By Kelly O'Connell ——Bio and Archives--November 20, 2011
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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.
"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.
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.
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Kelly O’Connell is an author and attorney. He was born on the West Coast, raised in Las Vegas, and matriculated from the University of Oregon. After laboring for the Reformed Church in Galway, Ireland, he returned to America and attended law school in Virginia, where he earned a JD and a Master’s degree in Government. He spent a stint working as a researcher and writer of academic articles at a Miami law school, focusing on ancient law and society. He has also been employed as a university Speech & Debate professor. He then returned West and worked as an assistant district attorney. Kelly is now is a private practitioner with a small law practice in New Mexico.