Is It Wrong to Be Faithful/Religious in Public?

[ChristineES]

This Tebow talk has got me thinking. Do people think it is wrong for people to be religious/faithful in public. I am a Christians whether I am asleep in bed or walking down the street or grocery shopping. I wear a cross around my neck but that is my only public acknowledgment of my faith- I am a very shy person and I don't talk in public.
But if stating your own faith is wrong, then why isn't it wrong to like a rock group/sports team/celebrity/etc in public? My daughter loves Justin Bieber and doesn't hesitate to say so, even in public. My husband is a Steelers fan, and he wants to put a Steelers stickers on his car.
I am not talking about praying very loudly on a street corner, or in a bar, etc where is can be out of place or distracting. But if someone kneels down and prays silently or very softly, even in public, and that person is not in anyone's way or is not infringing on anyone's rights, why is it wrong? If I suddenly decided I needed to pray in a public library, out of the way in a corner or something, then why would that be a problem? If a man prays when he does well at a football game, why would that bother anyone?
I am not ashamed to be a Christian. If I were a Muslim or a Hindu, I wouldn't be ashamed of that either.

What are some of your thoughts on this?

 

[Engyo]

I think this raises several questions at once.

1) Are expressions of faith acceptable in public? If they are, then ANYONE's expression of faith must also be acceptable in public. Muslim players must also be allowed to spread a prayer shawl, face Mecca and pray on the playing field. A Buddhist player (Arian Foster of the Texans) already bows to the crowd in gassho after a TD. Wiccans, Mormons, Satanists, Pentacostals, Rastafarians, Pastafarians, and so on and so forth. Would all of these be acceptable to everyone on public sports fields and national TV? And then what happens when this trend filters down onto high school and middle school ballfields and Little League tournaments?

2) The difference between freedom OF religion and freedom FROM religion: Some folks don't believe that any public display of religious faith is appropriate in a secular venue (such as a sports field). Others are supportive as long as it is their religion or sect on display, but won't tolerate other religions or sects (see above). Should one's religious beliefs be kept private or shared with others (whether those others want to know or not)?

3) Do all of Tim Tebow's teammates share his conviction that God is supporting the team? His words and actions sometimes suggest he is speaking/acting for the team as a whole; this may also be exacerbated by his position as quarterback - it might not have the same effect from a defensive back or similar position.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I generally find it a bit creepy and an obvious affectation, but it certainly shouldn't be disallowed because of that.

 

[Skwim]

It's always struck me as a sign of insecurity.

 

[Quintessence]

It's always struck me as a sign of insecurity.

For some folks, perhaps, yet following the analogy above about people vocalizing their love of a particular rock band, in some fashion statements like this are absurd. >_<

People want to share with others the things they love, often for the purposes of forming bonds and social relationships. Sometimes, I think it is as simple as that.

 

[The Peacekeeper]

Well... from what I know, it's said in the Bible that people should not pray just for other people to see it. I suppose silent prayers work very well and by that you won't get weird looks or anything...

For me it would be unusual to see someone praying in a public place, if it's not a church or any other site that is religion related... It wouldn't be an offense or an insult to see someone do that, just unusual...

From what I know, muslims do that sometimes because they must do it 5 times a day and they are not always close to a mosque or home. But as I know this, that thing would not seem unusual to me.

 

[ChristineES]

There are times when I see an ambulance or something with a wailing siren, that I say a quick prayer to whomever may be sick or hurt- not that anyone would know I was praying. I don't fall on my knees or anything, just bow my head slightly. No one has ever stared or made any comments about this sort of thing, so I doubt they noticed and didn't care if they did notice.

 

[connermt]

This Tebow talk has got me thinking. Do people think it is wrong for people to be religious/faithful in public. I am a Christians whether I am asleep in bed or walking down the street or grocery shopping. I wear a cross around my neck but that is my only public acknowledgment of my faith- I am a very shy person and I don't talk in public.
But if stating your own faith is wrong, then why isn't it wrong to like a rock group/sports team/celebrity/etc in public? My daughter loves Justin Bieber and doesn't hesitate to say so, even in public. My husband is a Steelers fan, and he wants to put a Steelers stickers on his car.
I am not talking about praying very loudly on a street corner, or in a bar, etc where is can be out of place or distracting. But if someone kneels down and prays silently or very softly, even in public, and that person is not in anyone's way or is not infringing on anyone's rights, why is it wrong? If I suddenly decided I needed to pray in a public library, out of the way in a corner or something, then why would that be a problem? If a man prays when he does well at a football game, why would that bother anyone?
I am not ashamed to be a Christian. If I were a Muslim or a Hindu, I wouldn't be ashamed of that either.

What are some of your thoughts on this?

In America, it's generally OK to be religious in public. Of course there are rules, but overall it's OK.
As a former christian, I'm OK with someone being religious (christian, jewish, muslim, etc) in public so long as it's not forced on me (meaning I can look/go away from it) and not sanctioned by the gov't.

 

[Quintessence]

I'm not sure I agree with the statement "In America, it's generally okay to be religious in public." Replace "religious" with "Christian," however, and I would agree. Though I suppose it depends somewhat on which area of the country you live in...

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

This Tebow talk has got me thinking. Do people think it is wrong for people to be religious/faithful in public. I am a Christians whether I am asleep in bed or walking down the street or grocery shopping. I wear a cross around my neck but that is my only public acknowledgment of my faith- I am a very shy person and I don't talk in public.
But if stating your own faith is wrong, then why isn't it wrong to like a rock group/sports team/celebrity/etc in public? My daughter loves Justin Bieber and doesn't hesitate to say so, even in public. My husband is a Steelers fan, and he wants to put a Steelers stickers on his car.
I am not talking about praying very loudly on a street corner, or in a bar, etc where is can be out of place or distracting. But if someone kneels down and prays silently or very softly, even in public, and that person is not in anyone's way or is not infringing on anyone's rights, why is it wrong? If I suddenly decided I needed to pray in a public library, out of the way in a corner or something, then why would that be a problem? If a man prays when he does well at a football game, why would that bother anyone?
I am not ashamed to be a Christian. If I were a Muslim or a Hindu, I wouldn't be ashamed of that either.

What are some of your thoughts on this?

I think that if it's okay for you to announce your opinion of your religion to everyone, it should be okay for me to announce my opinion of your religion to everyone, too.

IMO, when religious people bring their religion into the sphere of public comment, then they have declared that it's fair game for others to comment on, too.

There are times when I see an ambulance or something with a wailing siren, that I say a quick prayer to whomever may be sick or hurt- not that anyone would know I was praying. I don't fall on my knees or anything, just bow my head slightly. No one has ever stared or made any comments about this sort of thing, so I doubt they noticed and didn't care if they did notice.

I've ridden with race car drivers who cross themselves before the start. It freaks me right out. My first reaction is something like "if you don't think that your skills, experience, and car prep are enough to keep us safe, do I really want to be in this car?" :cover:

 

[Thief]

I'm not sure where I heard this....but the idea became my belief...

Deny heaven before your fellowman....
And the angels will deny you in heaven.

 

[Bob Dixon]

Hmm... let's see what the Jee-man thinks.

Matthew 6:5-6

5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Interesting...

 

[Agnostic75]

This Tebow talk has got me thinking. Do people think it is wrong for people to be religious/faithful in public. I am a Christians whether I am asleep in bed or walking down the street or grocery shopping. I wear a cross around my neck but that is my only public acknowledgment of my faith- I am a very shy person and I don't talk in public.

But if stating your own faith is wrong, then why isn't it wrong to like a rock group/sports team/celebrity/etc in public? My daughter loves Justin Bieber and doesn't hesitate to say so, even in public. My husband is a Steelers fan, and he wants to put a Steelers stickers on his car.

I am not talking about praying very loudly on a street corner, or in a bar, etc where is can be out of place or distracting. But if someone kneels down and prays silently or very softly, even in public, and that person is not in anyone's way or is not infringing on anyone's rights, why is it wrong? If I suddenly decided I needed to pray in a public library, out of the way in a corner or something, then why would that be a problem? If a man prays when he does well at a football game, why would that bother anyone?

I am not ashamed to be a Christian. If I was a Hindu, I wouldn't be ashamed of that either.

What are some of your thoughts on this?

If Tim Tebow was an atheist instead of a Christian, and widely promoted atheism in public, how would Christians treat him, and talk about him? Would some Christians say "Oh no, there he goes again using his fame in football to promote atheism."?

 

[Thief]

Hmm... let's see what the Jee-man thinks.

Matthew 6:5-6

5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Interesting...

Nice counter point!...well done!

But of course there are moments when we are caught in the light....
and some kind of speech or action is needful.

If someone then would ask you ...'why?'.....would you say....'God.'

 

[ChristineES]

I think that if it's okay for you to announce your opinion of your religion to everyone, it should be okay for me to announce my opinion of your religion to everyone, too.

IMO, when religious people bring their religion into the sphere of public comment, then they have declared that it's fair game for others to comment on, too.


I've ridden with race car drivers who cross themselves before the start. It freaks me right out. My first reaction is something like "if you don't think that your skills, experience, and car prep are enough to keep us safe, do I really want to be in this car?" :cover:

I don't go around and announce my religion to everyone, I don't know how you got the idea that is what I was saying. I don't hide it,either, if someone were to come up and ask me (I don't know why anyone would do that, but you never know)I wouldn't lie. I am just saying that if I want to say a quick prayer in silence and it doesn't effect anyone, I should be able to- no one would even know I was praying, anyway. If you want to go up to every person you meet and say "I am an atheist", then by all means, do it. Just remember that I never said I would go up to complete strangers and say "I am a theist". Why would it bother you if a driver prays before he drives? Is he/she forcing you to pray with them or something?

 

[ChristineES]

If Tim Tebow was an atheist instead of a Christian, and widely promoted atheism in public, how would Christians treat him, and talk about him? Would some Christians say "Oh no, there he goes again using his fame in football to promote atheism."?

Give me a break. I've seen him pray- he does it silently, although his bowing is public. How does that effect you in any way? Why would he bow if he were an atheist? Why does someone praying SILENTLY in public bother you? People wave at friends, talk on the phone, and even talk to themselves and so on, in public, so why can't they talk to God? And if he were an atheist and said to himself "I don't believe in God" every time he made a touchdown, I don't think I'd even notice.

 

[Me Myself]

I am not sure the motication from this thread.

Have I missed something? I mean why would it be wrong?

 

[ChristineES]

I am not sure the motivation from this thread.

Have I missed something? I mean why would it be wrong?

A football player(quarterback, Tim Tebow), from the Denver Broncos, bows down and and puts his hand on his forehead to pray whenever he makes a good play in a football game. Christians like him, but a few people criticize him for it. It's a little ostentacious, but it doesn't bother me. I am not a football fan, so I've actually only seen him do it once (yesterday). What I saw was a silent prayer on his knees and nothing more, so I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

 

[Me Myself]

A football player(quarterback, Tim Tebow), from the Denver Broncos, bows down and and puts his hand on his forehead to pray whenever he makes a good play in a football game. Christians like him, but a few people criticize him for it. It's a little ostentacious, but it doesn't bother me. I am not a football fan, so I've actually only seen him do it once (yesterday). What I saw was a silent prayer on his knees and nothing more, so I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

bah, they are being pathetic I say.

If it gives him confidence or if he feels to be appreciative in that moment, why would he not express it?

 

[Kerr]

This Tebow talk has got me thinking. Do people think it is wrong for people to be religious/faithful in public. I am a Christians whether I am asleep in bed or walking down the street or grocery shopping. I wear a cross around my neck but that is my only public acknowledgment of my faith- I am a very shy person and I don't talk in public.
But if stating your own faith is wrong, then why isn't it wrong to like a rock group/sports team/celebrity/etc in public? My daughter loves Justin Bieber and doesn't hesitate to say so, even in public. My husband is a Steelers fan, and he wants to put a Steelers stickers on his car.
I am not talking about praying very loudly on a street corner, or in a bar, etc where is can be out of place or distracting. But if someone kneels down and prays silently or very softly, even in public, and that person is not in anyone's way or is not infringing on anyone's rights, why is it wrong? If I suddenly decided I needed to pray in a public library, out of the way in a corner or something, then why would that be a problem? If a man prays when he does well at a football game, why would that bother anyone?
I am not ashamed to be a Christian. If I were a Muslim or a Hindu, I wouldn't be ashamed of that either.

What are some of your thoughts on this?

I dont think its wrong. Dont even think its wrong to pray out loud in public .