Posted on 02/21/2016 5:51:01 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Former boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has said that he has no issues with sportswear giant Nike terminating his contract after his controversial comments about gay people, and insisted that it is more important for people "to hear the truth."
"Whatever decision Nike makes is its decision and I respect that," Pacquiao said, according to USA Today Sports. "Its sponsorship of me now only involves my clothes for my fight. Our contract had already ended aside from sponsoring the boxing."
"I am not condemning the LGBT (community)," the Christian fighter and Filipino politician added. "What I am condemning is the act. I'm happier because I'm telling the truth … It's worse if we will hide the truth.
"I'm happier that a lot of people were alarmed by the truth," the eight-division world champion said.
Pacquiao's comments that led to the controversy came from an interview he gave with Filipino station TV5, where he said:
"It's common sense. Will you see any animals where male is to male and female is to female?
"The animals are better. They know how to distinguish male from female. If we approve [of] male on male, female on female, then man is worse than animals."
Pacquiao later clarified in a number of social media postings that he did not mean to offend LGBT people, but was only talking about what he believes based on the Bible.
"I still stand on my belief that I'm against same-sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I'm not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the Lord," he wrote on Facebook.
That did not stop Nike from terminating their professional relationship, however, and the sportswear giant called the boxer's comments on gay people "abhorrent" in a statement.
"Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community," the statement added.
Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, the chairman of Top Rank, also argued that the boxer made a mistake by not realizing the gravity of what he was saying.
"Look, there is a portion in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and New Testament, against homosexuality. Modern thinking is that this is prohibition in an ancient time. Many people feel that way. Other people think differently," Arum said.
He also tried to add context to Pacquiao's words by noting that the former champion is a "politician first and a fighter second," and that his views on gay marriage are directed more toward his home country, where the practice is not legal.
"So the statement that he made, as inarticulate as it was, was basically designed for home consumption. It was said in Tagalog (the Filipino language). He didn't realize – or maybe he did realize and didn't care – that the world is a small place and a statement made in the Philippines goes viral on the internet," Arum added.
If you’re like me you always look to mobbed-up boxing promoters who fix fights as your moral beacon.
Trump-Pacquiao 2016!
Opinions like his have a rightful place in a ‘free society’ under the US Constitution.
Not buying anymore Nike stuff. Feel free to follow suit. Same with Liam Neeson movies. Not going to watch them anymore. Let him become a pariah in the film industry.
- Manny -
It’s a free country.
You just cannot have any opinions which deviate from those vetted by the media and leftist politicians.
I find Arum’s words more distressing than Pacquiao’s. Are people worse than animals? I’m not sure you’d get a lot of support from biblical scholars because man was created in the image of God. Man is more conscious of sin than the animals and, in that way, probably worse but I reject the blanket statement.
But Arum’s is worse. He tries to excuse Manny when 1) he doesn’t ask to be forgiven or excused in his comments and 2) anyone who claims that something like homosexual conduct was okay for the Bible to condemn in Old and New Testament times but not now doesn’t understand God’s unchanging nature.
If the Torah condemned it (with stoning, no less) but the New Testament did not, I could see some wiggle room to say this was okay because of the New Covenant in Christ. But Paul and others, clearly after Christ’s appearance, condemn homosexual behavior in the strongest of terms so if you consider the Bible to be God’s Word, you have to conclude that God condemns homosexual behavior.
I will toss in that God also condemns fornication, adultery and other hetero sins as well lest anyone think they are better people than the homosexuals. The biggest problem with Gay Pride is not the gay part, it’s the pride part. They are blinded to their own sin, lest they repent.
So many of these big companies have priced themselves beyond the means of working people raising families; it is easy for me to boycott Nike or Starbucks because I would never spend the money on their products. More importantly, I’ve been reducing the money I spend anywhere (fast food, movies, etc.) - to deal with accumulated debt with the additional benefit of keeping my wages from the pockets of those who voted for Obama.
I’ll always need groceries and gasoline (and price determines where I buy those), but other items we’ve bought on Craigslist or at flea markets (furniture, occasionaly clothing); big retailers’ advertising dollars are wasted on us (as are Hollywood’s messages).
Seems big business and lawyers try to own everyone. He’s his own man.
You don’t know the difference between a fight promoter and a fighter?
Do you know the difference between a promoter of a beauty contest and a beauty contest contestant?
Do you know the difference between a member of the Olympic Committee and an athlete who competes in the Olympics?
(They WOULD if he announced he has decided he wants to turn into a woman).
It’s really something how the sodomite Gestapo can fire someone for having and expressing Biblical beliefs on homosexuality, while at the same time they can also sue private businesses for not baking cakes decorated explicitly to “celebrate” a sodomite mirage.
Trump just found his VP.
Exactly. I may have missed it, but I’m not aware of any murderers’ pride parades or ribbons to wear to show support for pedophiles ( though maybe if I live long enough...)
Manny will be attacked by all the leftist stooges this week on the ESPN shows. Not one will defend him.
RE: Trump just found his VP.
Kidding aside, I am not sure how Trump views defending the rights of Christians NOT to participate or celebrate any gay wedding ceremonies.
I remember him saying that the SCOTUS decision on gay marriage is the “Law of the land” when he was asked about Kim Davis.
RE: Trump-Pacquiao 2016!
Kidding aside, I am not sure how Trump views defending the rights of Christians NOT to participate or celebrate any gay wedding ceremonies.
I remember him saying that the SCOTUS decision on gay marriage is the “Law of the land” (no it isn’t) when he was asked about Kim Davis.
The agenda of the Weird Sexual Behavior group is not that you tolerate their behavior but that people judge their weird sexual behavior to be the equal of heterosexual behavior.
In other words, For the WSB people, there is nothing wrong with tv ads showing people of the same sex kissing or tv and movies showing people of the same gender in bed with each other doing weird things.
We're all supposed to accept this weird behavior as normal. Not only accept it, we're supposed to applaud it. And anybody who doesn't will be attacked and destroyed.
RE: It’s a free country.
Manny said it when it was in the Philippines. In this regard, that country is probably more free than the good old US of A.
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