I know prayer is supposed to help people get through tough situations. But in this case, I think the Vikings were eliminated because of their prayer habits.

For instance, when one of the stars catches a touchdown pass in the end zone, the victor kneels on the turf and points to the sky or the roof of the Metrodome, as if God were hovering there, helping the Vikes win another game. Randall Cunningham, our marvelous quarterback who made an incredible comeback this year, will raise a hand and index finger to the sky when he throws a touchdown.

These religious habits, which come so naturally to many of the Vikings, have begun to irritate some teammates and a good many fans.

How can these religious Vikings be so sure God is paying any attention at all? Why would God care about a football game being played in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, where most of the people are well-fed and happy, when people are starving and being slaughtered in places such as Kosovo?

It doesn't make sense that God would be hovering in the ceiling of our enclosed, Teflon-roofed stadium, waiting for the chance to trip up the opposing team.

The theological questions in 1999 should be: Does God care who wins the Super Bowl? And the answer is: No, God does not care. And furthermore, God does not want football players flaunting their faith in front of 60,000 fans and millions more on television.

This passage from the New Testament calls into question the practice:

"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others," Jesus instructed his disciples. "Truly I tell you, they have received their reward." (Matthew 6:5, New Revised Standard Version)

So there's the rub -- the reward for these professional Christians has already been received all through the season as these religious symbols were being played out on the football field. Is it possible that Almighty God withheld the final reward -- winning a championship game -- from the Vikings?

If that's not enough to deter these religious gladiators, many other Bible verses teach humility and instruct believers to keep their public expressions of faith in low gear.

God must have a terrible time deciding who will be helped as the National Football League plays its games for four months across America. Every time a couple of teams take the field, there are professional athletes on both sides praying for God's favor. So, how does God decide?

Is the divine mandate decided on the basis of the number of prayers from each team or on the sincerity of those messages? Perhaps God grants favor to the team that has lived the most moral life during the past week. I wonder if one week God favors the Vikings and the next week he pets the Falcons. What is the exact formula here? Inquiring minds and professional athletes want to know.

Plus, people in Minnesota want to know how we lost that game -- 30-27 -- this past Sunday. I think the Vikings had done so much praying and pleading with God that they were completely confident God would be compelled to give the game to Minnesota. It's like the old saying, "Let Go and Let God." So they let God, and God either was already sick of the begging or had decided the prayers of the Atlanta Falcons were somehow better.

A friend said he was watching the Vikings play one Sunday and particularly noticed all the religious signs being sent out after every good play. He wondered if God's public relations machine grinds so slowly that he needs football players pointing to the heavens every time something spectacular happens. And he also wondered if this reduces God, making God something like a boss who orders more advertising when product sales dip.

This is all theologically puzzling. The lesson all professional teams need to learn is, play hard and smart. Then whether you win or lose, you have only yourself to praise or blame. Then get down on your knees and thank God for life and health -- in your strictly private prayer chamber.

Clark D. Morphew