Recently (thanks in part to yours truly) the debate has again emerged, both here on Cougarboard and on yewtfans.net, as to whether or not God cares about BYU's football/basketball/etc. teams winning or losing. I've found that many Cougar fans have become somewhat silent on the issue. Yewt fans, however, will immediately and unequivocally state that NO, God doesn't care who wins in a simple sporting event, as if it were scientifically proven fact. But since I'm in the mood to stir the pot, let's investigate the issue a little more closely. (By the way, this is very much a thread intended for those of "the state's predominate culture.")

We LDS folk are LDS for a reason--we really believe this Church to be God's true Church. That we can state unequivocally. Well, like it or not, Yewt fans, BYU is, in fact, governed and directed by the leaders of God's true Church. What does this mean? Well, I can only assume that it means that both the Lord and the Church have a vested interest in the success and direction of the institution. I would think even Yewt fans could submit to that much. Where, then, do BYU's athletic teams fit into this discussion? That, my friends, is the $64,000 question. Some (mostly Yewt fans) would suggest that the teams are an insignificant appendage of an otherwise purely academic institution. Others (the hard-core BYU fans) claim that the teams are indispensable, both as a source of good PR (for both BYU and the Church) and in assisting the University in its mission. Unless you were to ask either President Hinckley or possibly President Samuelson, I don't know that you'll ever get a straight answer to this question. But doesn't it seem logical that if the Lord really does care about this University (and my guess is that if He didn't, the Church would cut all ties at a moment's notice), that he cares about every part of the University?

Some have argued that BYU's recent lack of success on the field and on the court provide insurmountable evidence that the Lord indeed doesn't care about BYU's sports programs. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Lord obviously cares about what happens to each one of us, but He sure is willing to let bad things happen to us. In this sense, care does not equal control.

So what proof do we have that God really doesn't care about BYU sports? Ladies and gentlemen, the conclusion I have come to is that there is no such proof. Does this mean, "Cheer for BYU or burn in hades?" No--my guess is that if God does indeed care about BYU sports, he doesn't care THAT much. The point of this post was not to argue one way or the other, but simply to show that, as far as I know, nobody really knows what God has to say on the subject. I would love to be corrected if there are any holes in my logic.

Carry on.

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jbcoug--officially starting the "I want to be on CatBlue's next Top-10 poster list" campaign!