Posted on 08/18/2007 1:28:34 AM PDT by shrinkermd
On Sunday, Christian baseball fans will stream into Dodger Stadium for what is becoming more common fare at professional ballparks across the country -- "faith day."
Following the Dodgers vs. Rockies game, fans with special tickets will gather in a corner of the parking lot for a concert by the Christian rock band Hawk Nelson, an appearance by characters from the "Veggie Tales" Christian television program and testimonials by several devout Dodgers. The purpose, according to event organizer Brent High, is to promote the Gospel of Jesus.
...Critics of the Christianizing of pro sports -- including interfaith groups, Jewish leaders and secular progressives -- have voiced reservations about the seemingly ever-closer relationship between evangelical sports ministries and major professional sports teams. Frequent on-field religious gestures by players already rankle many -- does it really honor God to knock the snot of your opponent on the football field and then point to the sky? And shout-outs to God during live post-game interviews offend those fans who would prefer to enjoy their sports without a dose of in-your-face religion.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
If it sold tickets I could careless.
Hell they seriously have knitting day at the ball park here.
Ultimately that’s what a baseball team wants to do, Put butts in the seats.
Who cares who they cater to on a home game? Now if it was Suicide Bomber Memorial Day at the park, that would be a different ball game.
How did I get all huffy? Forget it, I'm not interested.
So baseball rallies or whatever are religious occassions? Guess I missed that part at mass...
It is not stuff at a non-religious occasion whatsoever... it is a special occasion that is totally seperate after a sports event.
OK. And...?
Your the one that need to calm down.
Why? Have I been uncivil?
Yelling is a post that is completely in caps.. Emphasising is using the upper case to make a point on a select word or phrase.
Which you kept doing. Funny how you went from several times in one post to zero in this one, if it was merely emphasis and not yelling.
God forbid one be allowed to attend a special event after the game to worship freely. Others might think they are parading... Jesus should of only preached on the Sabbath and hid the rest of the week.
When did I say one not be allowed to attend any special event? When did I say one should be prevented from worshipping freely?
Answer: I didn't, but you have to imply I did to maintain your persecution pose.
I merely asked why people felt the need to parade their religion in non-religious situations. You can pretend I was attacking religion, if it makes you feel good to play the victim role, but I didn't do that.
You can just not answer my questions. No need to act all persecuted.
I only care to the extent that I'm curious about why people do this, that's all.
Now if it was Suicide Bomber Memorial Day at the park, that would be a different ball game.
Sure would bring new meaning to "sacrifice fly."
"They've got a man on second--OH, he just blowed up and took out the infield!"
Judges who fail to understand their jobs and jobs limitations are so numerous it hurts.
Yes, I'm aware of what I'm setting myself up for here.
You knew exactly what you were doing. You fully steamed head first into this... and yes you are attacking Christians.
“Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy, to not do any work” incl. spending money so others can work on the Lord’s Day.”
Paul discussed this in the New Testament and said that keeping the Sabbath was not a requirement because we are not under the Law anymore, so that is not required to ‘live what one believes’.
I will have to reply tommorrow... it is way past bedtime.
Uh, yeah, that's why I wrote "Yes, I'm aware of what I'm setting myself up for here." Which you quoted. (?)
and yes you are attacking Christians.
LOL! Quote where I attacked Christians!
Go ahead--show the words I used to attack Christians, or apologize. Which you don't have the grace to do, I'm sure.
Well-named. Down a couple of quarts, I'd say.
At work we had a similar mental excercise a few years back during the World Cup.
I envisioned an Israel/Palestinean game where the Palestineans sent in a suicde bomber to take out the Israeli goalie to win the game.
As to your question of why people do it? Many faiths require/encourage public expressions of Faith. I always thought Christianity is one of those. The idea of Fellowship is strewn throughout everything I ever learned.
Think like those Falon Gong people, they could be all underground in China, but thier religion REQUIRES them to be open and practice thier faith in Public. Even if that means you are persecuted and killed.
Amen.
*Dons asbestos suit.*
When religion and the secular meet, religion almost always suffers.
Thanks for the info.
I know plenty of people who show their faith by publicly doing good works and publicly advocating prayer while they do it, publicly acknowledging their faith, etc. I know people who are openly and vocally Christian who work at a homeless shelter near me; someone I am very close to works at a hospice and is similarly very vocal about her religious motivation. THAT is what I consider being open and practicing their faith in public. THIS sort of thing nowhere in that ballpark, so to speak.
Could you expand on that? Thanks.
I wasn’t talking about you are driven to go to a ball game because you are a christian.
Area churches think going to a ballgame with your church group will build bonds (not barroid) within the group. If anything is the goal it’s that.
Oh and the Rockies, like any club, love group sales
Well, you have professional sports who say, “Hey, we’re selling tickets! Great!” And then you have the religious who say, “We’re bringing our message to a boatload of people! Great!”
A couple of things happen down the line:
A)The religious groups begin making demands that prove less than beneficial to the bottomline and the sports guys drop them like a bad habit.
B)The religious folks keep pandering via pop culture to what they perceive as an increasingly wider audience and in the process somehow forget the original message.
Just my opinion, but linking a “for profit” organizations with religion doesn’t seem a great strategy.
I understood your point. I understand why the club would want to do this. My interest, though, is in those who want to attend this thing as some kind of demonstration of their faith.
Just my opinion, but linking a “for profit” organizations with religion doesn’t seem a great strategy.
It cheapens the religious faith to allow oneself to be used in this way, IMHO.
How utterly convenient for you--I call you out to prove your accusation of Christian-bashing, and suddenly it's bedtime.
Right now there appears to be synergy. But the ultimate goals (pun intended) of professional sports teams are not the ultimate goals of those with faith.
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