Absolutely ridiculous. I’d penalize the kid too. It’s still a hotdog move on the kid’s part, just as prancing across the goal line like a little ballerina or swinging a pretend bat after a sack. If you want to thank God or Allah or the freakin’ Devil, do it on your own time. How about handing the ball to the ref and going back to your bench and then thank God while you’re drinking your Gatorade? Why does it have to be on display in the field of play in front of everybody? God can wait 30 seconds for you to get to your bench. Heck, he’ll even wait until your tucking yourself in at bedtime.
Players do it to call attention to themselves, period. “Look at me! I’m thanking God because I am a wonderful guy!”
Dirty little secret here... God didn’t enable this kid to score a touchdown anymore than he disabled the other kid causing him to miss the tackle allowing the winning touchdown. God doesn’t play favorites. If anything he should be pointing toward the other team’s bench and praising the kid that missed the tackle and thanking him.
There is a strong competitive advantage believing that God is helping you, in life, sports, and warfare. Whether God does intervene hasn't been scientifically proven, however the advantage itself has been proven beyond a doubt. Publicly displaying gratitude to God is part of that advantage, if anything psyching out the opposing team. As a valid tactic in tribal warfare and practice tribal warfare, winners have included religious acts including public displays of gratidude for thousands of years. They shouldn't stop now just because it causes envy and hurts losers feelings.