A Theological Question

I have a bit of a philosophical question.

Actually, it’s a little bit of a theological question as well.

And I figured what better crowd to ask it than this one.

You see, in the past few months, I’ve learned a lot about Loma Linda, and its history and its beliefs.

I know about the Sabbath, and the rules that are observed by the members of the various churches. I have no problems with any of them. I’m actually quite pleased to see so many people that live by the code they preach, rather than just what’s convenient at the time.

But I must say I’m curious about one thing about the observance of the Sabbath, and the world we live in today:

Where does ones pursuit of their dreams / skills / life necessities rank when weighed against the Sabbath?

I guess I’m curious because of all the Little League coverage I was doing earlier this summer. The Major Division team was one hit away from matching Loma Linda Little League’s best tournament showing ever – two wins.  Had they won a Friday night game, the schedule had them playing at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Wheels were in motion to possibly get the game switched to 8 p.m., possibly even at another field, to avoid any conflict with playing on the Sabbath.

But what if they couldn’t have made a change?  Forfeit or play?

It’s one of those questions I don’t have the answer to, and I was hoping someone could enlighten me. Because there were some good kids playing on that team. Some with real skills to play farther along in baseball if they wanted to. Certainly in high school, and with the right coaching, even in college.

Obviously there’s the private school route for some of them. But what about any who go to public school? There certainly will be some Saturday activities they will need to go to as a part of an individual or team competition.

In doing a little bit of research on the subject, I could only find one athlete of note who was a practicing Adventist. An Argentinian soccer goaltender by the name of Carlos Roa. He played for the national team during the 1998 World Cup in France. He earned the nickname Lechuga (lettuce) from some of his teammate for his eating preferences.

Here was an Adventist, who took a year off for a mission, who was at the top of his sport, playing for one of the top sides in the world, and was still able to practice his faith.

And while for most of his professional career, he would not play on the Sabbath, he did during the World Cup, when his teammates were counting on him. In a quarterfinal match played on July 4, 1998, he was in goal as Argentina lost to the Netherlands, 2-1.

I realize that faith and beliefs and how one chooses to observe them are personal choices. No one can decide what is best for someone else, and there’s no blanket answer that would cover my query.

Myself, since I so rudely brought up religion, I consider myself a bit of an agnostic. I know that God (many Gods) have played a major role in the shaping of human history. From the Romans to the Greeks to the Norse to Buddha to Jesus to one Almighty, they’ve all helped make the world what it is today. And maybe there is some higher power out there in the cosmos. But maybe not.

So, that’s my little philosophical/theological quandary. I really have no problem with the way anyone wishes to worship in life, because it's their life -- not mine. I’m really driven by curiosity and the quest for knowledge.

I’d love to hear back from some of you. Get involved in the conversation.