What if Tim Tebow were Muslim?

[omgangiepants]

Tim Tebow’s profession of faith has thrust the mixture of sport and religion into the national spotlight in a way that few can remember

Comments

[shoujokakumei]

Do we accept freedom of religion, any religion? Or do we accept freedom of Christianity?

I think everyone here knows the answer to this question, unfortunately.

[fishnet_hamster]

Unfortunate indeed.

[fatchickengirl]

America is a secular state why are they trying to change it into a Christian fundamentalist state??? Change it into the kind of state that the original immigrants fled from first time round.

[bestdaywelived]

Seriously. I would love this to be true.

[angelus7988]

Well, that depends on which original immigrants you're referring to. The Puritans first left England to escape religious persecution, but they went to Holland, not the New World. However, they found Holland to be intolerably permissive, so they went to the New World to found a society where they were the one who got to be the religious hegemony. It wasn't the religious persecution they objected to, but their being on the receiving end of it.

[aviv_b]

'Do we accept freedom of religion, any religion? Or do we accept freedom of Christianity?' I'm taking this to be rhetorical questions with the answers No and Yes. There's more acceptance for some non-Christian faiths than others, but Islam is the least tolerated faith in the US since 9/11.

The most disturbing thing about this to me (and I say this as a person of faith, though not a Christian),is that in a recent CBS news pole, 43% of those surveyed said that G-d helps Tebow to win: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31751_162-57358717-10391697/poll-does-god-help-tebow-win-43-say-yes/

Invoking a deity on your side in times of war is pretty common, but a football game? Really? Personally, I'd like G-d to turn off the TV and put a little more attention to famine and earthquakes this year. Just saying.

[eajou]

But...but that can't be true! The Steelers are ~Christian~!!!!! Did they do something to offend God last week or something? Or did God just not love them enough or let them win

[we_got_caught]

Does that include Ben Rothlisberger? Cuz I'm pretty sure God ain't down with rapists.

I live in an area of PA that has a lot of Ravens fans too.

[eajou]

Yeah, that's the example I told her.

Ben was framed! He is the most wonderful Christian the team has no one should ever slander his name with ridiculous rumors! (I kid you not, she said this...)

Right now I'm living in central-ish PA since I was here for school, but I'm moving at the end of the month down near the MD/PA state line again. I'm hoping to find full time work in Maryland though, I've just been looking for forever. ATM I pretty much see an even amount of fans for the Steelers, Jets (the team my fiance likes) and the Eagles. I miss living in Ravensville. ♥ So I'm looking forward to it.

[rainbow_fish]

I almost feel bad reading the article, but I feel like life experience has taught me that the answer to the title question is almost categorically 'no'.

[direwolfdragon]

I enjoyed the article and I do agree with it. I do have to add this question though- would there be folks angry if there was the mocking that Tebow has endured done to an athlete with a different faith than xtianity or would people just laugh and find it acceptable as they do for the mocking that Tebow endures? Would there be an outcry of folks screaming that you can't say those things about that other faith, it isn't right or fair, that we have freedom of religion and our choices shouldn't be mocked

[ceilidh]

I haven't seen any mocking of Tebow in my circle of acquaintances (former coworkers from my former job in SC). Its more comparisons to Jesus, noting "wonderful" coincidences when the number of yards he throws coincide with particular Bible verses (stuff like "his coach's name is John and tonight he threw for 316 yards and John 3:16 is his favorite verse!!!"), anti-choice screeds about how his mother was counseled to have an abortion when she was pregnant with him because of certain medications she had taken but she ddidnt have one and clearly the doctors are wrong and abortion is ALWAYS BAD...and so on.

[bestdaywelived]

Every fucking evangelical Christian says that John 3:16 is their favorite. I love how it's so fine to be Christian and superstitious.

[ceilidh]

If his coach's name was Matthew and he threw for 656 yards they wouldn't say a peep, I'm sure (Matthew 6:5-6 being the verses about praying in private and not making a big show of it). My Facebook feed was covered in this kind of shit after the last game and it makes me ill. Ostentatious public displays of any religion turn me off, but this in- your- face "Christianity" is the worst.