Kay Yow, coach of North Carolina State, has died

http://www.cbssports.com/ncaawbasketball/story/11297089

Her story was one of courage and hope. Despite having breast cancer for many years, she endured chemotherapy and then came to coach her team.

I know I shouldn't make atheist hay out of such a tragic event, but I must say I've got a bewildered twist to my lips right now.

Just checked the two main WCBB message boards I read on a regualar basis, and everyone expressing their sadness and saying farewell ends with a "God bless" or a "Receive God's grace in its fullest" if you're actually a priest as well as a basketball fan.

And I'm thinking... this woman has suffered with a terrible disease for a decade, but now that she has fulfilled God's plan and died she'll receive his grace in the fullest.

On the other hand, apparently she was a deeply religious person herself, and the fact that that didn't prevent God from bestowing this terrible disease on her never made her waiver in her faith.

Also today on one of these two boards, a couple of people have family or a friend who is also going through a health crisis, and so they are making posts saying "Prayers needed," and requesting prayers - from total strangers - for their own loved ones. And the people are responding, assuring the requestor that they will keep this other individual in their prayers.

And while that's certainly very nice, I'm thinking.... why bother? Did prayers help Kay Yow? Miraculously cure her of cancer because she was such a great person? (Which she was - don't mistake me on that.)

I must confess I don't understand the mind of a religious person, whether Christian or Jew, and definitely not Muslim!

But what's easier to believe, that there is no God, and that these diseases are horrible mutations that have to be cured through science, or there IS a God, and he goes about laying these horrible diseases on people as part of his plan to test them and make sure they won't waiver in their faith. And after a few years of suffering for most, and perhaps one "miraculous" cure for every one in ten thousand, the individual gets to die and go up to heaven where they'll live eternally in God's love. Oh, yeah, that'd make me feel better.