As an old fashioned Bible thumper, I believe that as Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Notice that it’s the conviction of things not seen, not the belief despite all evidence to the contrary.
Faith is not the opposite of science or even the enemy of reason.
God was not happy with Job’s friends for ignoring the way the world worked, even though they did so in His name.
Why do I bring this up?
Because some Joe Paterno supporters are treating him as something more than a god.
The documentation of Paterno’s wrongdoing is there in the Freeh Report, but there are some fans who refuse to see it.
For certain fans, it’s just rationalization or wishful thinking; but for the most devoted, those who might refer to Paterno’s statue as a “shrine,” it’s the belief in Joe Pa’s innocence despite all evidence to the contrary.
And Paterno is certainly not the only sports figure to inspire this cultish fealty.
Ironically, there was a poll released today that found confidence in organized religion was at an all-time low. I’m not so sure that’s true.
Perhaps we’ve just relocated our churches, no longer attending Peace United Methodist on Sunday, but rather the football stadium on Saturday.
In another verse, specifically Exodus 20:3, God warns Bible thumpers like myself not to worship man-made idols. Today we have found a way to make idols of men.
It is the same situation with fans as when Pete Rose was banished from baseball. Many couldn’t believe that Rose would bet on baseball, especially on his own team, so they chose not to believe it. They looked at the evidence and then found things they thought gave them reasonable doubt. Of course, over time, most of us have seen that Rose’s guilt is undeniable. The fans of JoePa will eventually come to the same conclusion and, just like Rose, some will still choose to put him on the pedestal.