"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ"

~Philippians 1:6


Thursday, December 1, 2011

My Soapbox Is Out Of The Closet!

You all probably know how passionate I am about the things I believe in. If you've met me then you really know. When it comes to the things I love I roar like a lion. I can't help it, it just spills out. I recently read an article that upset me. A sports columnist razzed Tim Tebow for talking about God. Not only did this upset me as a Christian, it upset me as a US citizen. There are certain rights we enjoy in this country, rights that are guaranteed to us by the Constitution. Coming down on somebody for exercising those rights is wrong and that's why I wrote the letter. Here is the letter I sent in to my local paper, they printed it today. I'm very glad they did.


Letter: Sports columnist misses Tebow’s right to free speech

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I am writing this letter in response to the article written by Bill Foley on Nov. 22, the second part of the article titled “Tebow Factor.” I was angered and offended by many of his statements regarding Tebow. 
What I’m angered and offended by are Foley’s statements regarding Tim Tebow’s postgame interview on Nov. 18 after the Jets game. In the interview Tebow talked about God. From what I’ve seen Tebow is a pretty upstanding guy. I’m offended as a Christian and as a U.S. citizen by Foley’s attack on Tebow’s postgame interview.
This letter, however, is coming from me as a U.S. citizen who enjoys the rights and freedoms guaranteed to me. The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” These magnificent words are what guarantee Bill Foley can write out his thoughts and opinions each week. For him to attack Tebow for exercising his rights is deplorable. 
How is Tebow talking about his Lord and Savior any different than Foley writing his numerous opinions on many different subjects, or an actor broadcasting their political affiliations? I’m curious about something though, if Tebow was Muslim and had praised Allah would Foley have been so critical and quick to judge him? I think the answer to that question is no. 
Another statement from the article I want to address is this “with all the famine, violence, death, genocide, and war going on in the world, why would his Lord and Savior take such an interest in the Jets-Broncos game?” (para. 10).  Nobody is saying the game-winning drive against the Jets was divine intervention. Tebow is expressing himself. I don’t think God is interested in the football game, but I can guarantee you He is interested in the people playing the game. 
One of the many great things about this country is our freedom to choose what we believe and expressing that belief through our freedom of speech.  Nobody is asking or forcing Foley to acknowledge or believe in God, what I am asking is that he respects the right to exercise our rights.


Read more: http://mtstandard.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letter-sports-columnist-misses-tebow-s-right-to-free-speech/article_d2053c90-1bda-11e1-8421-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1fIf1fa8y

1 comment:

  1. Amen! We talked about this a little bit at youth group. It frustrates me to hear people picking at Tebow all the time for his beliefs. He's kind, a great athlete, un-cocky, and very respectful. Why does the media try so hard to tear him down? He's a great guy and I admire his courage to share his faith.
    Great job on writing a thoughtful, respectful letter. I thought you had some great points!

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