I confess: I have been watching the Olympics.
That doesn’t mean that, as a Christian, I condone everything that’s been going on with the event. But I don’t think the athletes who have worked so hard to get there and who demonstrate such astounding skills should pay the price for the organizers’ short-sightedness and bad judgment.
So, yes, I’ve been cheering on Simone and Suni and Jade and Jordan from the U.S. gymnastics team.
I’ve been amazed at Katie Ledecky, who continues to dominate her areas of women’s swimming like no other.
I’ve even stayed up till after 3 a.m. sometimes to catch some of the events that I missed.
But do I support the presentation of the Paris Parody? No, I do not. Not the least little bit.
I belong to the camp that thinks the artistic director who created the controversial tableau that many viewers felt resembled Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” knew what he was doing from the beginning, even though he said the scene was inspired by the Greek god Dionysus. I had suspected the da Vinci tie-in from the get-go, and things that have transpired since then have only cemented that view.
Despite the initial denial, the resemblance to the Last Supper was later acknowledged indirectly through subsequent discussions and apologies by Olympic spokespersons. If a celebration of community tolerance and diversity was what was wanted, surely a better method could have been employed.
One of the best writings I’ve seen on this controversy came from my friend Gordon Dasher, whose musings are provided in a post on alandlisarobertson.com/blog, “Parody in Paris: A Believer’s Response.” Rather than recounting just snippets of Gordon’s reasoning here, I heartily recommend that you do a web search and find the post. It’s in-depth, it’s Biblical and it totally makes sense. I don’t want to lessen the impact here by providing mere tidbits. (Thank you, Gordon,)
So … back to personal take-aways from my Olympic viewings so far this year.
– From Simone Biles and Suni Lee: There’s something more important than winning. Even so, never give up.
In 2020, despite criticism from some, Simone knew she had to take care of her own mental health and – God love and bless her – she did. After withdrawing from four events in Tokyo, she came back this year, triumphant almost beyond measure.
Suni has faced health problems as well. In 2023, she was diagnosed with two forms of incurable kidney disease, which forced a pause in her gymnastics career. Despite these challenges, though, she has earned multiple medals at the Paris Olympics, along with the return of good health at this time.
– From Jade Carey: Believe in yourself and what you have to do. At the Tokyo Olympics, Jade experienced a significant misstep during the vault final, tripping on her run and finishing in 8th place. However, this year she, too, made a remarkable comeback, overcoming a fall during the qualifiers to earn a bronze medal in the vault final.
– From Katie Ledecky: Do what you love – and keep on going. At age 27, she has now won the most gold medals of any female swimmer at the Olympics (nine) and is the most decorated American female overall (a total of 14 Olympic medals).
– From the country of Saint Lucia: Be prepared for success – even for greatness – although the world may predict otherwise. This Caribbean country won its first gold medal ever when Julien Alfred toppled reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson to win the 100 meters.
– From Snoop Dogg: Be yourself, show love and respect to others, and spread positivity. And sometimes, even people who previously scoffed (ahem, hand raised here), may start to really appreciate you. As a special correspondent for NBC, Snoop has become “America’s Cool Uncle,” always ready with a laugh and some laid-back wisdom.
– From the Paris Parody: Learn to truly exhibit love for your fellowman even though he doesn’t believe as you do, and don’t utter anything that sounds remotely hateful about him. Because remember, “hateful” means “full of hate,” and somehow this doesn’t sound like anything that Jesus would be preaching to his disciples.
Also remember, the women’s U.S. gymnastics team self-named Redemption Tour isn’t the grandest redemption tour that will ever happen. There’s one being offered by the Greatest Coach That’s Ever Existed, and there’s plenty of room on the team for all of us. If you haven’t already, why don’t you sign up?
