Does it strike anyone else as odd that, as a result of a "good-natured bet" that a public official (the mayor of Pittsburgh) is doing a "Tebow" in public? I mean, either he's praying as the result of a wager (which seems distasteful) or pretending to pray as the result of a wager (ditto). And he's doing it as an elected government official.
I think I'd be insulted whether I was a believer or not. #ddtb
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Pittsburgh Mayor makes good on NFL bet, takes a Tebow knee | The Spot — Denver, Colorado politics and government news — The Denver Post
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravensthal made good on a bet with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock over the result of Sunday's NFL playoff game.
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Didn’t Jesus have something to say about praying in private, not showily, in public?
@Marina – 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” — Matt. 6:5-6
There’s some commentary on the issue here: http://www.religioustolerance.org/prayer.htm
The issue to me would seem to be that praying to be seen by others as praying is to be shunned. Praying that happens to be public is okay, if it’s sincere prayer, but it’s difficult to pray in a public place (even in church) without being conscious of how others see you.
There’s also the question of prayer as being something intended for the pray-er, to raise attention and awareness in the person doing the praying; public prayer in a corporate sense (in church, in a small group) in that case can be a social event to dedicate folks to (hopefully holy) action as a group.
I find Tebowing to be unabashedly showy on the face of it. I can’t know Tim Tebow’s heart as to his sincerity in it, but that kind of flashy prayer (as adopted by so many) does strike me as being intended “to be seen by others,” and less in an inspirational way than in a self-aggrandizing way.
And to extend the thought back to the article: I can’t imagine divine approval of prayer driven by a wager. And if it’s not actual prayer, I’d consider it a mockery of prayer, which I can’t imagine God being particularly thrilled about, either.
Makes me wonder why the pious Religious Right aren’t in an uproar …