THANK GOD???

Does God have a place in Athletics?

How many times have you heard... First of all I would like to thank god for...

I'm sorry but I hate to hear this stuff, I myself am a Christian, but I am also intelligent enough that it always bothers me when people use their success as a platform to thank the lord. Thanking God should be something private and personal, not a show in front of an audience.

Recently Tony Dungy exclaimed on national television that he was very proud of his team and the way they had won the Super Bowl because they had done it the "Christian Way". I'm sorry Mr. Dungy, but do you not have any Jewish or Muslims or any players of other religions on your team?

I wonder if any of them were offended?

Were you not offended?

Likely you were not offended if you are Christian, but what if you believe in a different God, or no God at all what then?

If you are a Christian, would you be offended if Mr. Dungy was a Muslim and proclaimed "We did it the Muslim way."

What if Tony Dungy were a Hindu and proclaimed "we did it the Hindu way".

Worst of all, what if Tony Dungy was an atheist and proclaimed "Not only did we do it without any help from god, but we did it in spite of the other teams faith in god."

Would there be outrage then?

DAMN right there would be, how dare he! LOL!!!

So because Jews, Muslims and even Atheist are the minority in this country we should not respect their beliefs? Thank God !!! Yeah what about this, Say Indianapolis had lost; the Reporter comes to the losing teams locker room and Tony Dungy replies "Well we would really like to Blame god for this loss, we prayed and prayed and he let us down. We tried to do it the Christian way, but we came up short. I am very surprised at the outcome because the other coach is a Muslim, we don't really understand how this could happen."

What I am trying to say is that we should leave religion out of sports, thank god in your own personal way, lest you offend people with a different belief. Not to mention that god is not validated by your thanks seeing as how he imposes his will as he sees fit regardless of your gratitude or lack there of. I am as thankful to God every day of my life as anyone who believes in God could be; my children are healthy and so am I, my personal life is fulfilling, and my family is secure. Yet I don't go around proclaiming it, just like I don't blame God when things take a turn for the worse. We should be more sensitive to others and realize that what we believe and the conviction we have may not be shared by them. Furthermore, our conviction can be hurtful and insensitive when we impose it as if it were fact, much the way Mr. Dungy did. Religion can be and often is a unifying force, but the abuse and proclamation of your faith can also serve to polarize and inflame tensions that have no business arising otherwise. If every man were his own church, Temple and Mosque, we would not have to worry about our religious differences, but because many feel the need to openly proclaim that their way is the correct way and there is no other, we make war on each other all in the name of God. I'm sure if you are truly appreciative of the blessings God has bestowed on you, he is quite aware of it, and he does not need you to verify it in front of millions of people or even one person. So next time you are going to thank god publicly, please keep it to your self or at least between the people who believe as you do, and might not be hurt by your Proclamation.

Spidey