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 ...
Quote below...
"But whatever happened to praying behind closed doors, and not wearing your religion on your sleeve"
This is a no brainer... you attacked Christians that dared show their faith outside of their home...
Nothing happened, Christians founded America so they could show their faith whenever and where ever they felt like it. Thomas Jefferson hired a band to play during a revival held in a public building once... Did he give a hoot if it offended you? The founder Benjamin Rush proudly proclaimed in congress --"I am neither... I'm a Christocrat" -- Show me exactly Biblically that a Christian is not to gather with other Christians? Did the revival meetings at the rivers to Baptize member occur in the dark or out in public as a testimony to all.
Basically you have made a veiled attempt to critise Christians that show themselves in public as they are without hiding their faith. You bushed off the FACT that this event was after the game and required special tickets (thus was not even within the context of the sports event).. and you have yet proven that to me or anyone else that Christians are to hide their true nature to others in public. What exactly gave you this impression?
Can you keep you comments civil please, thanks.
Thomas Jefferson also edited the King James Bible — removing all the miracles (the guy couldn’t stop tinkering!). Does that offend you?
Knocked THAT one outta the park! :)
No, I didn't. What a pathetic attempt to smear someone who dared ask WHY people chose to do this.
The rest of your post is completely meaningless spin trying to couch my question as an attack.
You have a lot of nerve asking me to be civil after such a loathsome lie.
Did he remember to take this one out too...
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
He must of done that during one if his French visits. LOL..
I didn’t read anything in there that said people are going there as demonstrations of faith. It’s not like they are replacing Mass with America’s Pastime.
When I was a kid we always went to Scout night at the Ball park.
Some of it was reinforcement as a group, but mostly it was cheap tickets and you more knew the environment you were taking your family to. Some of these people are crazy about the whole environment thing (both ways.) The author (I bet) hates seeing God mentioned anywhere especially to an audience. Hence the disgust for Dungee and all of this.
These people wouldn’t want to sit around me and my friends at a game. So they generally don’t go except maybe on faith night when I’m more likely to be at the pub cursing up a storm.
Careful--you'll be called a Christian basher.
Thanks for your observations. Too bad there's always a smear-merchant like LowIntelligence--uh, LowOil who has to play martyr when people try to open up an interesting discussion.
Handicap pitcher... thanks
You can google “Jefferson Bible” and several sites have the complete text.
You mean incomplete..
I never thought of that, or suggested it, so you've no argument with me there.
When I was a kid we always went to Scout night at the Ball park.
I'm not saying one can't have any kind of night one wants--religious or otherwise. I'm coming at this solely from the point of view of the faithful person and his or her motivation for this.
Some of it was reinforcement as a group, but mostly it was cheap tickets and you more knew the environment you were taking your family to. Some of these people are crazy about the whole environment thing (both ways.) The author (I bet) hates seeing God mentioned anywhere especially to an audience. Hence the disgust for Dungee and all of this.
What's really interesting is how the authors of these articles try to couch this as a disease spreading through the culture, infecting it in some way. If this were Muslim night, on the other hand, it would be an example of the American melting pot.
These people wouldn’t want to sit around me and my friends at a game. So they generally don’t go except maybe on faith night when I’m more likely to be at the pub cursing up a storm.
Thanks for your comments. Unlike a rather odd poster on this thread, you've actually made me understand why someone would want to go to this kind of event. Intelligence is always more convincing than persecution complexes combined with hysteria. ;)
I’m not a Christian basher, but you see this stuff happen time and again. Religious folks try to adapt to an inherently secular organization or event and end up getting burned.
Religion, faith, belief, etc. is a deeply personal deal. Pop culture, business, etc. are amoral (not immoral), but amoral the way a machine is amoral.
Jefferson was a guy steeped in Plutarch, et al and was fascinated by the ideal of personal morality, character and government etc. So, his adaption of the Bible as a moral document/road map sans the supernatural would have been intriguing to him.
You better go back and re-read. At no time did Paul say to ignore the Law. He had great reverence for it. Paul stated the purpose of the Law was to point out sin. It is merely a standard. Obeying the Law does not save us. Only grace does that. Our feeble efforts to obey the Law come short but through the sacrifice of Jesus we are made acceptable. We are still not to murder, commit adultery blaspheme God or break the Sabbath.
Wow. One of the most intelligent, concise posts I've ever read on FR.
On the other hand, Christianity is constantly mocked in the popular (Hollywood) culture. Often those who claim to be offended by Christianity are hypocrites and bigots. If they see someone express a Christian sentiment at a public event, they claim to be offended. On the other hand, if someone profanes Christian symbols in a public forum (such as an "artist" putting a Crucifix in urine) these same people who were offended at the Christian are delighted when a Christian symbol is profaned. There are those on the "progressive" left who hate Christianity. They claim it is "intolerant" for someone to express Christianity on the one hand but on the other hand it is "tolerant" for someone to mock Christianity.
The author of this story is Christian and faith bashing, You haven't. perhaps thats why people are getting worked up about..Asking questions to people pissed off about something religious usually isn't destined for success
Thanks for your comments. Unlike a rather odd poster on this thread, you've actually made me understand why someone would want to go to this kind of event. Intelligence is always more convincing than persecution complexes combined with hysteria. ;)
Thanks bro, just bored as hell at work. 1 more hr to go!
I’m here all week. Be sure to tip your waitress and try the veal!
The thing you've touched on is that the demonstrations of faith in secular situations seem to scare people who seem to have a hidden agenda, perhaps based on their own rejection of Christianity.
Christianity is constantly mocked in the popular (Hollywood) culture. Often those who claim to be offended by Christianity are hypocrites and bigots. If they see someone express a Christian sentiment at a public event, they claim to be offended.
It's kind of amusing to see how, pre-9/11, "right-wing Christians" were routinely bashed in the media--I'm thinking of everything from TV shows to Phil DOnahue. Since 9/11 we've seen how ridiculous that bashing is, but those who really get a kick out of it can't just stop...yet, they can't allow themselves to criticize Islam--anti-woman, anti-gay, terrorism-sponsoring--so now they bash "ALL intolerant, fundamentalist religions." But we know who they really mean.
Intellectually, they know Christianity can't hold a candle to the evils of Islam, but that would be aligning themselves with Bush and those eeeeevil Christians. Emotionally, they hate Christianity as they could never, ever hate Islam. But they can't express that, for then they'd lose a huge portion of their audience.
There are those on the "progressive" left who hate Christianity. They claim it is "intolerant" for someone to express Christianity on the one hand but on the other hand it is "tolerant" for someone to mock Christianity.
As writer Dan Simmons wrote (and I'm pretty sure he's not Christian), when does the statute of limitations run out on blaming the Catholic Church for the Crusades and the Inquisition?
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