Does the Sodium Game disprove the Existence of God?

Recently, I challenged the staff of my Cardiac Rehabilitation unit to a game that I called the sodium game. Those of us who have a heart condition are told by health care professionals that we should reduce our salt intake. We are constantly barraged by these people who while meaning well constantly warned us about the dangers of sodium. It occurred to me that those people who are always on my case about not eating foods that I love needed a taste of those own medicine. Therefore, I invented the Sodium Game. A description is below:

The Sodium Game

Because the Cardio Rehab staff has failed my test, given in to temptation and scarfed up the potato chips I left in the staff room a few weeks ago, in my magnificent benevolence and mercy I have decided to give them a second chance. Potato Chips, a box of Russell Stover Candy and chocolate donuts await them in the staff room. The purpose of the Sodium Game™ is for them to go two weeks without eating the above snacks.

 Rules of the game:

1. The staff must refrain from devouring the food and the snacks must remain in the original container(s).

2. The container(s) must not be opened and the contents must remain uneaten.

3. The container(s) must be within the view of the staff at all times and cannot leave the room.

4. After two weeks the contest is officially over and either party may consume the contents.

5. Warning!!! Don’t even think of eating the sodium-enriched foods and replacing them with the same foods. The original containers(s) have a special marker that I (the challenger) can identify. However, the container may be removed to a new position provided it remains in the staff room and within the view of the staff.

6. Prizes: if the winner of this contest is the challenger, each and every staff present on awards’ day will courtesy or bow (depending on gender) to the challenger and declare to all present including patients the following statement: Oh great master!! You were right and I was wrong! I acknowledge your great wisdom. Brighter than the sun you are! More brilliant than the brightest star in the universe.

If the winner is the staff, the challenger will in front of the room, bow down and declare in the presence of all, “I am in the presence of greatness and I hereby acknowledge the wisdom of the Cardiac Rehab staff. I hereby repent of my grievous errors and my wicked ways of indulging in sodium.”

The contest will begin on the first Thursday following Thanksgiving and end on the second Thursday following that date. Any absent staff on the awards day who is regularly assigned to the Glastonbury Center will upon the next therapeutic session with the challenger make the same statement as above in the presence of all. Are you up to the challenge? Is it game on? Let the games begin!!!

As I write this the game is still on. What fun! To give those who constantly get on our case about indulging in foods we love and crave a taste of their own medicine.

Although I challenged the staff in a spirit of fun, it occurred to me last night that there is a deeper, more philosophical meaning to the Sodium Game. I believe that what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. One cannot make up rules for others and not follow them themselves. No one is above the law. If I can’t eat wonderful foods they shouldn’t either.

According Dr. Martin Luther King, in Notes from A Birmingham Jail, an unjust law (rules) is a majority imposing a law on a minority and not following it themselves. Hear we clearly have a majority of the population eating French fries, potato chips, ice cream, and many other wonderful foods while wanting to deny us, the minority, the pleasures of chocolates, and other salt and sugar laden products. This is clearly an injustice.

When I broached this argument to others, I was told that the majority did not have the same poor health conditions as we the minority did and therefore they were entitled to eat whatever they wanted. The majority was simply expressing concern for the welfare of the minority. Clearly, this is an injustice! A tone of “I am better than you by virtue of my good health.”

There is an implied sense of superiority and in extreme cases if not checked, can ultimately lead to economic inequality and social injustice. These are the kinds of arguments that justified pre-Civil War slavery and the subjugation of Women. “After all,” slave owners said, “How would the slaves eat and have a place to sleep in if it wasn’t for us?” or in the 1890s women were told they couldn’t vote because God said their place was in the “kitchen, barefoot and pregnant.” Men would provide for them.

This is like a judge saying to the defendant, “I can run a red light but you can’t.”

If this is the case, then we clearly live in an unjust world and the Creator of this unjust world must Himself be an unjust God. Since Justice is an attribute of God or some Higher Power, a unjust God that created such an unjust world could not be God by definition.

Therefore, the Sodium Game disproves the Existence of God.