In Salon today, Mary Elizabeth Williams shares her discomfort with Gabby Douglas's outspoken religious fervor at the Olympics. Williams says of the gymnast:
As a Christian myself (albeit one of those really freaky papist kinds), I’ve often wondered what it is about Christians like Douglas that unnerves me so. The closest I’ve been able to figure it is that Douglas and her ilk seem to espouse a faith based on what is commonly referred to as “The God of Parking Spaces.” It’s the deity that grants wishes to those who ask nicely. Douglas is a girl who has described God is the figure who’s “waking me up every morning and keeping me safe in the gym every day.” She told People Thursday, “I was on the bus and it was raining and I thought, ‘It’s going to be a great day.’ My mom used to tell me when I was little, ‘When it rains, it’s God’s manifestation, a big day’s waiting to happen.’ I texted my mom, ‘It’s raining. You know what that means.’” It means that Russian girl is going down, I guess.
While I also don't buy into the concept of God as a gumball machine or wishing-well, I'm also not sure how comfortable I am with criticizing a 16-year-old's comments, made right after she won a gold medal. Thoughts, anyone?