I thought maybe I was missing something. So I went back to watch the skit again this morning.
At no point in the skit did the Jesus character say anything sacrilegious, or was he anything but a calm, dignified portrayal.
His message, throughout the skit was that he was there to help, but that the team should help themselves. He pointed out that he had only been helping during the fourth quarter—and that Tebow should perhaps, spend less time praying before the game and more time stretching and warming up—so that he could use the talents that God had given him to win without intervention.
He never mentioned to the Tebow character to NOT pray, but just tone the “in your face” adoration down a bit. In the context of the skit, the Tebow character was fawning a bit too much. The whole concept to satire is to take something and make it so absurd that it becomes funny.
So, clearly, you did not see the same skit I did. Or, the people that are complaining about it think that anything done by a New York writer has to be blasphemous. Or, the people complaining do not understand satire.
Tebow is a very talented young man. I don’t think his open devotion to Jesus is outrageous at all. If one more person opens the bible and changes the way they live because of him, that is great.
But if you watched that scramble in the final minutes of the game, you know he has a long way to go in developing his God given talent. That was simply painful to watch.
SNL is a comedy show. They make fun of everyone. And in the context, I think they did a pretty good job of portraying what I think Jesus would say to these guys.
Jesus was a man on earth. Men have a sense of humor. And while we all secretly like being adored, most men I know feel uncomfortable when it actually happens. Do you think the “man” Jesus would feel differently?
All the various ways “we” men shape and mold the faith to fit our sensibilities I often imagine Jesus sitting on His throne just chuckling at us.
He is probably thinking, “I am so glad I came down to the earth to save all these igmos...from themselves.”
I am quite certain Jesus had a sense of humor. After all, I'm losing my hair, right where a yamakah would fit.
Now that's a sense of humor. lol