As an agnostic, I pride myself on being one of the few level-headed folks in the world who would correctly answer this question:Is there a God?
Everyone has their own opinion, of course. We all have our own beliefs, and we’re all entitled to them.
But the only correct way to answer that question is this: I DO NOT KNOW.
(Other things I do not know include if life exists on other planets and what actual purpose the stock market serves.)
It’s 100 percent foolish to claim that you know there is a God, and it’s equally as foolish to claim that there is not. Every argument about lack of evidence on one side can be construed as evidence by the other, and vice versa. While deists might believe that the sun rising in the morning is God’s doing, atheists might argue that’s simply a result of the Earth spinning around its axis and has nothing to do with God, whereby deists can then argue that God either created the Sun and Earth to behave in this way … and the debate rages on.
The problem, of course, is that the argument lacks facts. There are no facts to refute and no factual refutations to make.
Another arena in which there are no facts is in the evaluation of NFL quarterbacks. A tall quarterback is not a good quarterback. A fast quarterback is not a good quarterback. A soft-throwing quarterback is not a bad quarterback. A poorly-testing quarterback is not a bad quarterback.
Enter Tim Tebow.
Your feelings on Tim Tebow roughly equate to whether you believe in God. This is not to say that you must believe in God if you believe in Tim Tebow, nor is it to say the opposite — that atheists must not believe in Tebow. It is simply to say that, in the absence of facts, you sometimes just have to believe in something.
And I believe in Tim Tebow.
Call me a religious convert. I never particularly liked Tebow at the University of Florida, where he was the ringleader of an insanely talented team that could even make a bowl game with me at quarterback. There was no religious experience occurring when the 6-foot 3-inch, 235-pound quarterback destroyed an undersized linebacker from Vanderbilt.
Since his arrival in the National Football League, however, Tebow’s unconventional throwing mechanics and outspoken views have earned him criticism (from many) and admiration (from few). After going 1-2 as a starter in his first season, he was the No. 3 quarterback breaking training camp this season and trade rumors swirled.
After a 1-4 start seemingly doomed the Broncos’ season, Tebow was inserted into the starting lineup and promptly played horrifically.
Tebow looked more like a plague upon the Broncos than their savior.
But a funny thing happened on the way to locusts and the deaths of our first-born children: Against all odds and bucking all conventional ways of thinking, the Broncos won six straight games by a total of 34 points, including three straight by a field goal. That just doesn’t happen. If there’s one fact in today’s NFL, it’s that you need to throw the ball to win … yet here was Tim Tebow, winning four straight without breaking 144 yards passing!
Then came that cold, harsh reality. Three straight losses to end the regular season. The Last Temptation of John Fox to pull Tim Tebow in favor of Brady Quinn.
Even as non-believers threw down the gauntlet and said, “WE HAVE SEEN NO FACTS TO PROVE THAT TIM TEBOW IS A GOOD QUARTERBACK” in the way that atheists might proclaim “THERE ARE NO FACTS TO PROVE THERE IS A GOD,” Fox kept the faith.
So did I.
Still, Tebow tested our faith once more, leading his offense to EIGHT yards in the first quarter. Only the true believers could still follow him.
Then, like any good savior, he made good on his promise.
Tebow exploded for 316 yards — yes, 316 as in 3:16 as in John 3:16, which he prominently wore on his eye black for every game he played while at Florida — and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was God — not Tim Tebow, no; God Himself — sending me a message from the other side.
Because if “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life,” then maybe Tim Tebow was sent to us not as his son — not as The Jesus — but as an instrument of God’s Will to send a message to the non-believers in all of us.
And as ridiculous as it all may seem, that’s the honest-to-god (God?) truth.
And if Timothy Freaking Tebow can make me question all of that … I might just play it safe and go to church next Sunday.
