The act of saying, “First, I want to thank my lord and savior ************” every time someone appears on tv is just going to be polarizing in many parts of the country. Many people that believe ************ is also their lord and savior will automatically be attracted to someone who does this. They will rejoice in the fact that someone on tv agrees with them. For some it's as reflexive as when Bruce Springsteen says, "hello [insert name of your town]" and everyone goes crazy. It feels like a connection. For others, it's far deeper, and it feels good to see someone on television that talks about something that is an important part of one's life. For others -- and possibly many others -- there also is a feeling that other religions are wrong or even evil, so they will see this as getting a word in for the good guys. And, indeed, there may even be a satisfaction at believing this too is Tim Tebow's intent, which may or may not be correct.
Some people who believe that ************ is their lord and savior will not love how Tebow expresses himself. It will conflict with their vision of how faith should be expressed. Interestingly, reserve in this area even among Christians is kind of a New England value, and so it’s not surprising that even among Christians, Tim Tebow will get a different reaction on a Patriots’ message board than on, say, an LSU message board.
For those who do not view Jesus as a lord and savior, this use of the airwaves is annoying. Indeed, for some, it tends to reinforce feelings they experience daily from not being in the 70 percent that is the religious majority in the United States. For some, it's an annoyance -- "why can't I just watch football without this stuff having to be part of it; it should be a haven from politics and religion." Still others, though, also recognize such professions of faith as divisive, whether intentional or otherwise. But most also recognize that many if not most of those who do believe Christ is their lord and savior will never be made to see why it is divisive, so get that this is not a battle worth fighting. Some also cut a guy some slack if they believe that he’s saying these things because he genuinely believes that others are screwed in the afterlife, so he’s trying to “save” them. Annoying, for sure, and presumptuous, but at least his heart is in the right place. At the same time, some may understand that many or most to whom he is appealing are viewing the message not in this same spirit, but actually do see it as a symbol of power and division. (Which, again, most of those who share his beliefs can simply never be made to see.)
The point, though, is that very little of this has to do with Tim Tebow. It’s really about us. Tebow is a just a good natured, good looking kid of average intelligence lucky enough to play a kid’s game for money, who gets to be on tv a lot to talk about something else that’s important to him. It sounds like he does a lot of great things for people, and that’s great. But, basically, when you hear Tim Tebow talk about his lord and savior ************, whether that makes you happy or pis*ed, it’s important to understand that it’s not really this kid who you are getting happy or pis*ed about -- maybe a little, but it’s really just a symbol or an idea. It’s about power, faith, and how you view others who share and don’t share your views, which is why a quarterback who has only started a handful of games can generate a 200 plus post thread on an opponent's message board. This is really crucial to understand if one cares about living in a tolerant and open society. Unfortunately, nobody actually understands this very well.
Most of you appear actually to believe this thread is truly about Tim Tebow.
