Players need to stop preaching
The Jets introduced their new backup quarterback at a news conference Monday.
During the session, I couldn't tell whether Tim Tebow was professing his faith in Jesus or trying to convert me to Christianity.
The former is OK; the latter not so much.
I respect anyone who believes in any religion, but that doesn't mean much because I also respect anyone who doesn't believe in any religion.
What I find offensive are people who are kind of trying to persuade me to believe what they believe.
I'm Jewish and have enough difficulty trying to be faithful to Judaism. As simple as I am, converting to something else at this late age would be too confusing.
Listening to religious talk from an athlete that I don't know personally reminds me of an experience a few years ago in the airport at Charlotte, N.C.
Surrounding me at the gate was a group of gentlemen on the way to Northwest Indiana for a Baptist convention. To kill time waiting for a delayed flight, we engaged in conversation that naturally drifted toward religion.
Yes, I'm Jewish I answered. No, I'm not as religious as I should be. Sorry, I'm not interested in changing teams.
I wasn't offended as much as amused by their Baptist overtures and recall making this point to them:
Even if I were a religious free agent open to changing teams, why would they think strangers in a North Carolina airport could land me?
That would be like purchasing a credit card over the phone from a nameless, faceless telemarketer. It would be even worse, actually, involving something so precious and personal as religion.
If Tim Tebow, a devout Evangelical Christian, wants to impose his beliefs on sports fans he might as well be a stranger on the phone or in an airport.
To his credit, Tebow reiterated Monday that the news conference was to discuss football, not religion.
However, Tebow also repeatedly mentioned his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Every time, he sounded like he was trying to convince me that his religion is more righteous than mine.
At least I could talk religion with those men in the airport instead of having someone like Tebow talking religion at me on TV. I couldn't discuss the subject with him. It was a monologue instead of a dialogue, which accomplishes nothing for either of us.
Does anyone watch sports or a sports news conference to have an athlete impose religion on you? Aren't sports escapes from serious issues of the day like war, disease, politics and, yes, religion?
Tebow should be respected for walking as one with God and, as far as we know, living a pure and charitable life. Bless him for in his spare time going around the world evangelizing, saving souls and building orphanages.
If I were searching for a new religion I would go listen to Tebow preach, but not on TV or at a game. This concept of any athlete spreading the gospel to me from afar when he has no idea whether I'm interested … please, stop it.
Athletic strangers are no more credible on the subject of religion than strangers in an airport or marketers on the telephone.
To me, Tim Tebow doesn't cross the line as long as he isn't trying to convert me to his beliefs.
But the holier-than-thou tone does get a little annoying at times.
mimrem@dailyherald.com