OK. I know this post is going to piss some people off. I'm broaching one of those subjects you're not supposed to discuss in polite company and anything that is the least bit critical of someone who professes their Christianity ad nauseum is looked down upon by the rabidly devotional, so I'm telling you up front, you might not like this post. But that's never stopped me before.
First off, let me say I actually am glad that Tim Tebow is seeing success in his NFL career. I always thought he was a very talented quarterback -- he's the only person in college football history to win the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, for instance. I like the fact that he is a throwback type of quarterback, one who isn't afraid to run with the ball and take a hit once in a while. He's an actual "back" rather than a snap taker like so many of the wimpy prima donna quarterbacks we've seen over the years. He may not be the most graceful or the most talented athlete, but he has grit and determination and I like that. I also like the fact that he is succeeding when all the "experts" said he would never be able to play at the professional level.
So, what is it that bugs me about Tim Tebow?
You know, it isn't even that he is so expressive about his religion. His over the top reaction to a good play, what has become known as Tebowing, kneeling in prayer with his fist planted against his head, his eyes squinting to show he's praying really, really hard doesn't really bother me. Whatever. To each his own. Not my style, but if this is his way of expressing himself, so be it.
I think what it is that bugs me so much is the kind of cultish following that his on-field antics (and let's face it, they're antics no different than the Icky Shuffle or jumping into the stands in Green Bay) have received by the more fanatical religious groups in this country. Some fans have taken to wearing Tebow jerseys that have "Jesus" on the back instead of "Tebow." His wins are called "miracles." Religious fanatics have credited his wins on divine intervention. Even last week, just before Tebow embarked on one of the greatest playoff performances of any quarterback in NFL history, there were reports that a "halo" mysteriously appeared over Denver's Mile High Stadium as if God were giving His divine blessing on the Broncos leading them to their win.
Folks, let's get a grip.
Tim Tebow is not Jesus. His wins are not miracles or the result of some higher being intervening on behalf of the Broncos. God, however you see him (or don't see him as the case may be) doesn't care who wins a football game. There are simply bigger issues in the universe to deal with. His win on Sunday had a lot more to do with the Broncos offensive execution and the failed defensive game plan of the Pittsburgh Steelers than it had to do with which team had more faith.
The fanatical attention that has been brought to Tebow reminds me of what I consider the worst kind of religious discourse. That of religious supremacy. Whatever religion you belong to, I am always turned off by those who use religion as a means to both see themselves as better than someone else and in turn denigrate others. If your religion helps you deal with life's twists and turns, if it helps you be a better person, if it helps you treat others and yourself in a better way, if it helps you find peace in your life, GREAT! And really, I don't even worry if you want to help someone else find those same good things by introducing them to your religion. But if your religious beliefs are such that you simply think that you are better than me or someone else, that you are deserving of preference in society and those who are unlike you are deserving of less because of their beliefs, then I don't want anything to do with you.
Tebow reminds me of those people I have seen over the years going to Mass who make a big spectacle of their worship. Those who flail around or do the various motions of the Catholic Mass (which are pretty understated or at least are supposed to be) in an exaggerated manner, as if to show everyone else who is in attendance just how much more devoted to God they are than everyone else. I usually call these people the "Pharisees" after the religious elite in Christ's time who took such exception to the actions of Jesus because it went against the accept teachings at the time in the Jewish faith.
There's another aspect to this which is a cultural thing that a lot of my friends here in the South simply won't understand. Where I am from, religion is not something you wear on your sleeve. I can't quite explain to you how taken aback I was the first time I was asked by someone shortly after moving to North Carolina where I went to church. This is simply a question you would never ask in the North. I admit that I found the question to be quite offense and it made me deeply uncomfortable, although now I understand that it is simply a standard question that is part of normal conversation in the South and not meant in an intrusive manner, but simply as a way to endear oneself to another and possibly invite the person to your church.
Being a Catholic, although far from a traditional one, I've had fun with this concept over the years. For instance, a neighbor was having a church group over at their house for a social gathering after services one Sunday and mistakenly gave them directions to my house rather than theirs. He came over to inform me of this so I would know where to send them if they came knocking on my door. I told him we'd just take them in, tie them to a chair and convert them and then maybe we'd send them his way.
I've always believed that religion is something that doesn't have to be shouted from the hilltop, but rather would be best shown by your actions. I identify more with the hymn "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love," rather than "Onward Christian Soldiers."
What probably bothers me the most about Tim Tebow is that he appears to be buying into his own hype. His replies to some of the very faint criticism he has received have become more overblown and more aggressive. I'm starting to think that he feels that he actually is playing on behalf of God or that his religion is bestowing on him the success that he is having. This is sad, actually. If there is one constant in sports as in life it is that no one is successful all the time. There will be times when you are up and times that you are down. Just a couple of weeks before Tebow's incredible victory against Pittsburgh, he had a game where he threw more interceptions than completions. Was this God showing disapproval? Did Timmy have one too many swears that week for him to have God on his side? Of course not. Just as his religion had nothing to do with the success he had the next week.
Look, I hope the best for Tim Tebow. Like I said, deep down I'm rooting for him. I just don't buy into all the hype and dislike all the cult like hero worship that his religious antics are causing. I hope he keeps a level head and that he learns to see success and failure as going hand in hand. Keep things in check, my brother, and remember that pride goeth before a great fall.
And no, you won't see me Tebowing any time soon.
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