Is Superstition a Religious Experience?

TCU lost their bowl game tonight, 17-16, to Michigan State.  Our group decided to watch the game at Buffalo Wild Wings, the official location of the TCU Dallas Alumni Association.  And even though we arrived at the restaurant at 7:45 (for a 9:15 kickoff), we weren't seated for a table by halftime of the game.  You see, the restaurant had a finite number of tables, and people weren't leaving.  So even though we started the game 4th in line for a table, we left about two hours later without a table.

When we left, TCU was up 13-0.  We watched the entire second half at our apartment, and the game ended 17-16 Michigan State.  When you break it down, we won one half 13-0 (at Buffalo Wild Wings).  We lost the second half 17-3 (at the apartment).

As the game fell apart for the good guys, a couple of us mentioned that we should've stayed at Buffalo Wild Wings. Because, as far as we were concerned, only one variable had changed (the venue).  If we were doing a chemistry experiment and you change one variable, you're certain of the result.  The new variable caused a change in the reaction.

From this perspective, moving from Buffalo Wild Wings to our apartment caused TCU to lose.

We call this phenomenon "superstition."  A phenonmenon defined as "A widely held but unjustified belief in supernatural causation leading to certain consequences of an action or event, or a practice."

When this was uttered, my roommate scoffed.  "Yeah, it had nothing to do with Trevone's injury or the defense's inability to stop Bell."  Which is true.  When you break down the game, that's what happened.  Our quarterback was limited by an injury, and their running back began to play better.

But he discounted superstition.

*Please note that I'm about to get into a religious discussion.  The following is simply me playing devil's advocate.  My own religious beliefs are far too complicated to ever be put onto an internet blog.  Thank you for your understanding.*

My roommate is a deeply religious man.  He believes in a power greater than himself.  He's faithful that someone he cannot see is looking out for him.  And he believes that if he does certain things, it will lead to good things for him later.

And my question is....how is religion any different than simple superstition?

And I'm serious.  How does the belief of where I watch football in relation to the outcome of the game differ from the belief that if I do not lie, I will go to Heaven?

In both cases, I'm believing in something that I cannot see (or even prove the existence of) and hoping that what I do will get me what I want.

Example one - John is watching his favorite team.  He is wearing a ratty, old T-shirt in belief that it will make his favorite team win a professional baseball game.

Example two - John has a very important business meeting the following day.  He prays at night that the meeting will go well so that he can get a promotion he desperately needs.

How are those two different?

I think someone like my roommate would argue that the first example is stupid because it's just a game.  That God has more to worry about than can put more points up than the other team.

But it's never that simple.  True...a bowl game result doesn't impact my life.  But it does impact other people's lives.  A win or a loss can change many people's lives.  Coaches get fired by certain wins or losses. Senior's lives can change based on whether or not they left on top.  Same goes for band members, cheerleaders, equipment staff, and administrators   The list goes on and on.  It's just as important to them as John's job (from Example two) is to John.

But then there's the question my mom brings up - what about the Michigan State version of myself?  If staying at Buffalo Wild Wings is the key, then what happens if Michigan State Drew stays at Buffalo Wild Wings too?  How does God decide who wins?

And that's a valid argument.  But God has to make many of these decisions, and it doesn't impact whether or not we pray.  In example two, John's presentation could be for a new client he's trying to get.  And, almost certainly, that means that he's competing against another candidate for the same client.  They're probably making similar prayers that they get the job, instead of John's company.  In that case, whose prayer does God choose to side with?

In both sports superstitious examples and real-life prayer examples, God usually has to make a choice.  Even when it comes to something good or bad (say, a relative fighting a disease)...where either the person lives (universally good) or the person dies (universally bad)....God has to make a choice.  And sometimes he chooses to allow the person to die, despite an overwhelmingly large percentage of people praying for the other outcome.

So what's the difference?  In both cases (superstition and religion), we're choosing to believe in something we can't understand.  In both cases, we typically believe it with every part of our being.  And in both cases, it's typically something that we feel is very important to us.

So why do some people dismiss superstition and embrace religion?  Do we simply believe that God doesn't care about sports?  Or other trivial things?  But if we care about it, why wouldn't God care about it?  If God doesn't care about certain things that we care about, how can we be certain that He cares about other things that we care about?  If he doesn't care about something that creates the living of certain people, why would God care about something that creates our own living?

We often talk about "the football gods" when talking about such superstitious things.  We pretend, for the moment, that we're polytheistic.  But when we get down to it, "the football gods" are simply our one God.  And we're hoping that God chooses between our team and the other team.

People like my roommate seems to think that God doesn't belong in this.  But he either belongs in everything or he belongs in nothing.  I don't think God would choose to take himself out of one "man vs. man" decision and insert himself in some other one.  Just because it's a game doesn't mean it's important.  Almost all of our prayers are usually directly against another person's prayers.  When you pray for your grandmother to survive an illness, you're probably going directly against some malpractice lawyer's wish for a new case.  When you pray that you get a great grade on a test, you're going directly against another student's prayer that no one busts the curve.  When you pray for 1st prize in a competition, you're directly praying against dozens of others in the same contest that want it just as badly as you do.

At the end of the day, I don't see a difference.  You want something, and you do something hoping that it will work.  Wearing something somewhere (a lucky shirt at a certain restaurant vs. your nicest clothes to church) hoping to get what you want (a win vs. eternal happiness).

One might be more important than another, but we're making that choice.  God isn't.  So who's to say that one person's belief is crazier than another's?