualified.”