The diary is complete bullshit. Any person of faith knows that when you accomplish something great and realize a dream you get a feeling that you were given help by something bigger than yourself. It's a recognition of humility. Would you rather have the athletes claim "I'm the baddest mother f***** out here and I did it all myself!"
As for 'blaming' God for losses, any person with a more than completely superficial understanding of faith would recognize that God is there to help us through the disappointments just as much as he is there to guide us to success. God does not exist to make sure that everyone is happy or that the world is just, he exists so that we can understand that in spite of pain and suffering we can realize the obligation we have to spread love to one another so that WE can make the world a better place. He loves the players on the Cardinals just as much as he does the players on the Steelers.
I find it painful sometimes that the people who display the most Christian value - concern for the sick and the needy - are often openly hostile to religion. My parents are both pastors, and the values they instilled in me are what makes me a Democrat. They have voted for a Democrat for every office in every election since Jimmy Carter in 1976, but we never had a single conversation growing up where they said "We're Democrats and you should be too."They never had to. Their values spoke for themselves. It was clear that my parents were committed to helping the needy, and it's always been clear that only one Party holds those same values.
My Dad started a chapter of Habitat for Humanity in the small town where I grew up, my Mom took college students on Spring Break trips to clean up the destruction left by Hurricane Andrew, and they both spent countless hours personally volunteering time in soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and prison ministry programs. They didn't do this because they believed in the Bible literally - they would tell you that no person of intelligence could - but because the core message of Christianity (and every religion) is the same: Do onto others as you would have them do onto you.
And for the record, they are in favor of every progressive social issue: gay rights, the right to choose, stem cell research, the separation of church and state, etc. AND THEY TITHE (donate 10% of their salary to the Church). Next time you find yourself in a debate with a sanctimonious Christian, ask them if they tithe. If they don't, call them out on it. It's easy to say you practice Christian values, but it's not easy to make that kind of sacrifice.
I respect the author's right to joke around and make this diary, I respect people who choose to not practice religion in any form, and I respect the people of faith who find this type of attitude by athletes to be superficial - but attacking someone like Kurt Warner is mean spirited in my mind. Yes I know he's one of those whacky born again Christians and he opposed Missouri's funding for stem cell research, but he's a good man with a good heart who went has reached the pinnacle of his career after struggling through very difficult circumstances. This type of attitude is why many well intentioned people of faith don't feel welcome in our Party.
UPDATE: I appreciate everyone's comments, good and bad. To answer a lingering question, yes I was aware it was snark, but it's a topic and a tone that I found uncomfortable. Surely there's something to be said for me having a sense of humor about the topic, but to me the tone of the diary takes on a tone of laughing at Christians rather than laughing with them.
And to respond to one comment I found particularly important, I do find it painful rather than ironic that so many people with Christian values aren't practicing Christians because the result if the increasing radicalization of what passes for mainstream Christianity in America. I'm worried that by the time I'm my parents age progressive Christians will be all but extinct.