Tebow Time

Comes now the new football player, Tim Tebow; and a splendid warrior is he. Much has been said about his physical attributes, and about whether he is suited to play his current position, quarterback, or would he be a better fit somewhere else on the team (tight end has been mentioned)? However, regardless of where he plays, he is a fierce presence in the game he has chosen. Or, perhaps Mr. Tebow would say the game was chosen for him…

Whatever.

Lately, much more has been made about his sideline attitude, in which he kneels and places himself in a position of supplication to the Lord. Many have made this a focal point of discussions about him, and it has become a national fad, primarily among young people, to imitate him through a phenomenon now known as “Tebowing”, wherein one kneels and presumable prays wherever they might be at the time; public or private.

This phenomenon leads one, myself included, to have several thoughts about the matter. In the Bible, in Matthew 6.6; it says that you should pray “in private”, or “in secret”, depending on which version of the Bible you are reading. Bear in mind, of course, that biblical verses are subject to many translations; verses written in one place are often contradicted in another place. Suffice to say, you can use the Bible to back up most any assertations you might make; in the same way that statistics are used. I prefer a literal translation; but hey, that’s just me, you do what you want.

That Mr. Tebow uses the sidelines of a playing field in a very public setting doesn’t bother me so much anyway. What does bother me is wondering about the context of his prayers. Is he praying for peace, or for help for the needy, or for an end to the jealousies of mankind? Or, is he praying for excellence on the football field, or for victory, or for the admiration of his peers? If, in fact, he is praying for the latter three, my friends, then he is a hypocrite and not worthy of emulation.

Football, after all, is just a game; a carry-over from our childhood days; we just wear bigger pants now. Not only is it just a game, it is a game based on the precepts of war, if you will. In short, it is hardly a reflection of true Christian values. If you are looking to find God on the football field, you are looking in the wrong place.

It would be wrong of me to assume what his prayers are about; however, given the setting of his poses and prayers, I have to wonder. But, that is a question only Mr. Tebow can answer, and we can only hope for the best. Ultimately, he alone will have to pay the price for the content of his heart…

The Book Burning

Comes now a self-ordained minister from out of the South; his name is Jerry/James/Pat/David/Jimmy/Al/, whatever; just pick one, it doesn’t make any difference. He proposes to burn a book; the name of the book doesn’t matter, it is just a book.
Of more import are his reasons for burning the book. He does so to claim his fifteen minutes of fame supposedly given to us all, perhaps thinking that his fame will last longer than that, and that he would become a leader to everyone.

He does so under the guise of catchwords such as patriotism, and christianism, and human rights. He does so without mention of hatred, and prejudice.

He would have us pull oars on the good ship Ignorance, piloted by him and at his whim. The oars have names; fear, loathing, arrogance, stupidity, greed, et al.

Does he have the right to burn a book if he wishes? Of course, he does, the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression is paramount of all the rights we enjoy. The question is not that he has the right, rather, it is, is he right to do so?

In my opinion, he is wrong, his methods are wrong, and he attempts to make fools of us all through his actions. The burning of books has been quite the rage at various times in the history of humankind; in no instance has it ever served the people well.

He acts out of fear, not out of righteousness; what he does not understand he would separate himself from it by burning the offending object, instead of trying to understand it.

He is arrogant; he would have us accept his words without reading the words of others.

He has forgotten that humankind should exist together, not apart.

He is stridently militaristic, for if he burns this book, might your book not be the next?

He is supposedly a man of God, but he rides on the Devil’s ship of false prophets; ambiguously leading us into self-destruction.

All of this he does for a few headlines on a news page. I feel sorrow for him, and even more so for the flock he attends; do not become one of them.

The burning of a book, any book, represents a step backward in our history. Hold your books, and the books of all others, dear to you. They represent a literary trail of the passage of time in our little universe; to destroy them is to destroy ourselves, whether we believe what is written on their pages, or not.