Tebow, Palin & the Logic of Thanksgiving

Shall we unveil the 700-pound Tasmanian devil in the room? The chief reason the average crank hates Tim Tebow & Sarah Palin is because both are open and unapologetic Christians. Although typical anti-American bigots are loathe to admit this fact, it is transparently true. Further, it is the essential values and characteristics of authentic Christianity which most of these non-believers find highly objectionable. This same anti-religious bigotry now threatens to atomize America's once nearly impregnable foundations.

Currently, atheism is more esteemed than American Idol contestants. Meanwhile, atheists pour out disdain against Christians like so many Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. For example, consider the juvenile ramblings of Richard Dawkins, whose works create a toxic minefield of assorted fallacies, while raging blindly against God. This article examines the loss of a Christian worldview in America, as hinted at by the fury poured out against Sarah Palin and Tim Tebow for merely openly espousing their beliefs. The article goes onto suggest America may still restore our glory days if we turn away from failed and godless political ideals, and once again honor Him--as we did originally, so many years ago--on the first Thanksgiving day.

I. Tackling Tim-bow Out of Bounds

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One cannot help but notice that Denver Bronco quarterback Tim Tebow gathers more weekly critics than would a blind knife-throwing exhibit at a hemophiliac convention. So why does Tim generate such hostile reactions regardless of his current habit of fostering last-minute comeback wins? Well, to listen to his critics, one would be forced to conclude that Tebow cannot be allowed to compete anymore in the NFL simply because his fundamental skill set is so bad. This theory suggests his throws are so predictably bad that he is actually robbing merit from the entire league, and so must be banned for the good of the dignity of professional sport. The alternative theory, which is admittedly gaining steam with each victory, is that Tebow's worth can only be gauged by his win-loss record, which tends to grow each week. In other words, Tebow's beauty is better summed up by his win-loss record, than any dry recapitulation of his mechanical flaws. But neither of these positions really sums up the heated debate over Tim, does it? Instead, some astute observers understand that the fight over Tebow is a proxy war over the right to live an openly Christian lifestyle in an age of sanctimonious secularism. According to his most vociferous critics, Tebow's joyful demeanor, pious public pronouncements and knee-dropping prayers--aka "Tebowing"--and humble persona are weighed in the balance and found wanting...MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. In other words, Tim's very open Christian witness is considered an odious assault against popular decorum and so must be driven from public life after a proper shaming. Only, Tebow has yet to get this message. But when pondering the need for Tim to quietly exit the NFL for the good of its image, consider these observations:

Inside the NFL'' analyst and former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth concluded that much of the hatred against Tebow was based on his religious beliefs. Responding to a question from fellow host James 'JB' Brown, Collinsworth showed his disgust for Tebow's treatment: ''It's unbelievable, though, JB, that one of the best kids - just pure kids that's ever come into the NFL - is hated because of his faith, because of his mission work, because of the fact that he wears it on his sleeve, because of the fact that he lives his life that he talks about...And it's kind of a sad commentary, that, you know, if someone is out carousing every night, the Joe Namath thing, or whatever, they're American heroes, and Tim Tebow, who's working in missions in Asia somewhere, is a guy that we're going to vilify.'' Tebow has indeed been vilified for his Christian faith and beliefs. Commentators have taken aim at him because of his religion and pro-life stance. One sportswriter compared Tebow's confidence that he will start in the NFL to blasphemy. 'Daily Show' comedian John Oliver declared: ''I dislike Robert Mugabe. I hate Tim Tebow.'' The vitriol directed against Tebow is how religion and people of faith are often treated in the media, which often seeks to remove any mention of religion from public life entirely, including in sports.

Oliver also stated that if he had two bullets, between Tim Tebow and Osama Bin Laden, he'd shoot Tebow first. Other astute sports analysts have come to a similar conclusion:

No, Tim Tebow is a target of irrational hatred, not because he's an iffy quarterback at the NFL level, or a creep personally, or an obnoxious, in-your-face, self-righteous proselytizer. He draws hatred because he is an unabashed Christian, whose calmness and decency in the face of his Christophobic detractors drives them crazy. Tim Tebow, in other words, is a prime example of why Christophobia--a neologism first coined by a world-class comparative constitutional law scholar, J.H.H. Weiler, himself an Orthodox Jew--is a serious cultural problem in these United States. It is simply unimaginable that any prominent Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Sikh quarterback, should such a fantasy of anthropology exist, would be subjected to the vileness that is publicly dumped on Tim Tebow. Tolerance, that supreme virtue of the culture of radical relativism, does not extend to evangelical Christians, it seems. And if it does not extend to evangelicals who unapologetically proclaim their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and who live their commitment to the dignity of human life from conception and natural death, it will not extend to Catholics who make that same profession of faith and that same moral commitment. Whatever we think of Tim Tebow's theology of salvation, Tim Tebow and serious Catholics are both fated to be targets of the Christophobes.

Another public figure can well identify with Tebow's excoriation by the mainstream media for their public affirmation of private faith--Sarah Palin.

II. The Indignity of Being Sarah

Has any public figure ever been pilloried more savagely for less reason than Governor Sarah Palin? A person of both strong faith and winsome disposition, Palin attracted more savages responses than would a barbecue pit located at the entrance of Mecca. But why? Her ocean of critics will give a thousand "good reasons" why she is just one loathsome step removed from the anti-Christ. Yet, is it not inevitable her very public faith and possible proximity to the Oval Office--caused this remarkable tsunami of condemnation? Listen to actor Matt Damon's 2008 description of Palin:

"I think there's a really good chance Sarah Palin could become president, and I think that's a really scary thing... I think the pick was made for political purposes... Do the actuary tables and there's a one out of three chance, if not more, that McCain doesn't survive his first term and it'll be President Palin... It's like a really bad Disney movie. The hockey mom, you know, 'oh, I'm just a hockey mom'... and she's facing down President Putin... It's totally absurd... it's a really terrifying possibility... I need to know if she really thinks that dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago. I want to know that, I really do. Because she's gonna have the nuclear codes.

Clearly, Damon's problem with Palin is her faith. And using this as a litmus, one must conclude that Damon and his many entertainment fellow-travelers believe that simply holding straightforward Christian beliefs invalidates a person from higher office in the US. But Damon is merely the mouthpiece of millions of "progressive" persons whose own convictions beggar belief, and yet are on a relentless crusade to drive the Christian faith out of the public arena.

III. A Generally Dismissive View of Christians

The fact is that a wholesale resistance against Christianity has been growing in America for the last half century, if not for longer. But what has driven the rise in atheism and demand for hermetic separation between church and state? Many factors have given rise to this sentiment, but probably none are more important than the debasement of the US education system into a pale joke of its former self. Certainly the default atheistic worldview espoused by the majority of US educators must have a logical effect, right? In the description of a world built by random explosions and sheer chance, accidentally throwing out the default raw materials of life, which then assembled itself, we find a vacuum of meaning. And teaching children that even the most obvious society-affirming moral conclusions are beyond the ambit of public education, one simply gives a rubber stamp to the most contradictory and selfish of impulses. In the aftermath of the Cold War collapse of world communism, how is it possible that the lessons we learned are that socialism is both morally defensible and inherently successful? No wonder major global leaders are in free-fall and collapse when such inane conclusions are jammed down the throats of kids never given the option of education in logic, common sense, or coherent argumentation!

IV. Thanksgiving's American Moral

As Americans ready themselves to celebrate our peerless forebears, and ponder what kind of "luck" could result in formation of the greatest country ever assembled, we really ought to stand back and reflect--What is the source of the original code book that the USA stand out from so many thousands of other nations which have risen to fall over the centuries? Thanksgiving seems like the last American holiday to not suffer a perverse re-defining of its original meaning to suck out all life, and replace with materialism. So what is the essence of our national creed, revealed by Thanksgiving? Former professor of History, Newt Gingrich reminds us of this holiday's true meaning:

America's First Thanksgiving: A Wholly Holy Celebration As we all enjoy turkey and the trimmings this Thanksgiving, you may be interested to know that the first Thanksgiving celebration in America was a completely religious observance that didn't include a feast. It occurred in 1619 -- more than a year before the Pilgrims arrived from Massachusetts. A group of 38 English settlers arrived in Virginia and set aside a day to give thanks to God for their safe passage. The three-day festival of food and friendship that was the origin of Thanksgiving as we know it today didn't occur until 1621. Not Just a Private Celebration, a Public Thanks to God.

V. Ten Characteristics of Christians That Used to Define America

A. America's Ship Off Course

Most US residents agree that America has strayed badly off course these last few years. So--Is it more Obama's or George W's fault? Actually, every sincere American can take our own share of blame for falling short, or choosing leaders who cultivate compromise, instead of pointing fingers.

B. Ten Essential Christian Doctrines Americans Must Hold

But instead of chasing red herrings--let's examine a list of ten integral characteristics that are true both of good Christians and classic American ideals, expressed in these beliefs:

1. There is a God, revealed in the Bible; this Deity on earth is Jesus.
2. Life has a purpose; we are here to use our gifts to achieve this.
3. Honesty is crucial; lying is diabolical.
4. No free lunches; everyone must work for what they have.
5. Rule of Law; same standards for all.
6. Sex is for marriage.
7. Don't buy what you can't afford.
8. Capitalism is simply freedom applied to economics.
9. Government must be moral.
10. All forms of Marxism are godless, and therefore evil.

Imagine how quickly America would return to greatness, peace, prosperity and health if we would once again take biblical ideals seriously--like Tebow & Palin do--and apply them across the board in our lives? 'Nuff said.