Is it immoral for athletes to use the field as a pulpit?

[WanderLust]

For an athlete to do anything besides play football/baseball/hocket/whatever is nonsensical to me. Just because you can run and throw stuff doesn't mean you're in any position to spread any message. If I went to work and preached religion, I'd likely be fired. Do we make exceptions for guys like Tebow because they're athletes or because they're Christians?

 

[McBell]

Do we make exceptions for guys like Tebow because they're athletes or because they're Christians?

I'd say it is both.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I was talking with my friend about Tim Tebow. He preaches almost any time he's interviewed and in college, wrote "John 3:16" on the black patches under his eyes.

Is it okay for someone in his position to preach religion?

What if the tables were turned and an atheist was preaching his message? Is it still okay?

I think it depends a bit on the sport.

As a litmus test, I don't think that it would be any more appropriate for an athlete to wear a religious message than a political one. If "Go Dems" or "Romney 2012" would be considered inappropriate, then I think "John 3:16" should be as well.

However, this really depends. In college or professional baseball, football or other sports with very tightly controlled uniforms, then I'd think that very few personal messages would be appropriate.

OTOH, in sports like cycling or auto racing where the rules of the sport don't mandate a specific uniform and the competitors wear all sorts of messages and logos, I think it's fine to slap whatever message you want on yourself... atheistic or theistic.

I think we should just get over it. It would not bother me what anyone wanted to do as long as they don't p-tize.

They should be able to express themselves any way they like.

I'd say that writing "John 3:16" on yourself so that it can be seen while on the field is proselytizing.

It's probably not very effective proselytizing, but I think it's clear that this is the intent.

 

[WanderLust]

Tim Tebow does proselytize. John 3:16 is the primary verse cited by proselytizers. Not to mention his (ultimately failed) attempt to spread a political message regarding abortion during a superbowl. A friend of mine was with his little cousin and they met Tebow one time before the draft. My friend's cousin played football and asked Tebow what to do to be like him. Tebow told him to follow Jesus and pray daily. Needless to say, my friend lit into him about it, but the point is still there that he preached to a child.

He's abrasive about his views and pushes them much more than necessary.

 

[9Westy9]

I was talking with my friend about Tim Tebow. He preaches almost any time he's interviewed and in college, wrote "John 3:16" on the black patches under his eyes.

Is it okay for someone in his position to preach religion?

What if the tables were turned and an atheist was preaching his message? Is it still okay?

We do have freedom of speech

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

We do have freedom of speech

Unless "legal" implies "moral", I don't see how this is relevant.

 

[9Westy9]

Unless "legal" implies "moral", I don't see how this is relevant.

I was responding to the OP "Is it immoral for athletes to use the field as a pulpit?" I'd say it is moral due to my position on free speech

 

[Jeremy Mason]

As a Christian and a Bronco fan, I feel simple gestures of one faith are ok. As for being immoral...
[youtube]jdyMPLogVc4[/youtube]
South park let's go broncos - YouTube

 

[WanderLust]

We do have freedom of speech

There's a point where freedomm of speech becomes freedom to be a (insert word I can't use on this forum).

 

[Meow Mix]

I was talking with my friend about Tim Tebow. He preaches almost any time he's interviewed and in college, wrote "John 3:16" on the black patches under his eyes.

Is it okay for someone in his position to preach religion?

What if the tables were turned and an atheist was preaching his message? Is it still okay?

I think he has every right to express his religion in such a way if that's what he wants to do. As long as he's not using taxpayer dollars or getting an endorsement by any governmental agency (re: specifically the religious aspects) then I have zero problem with it. In fact, I applaud his excercising of his his rights to free speech.

 

[Apex]

On the topic of Tebow and his displays of faith:

Military Tebowing: Tacky or Unconstitutional?

By now, you’ve heard plenty about Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow and his public displays of faith. Maybe it’s not a big deal to you and you turn up your intellectual nose at professional sports, but this guy, for all intents and purposes, is preaching to tens of millions of Americans every week, whether they like it or not.

 

[Meow Mix]

I think the military has ZERO business engaging in any religious activity while on duty whatsoever for publicity alone. (I'm not counting reciting a prayer during combat or something like that -- I'm just talking about making religious gestures like "Tebowing" for the explicit purpose of having photos taken of them, etc.) That goes for taking pictures of "atheists in foxholes," too.

Military people have every right to express their belief in their free time and even to comment that it plays into their military ethics, but they shouldn't do so while in uniform for publicity purposes. That's just wildly inappropriate.

 

[blackout]

It certainly works as publicity.
(the mere fact that I know his name at all, proves it)

If the guy ever deconverts,
well, I'll feel bad for him.
All that recorded coverage
is gunna make him feel mortified and silly.

I doubt he'll be able to watch any of it
unless he turns it into a publicity asset in his own mind.

 

[Heathen Hammer]

Mmmmmyeah, I find such displays for successful effort in things like sports and entertainment [winning music awards etc] the height [or depth] of distasteful and clumsy.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I was responding to the OP "Is it immoral for athletes to use the field as a pulpit?" I'd say it is moral due to my position on free speech

So any speech (with potentially the normal exceptions for things like defamation and shouting "fire" in a crowd) is necessarily moral? Really?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I think the military has ZERO business engaging in any religious activity while on duty whatsoever for publicity alone. (I'm not counting reciting a prayer during combat or something like that -- I'm just talking about making religious gestures like "Tebowing" for the explicit purpose of having photos taken of them, etc.) That goes for taking pictures of "atheists in foxholes," too.

Military people have every right to express their belief in their free time and even to comment that it plays into their military ethics, but they shouldn't do so while in uniform for publicity purposes. That's just wildly inappropriate.

Except that in a lot of situations, they're in uniform in their free time. If you tell a soldier that he can't express religious views while he's in uniform, then you're telling him that he has no free speech while on base and off duty, which could be all his free time for weeks or months while he's "in theatre". Even stateside, if he lives on base, you're effectively telling him that he doesn't have free speech in his own home.

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

Not immoral but IMO it is of course a very lame means of sexing evangelism up.

 

[McBell]

I think the military has ZERO business engaging in any religious activity while on duty whatsoever for publicity alone. (I'm not counting reciting a prayer during combat or something like that -- I'm just talking about making religious gestures like "Tebowing" for the explicit purpose of having photos taken of them, etc.) That goes for taking pictures of "atheists in foxholes," too.

Military people have every right to express their belief in their free time and even to comment that it plays into their military ethics, but they shouldn't do so while in uniform for publicity purposes. That's just wildly inappropriate.

I agree.
However, I do make an exception if he is flat out asked " what to do to be like him"
and Tebow answers "follow Jesus and pray daily".
This is not preaching.
It is merely answering a question.

 

[McBell]

Except that in a lot of situations, they're in uniform in their free time. If you tell a soldier that he can't express religious views while he's in uniform, then you're telling him that he has no free speech while on base and off duty, which could be all his free time for weeks or months while he's "in theatre". Even stateside, if he lives on base, you're effectively telling him that he doesn't have free speech in his own home.

I call bull ****.
When in uniform the soldier is an in view representative of the government.
Thus the "on duty" rules and regulations apply.

It isn't like they had no choice in signing up.

 

[Dirty Penguin]

Of course it is.
Whenever one is spreading the word of their god, there are no rules, limits, etc.
They are free to lie, cheat, slander, whatever as long as it is in the name of their god.

For innumerable examples, please see any creation vs evolution thread.


Hell no.
Cannot allow any heathen blasphemers to say anything that might hurt the fragile feelings of their god.

:clap