Posted on 01/16/2012 11:30:17 AM PST by shortstop
Why do they mock Tebow?
And why do we let them?
In what is arguably the most religiously tolerant society in human history, how is it that, in the modern age, the religious expression of an athlete is the brunt of jokes and the target of mockery?
Why don’t we denounce that for the bigotry it is?
Because our tolerance is in name only.
And it is unevenly applied.
In America, intolerance of the minority is rejected, but intolerance of the majority is expected.
Tim Tebow is mocked not because he is religious, but because he is Christian.
Were he similarly zealous in devotion to a minority religion, his piety would be solemnly respected. If a Muslim playing in the NFL knelt in prayer, or expressed gratitude to his God for his professional success, he would be lionized for his bravery. His religious views would be treated with reverential respect.
He would be seen as a great example of his faith and the nation would honor him and his religion.
The same would be true for a Hindu or a Buddhist or a Wiccan.
But not for a Christian.
Because there is a double standard of religion in this country. Christians, particularly conservative or Bible-based Christians, are treated as inferior oddballs, as benighted Neanderthals with small minds and small views.
You can see that in the coverage of the Republican presidential race. And in the reporting on Tim Tebow.
If the snide player remarks about Tim Tebow had been made about a Muslim player, the commissioner and the league would have levied sanctions. If that same Muslim player had had his religion mocked on a late-night talk show, the nation would be aghast.
But not with Tebow.
Not with a Christian.
That is wrong, and it should be challenged. Instead of silently suffered, it should be publicly denounced.
There should be one standard of respect for religion in this country. The way we treat minority religions is closest to what is right. There should be neighborly respect and tolerance.
But what’s good for the goose should be good for the gander, and all religions – including the majority religion – should be respected.
Too often in the media, there is a condescension toward conservative Christians. That is a reflection of the philosophical prejudices of the media culture and of the liberal agenda.
That is ironic because the best virtues of American society are found in Christian teachings. In fact, American liberty could never have arisen without the seedbed of Christian faith. Not that one must be a Christian to be an American, but that the fundamental worth of the individual, and the moral freedom of the individual, are ideas which philosophically arose as outgrowths of Christian belief.
It was the reading of the Bible and faith in the Christian God which gave rise to the independence of thought necessary to conceive of and fight for liberty.
That is not to denigrate any other faith. It is simply to recognize the reality of American history.
America’s tolerance is fundamentally a product of its Christianity.
Which is why it is doubly disappointing to see American Christianity increasingly facing intolerance.
As evidenced by the mocking of Tim Tebow.
The First Amendment – like all of the Constitution – is both a reflection of and an inspiration for the American character. The First Amendment says two things about religion – that the government shall not declare an official religion, and that the government may not interfere with the practice of religion.
American culture reflects that second guarantee in the accepting attitude of its citizens.
Or at least it used to.
Increasingly, we whittle the freedom of religion down to just the freedom of worship. Yes, you can go behind closed doors on Sunday morning and worship as you please, but if you bring your religion back out with you, into the public square, you will find hostility and criticism.
Especially if you are Christian.
And that must end.
Because a nation is better if its people are religious. Not just on their holy days and in their places of worship, but every day, and in every part of their lives.
Tim Tebow merely attempts to do that.
He is a Christian, and he has chosen to live a Christ-centered life.
And in the land of the free, he should be allowed to.
Without being laughed at.
With that in mind, I just wonder who’d be the one to man up and say they did it.
The "religion" of libtardism is either secular humanism, Marxism, or New Ageism. All three are together, at war with Christianity for the hearts and minds of Americans.
And Government is their "god."
They fear his message, pure and simple.
ECACTLY! bttt
"...The nihilistic left is comprised of Nietzsche's pathetic Last Men, who "have a calm indifference to all elevated aspirations." In their puffed up vanity and pseudosophistication, they have lost even the capacity to despise themselves, so they certainly have no reason to aspire spiritually and surpass themselves..."
"E Pluribus Nusquam: Pomographic Liberalism and the Parsing of Nothing"
WHY DO THEY MOCK TIM TEBOW?
Same reason they mock Sarah Palin.
Abortion.
Tim Tebow wasn’t aborted even though the doctors advised his mother to kill him. This pisses liberals off. The depth of their hatred is rooted in their guilt for killing their own children. Every time they see Tebow or Trig, they are reminded of what they did and it drives them insane.
btt
Yes, Denver was got beat. Brady showed he is a skilled quarterback. The guy with the big hands showed he can catch a football. One guy- cant remember his name- showed he can really take down his opponents.
HOWEVER, Brady also showed he is a jerk.
Don’t believe for a second that a punt at 3rd down was anything but an insult to Denver...and Brady never shook Tebow’s hand.
Tebow is a good kid and a great role model. I hope he is traded away from Denver.
____________________________________________________________
First as to the topic of this thread. Some people dislike Tebow because they think he is ‘pushing’ his religion, this would fall in the anti Christian group, others dislike the hype because he isn’t that good a QB yet. It isn’t the kid’s fault that he has been put in the media hype machine like this. He certainly seems to be a great young man who has his priorities in order. His bringing people with serious physical issues to his games and spending time with them and the families is very nice.
Some portray him as the only player who does a lot of charitable works which isn’t really true, and makes some thing he is out to seek attention for himself. I don’t see that at all.
Now as to your whining about Brady, in the mob after the game people cannot find other players sometimes, sometimes they make arrangements before the game as to whether they speak.
If you watched something like Sound FX you would see that when they talked after the game Brady told that “Good things happen to good people” and that they would see each other again. So you should knock others when you don’t know anything.
As to insulting Denver, first Brady was told to punt by the coaches, those same coaches called off the dogs after the score went to 42-7 in the 3rd qtr the Pats could have scored 60+ if they wanted. Would you rather they went for the TD passing record for Brady?
“No. It is NOT because he’s Christian. It’s because he’s conservative.”
If the man were a mormon or catholic doing the same, there would be plenty of self-righteous “my Jesus is better than your Jesus” Christians on this very thread tearing him down.
That said, more power to him. Everyone trespasses and there are lots of sins to snare the believer, not the least of which is pride.
Matthew 6:5
I've seen several interviews where he says almost exactly that. He's giving thanks and glory to God for the gifts he was given. I see nothing wrong with that at all.
Bookmarked.
I’m looking forward to seeing San Francisco 49’s in the Super Bowl.
Non-believers can do many good things, too, but they do not enter heaven by their works. They are not doing these things for the Glory of God but for other motives.
Matthew 7:22-24
English Standard Version (ESV)
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Your insights to Islam are quite revealing - the "religion" destroys everything it touches.
Thank you so very much for your outstanding essay-post, dearest sister in Christ!
That doesn't seem to be a very good question to me. If I say "Yes," you'll tell me I believe in works-righteousness. If I say "No," I'm saying that only bad people go to heaven. (How much do I have to sin to go to heaven?)
Perhaps if you were to say "just by being a good person" it would work better.
I didn’t think the “no” answer was even an option. I do like your addition of “just by”, I might even abbreviate that, though, to “by” -
can you get to heaven by being a good person?
Indeed, I’m looking to expose the person who believes in works-righteousness, which is the “tell” for faux Christians.
Look no further than family courts where if one party is gay, he has nothing to pay. If the other is not, he has to demonstrate any and all abilities and proofs etc...
It’s all about the government budget and money money money greedy government. The government does not want to do its job of incarcerating the wrong party and wants the free gravy train of the taxpayer.
I forgot another miserable thing about Islam, its doctrine of Haqqiyah: It is absolutely okay to LIE to any "outsider," even if the outsider is a fellow Muslim, though of different sect, clan, or tribe.
Plus it's always oaky to kill "infidels" (Christians and Jews, among others).
How could any civil society be constructed on such soul-killing principles? The entire religious philosophy seems premised in hatred. I believe that Islam is a religion fit only for barbarians....
Though I have known many Muslims in my time, and found them almost without exception to be fine people.
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