As all Canadians, I woke up to the grave news today that I may have to (for the second time in a decade) go without hockey for a whole year. I was left feeling frustrated (how rich do you need to be?), angry (Gary Bettman is hate incarnate), and sad (seriously, no hockey?). I shook my head as I sat and read about the situation and wondered how rich millionaires and even richer millionaires could not come to an agreement on how to split up billions of dollars in pure profit. But soon I found a silver lining – this hockey lockout is “proof” that there is not God.

Ok, I know, but hear me out.

First, I am a bit starved for material up here in the north living in a town of 600 people, so that may explain this post but I believe I am on to something here.

So, hockey is considered a “religion” by many people in our country. I have had family members and friends explain to me the reason they aren’t religious and didn’t go to church on Sundays is because they were at the rink on Sundays and the rink is their church. Combine this with the general level of faith in our country and I think we can all agree that a large number of Canadians (silly as it might seem) prayed last night for the players and owners to come to an agreement so a lockout would be avoided. The result of these prayers? Nada.

If there is a God surely he would have taken notice of such a large number of people all praying for the same thing. With that in mind, that means one of three things is most likely true:
1. God heard the prayers but chose to ignore them.
2. God heard the prayers and tried to intervene but it turns out that Gary Bettman is Satan and wasn’t in the mood to do God any favours.
3. God does not exist.

Sure, this one thing alone does not on its own prove the non-existence of a creator but like any good RICO case it is something that when combined with all the other evidence helps to paint a likely picture.

There is the argument that all this helps to prove is that God leaves us to our own lives and does not ever intervene. And yes, this could be true, but this is not the God that people fight for or against. Not to mention, that any God that could give me hockey but chooses not to is not a God that I want any part of anyway!

Obviously I jest but I think there is a small argument here. Not one I expect to read Richard Dawkins or Sam Harris talking about anytime soon but an argument none the less. Or maybe I just needed something to make myself find some humour in the ridiculousness of the uber rich arguing over just how much more rich they should all be.