Can we all just agree to give the whole Tim-Tebow-is-a-maligned-persecuted-Christian thing a rest, please? Please! You know who you are. You’re the ones who make impassioned pleas about poor Mr. Tebow being a target for those horrid, liberal, commie, tree-hugging, homo-loving atheists, just because he prays in public.
Once again, you are completely over-reacting. In fact, the idea that you are reacting at all is a little strange to me. Because, in the midst of the hundreds of complaints I’ve heard or read about Tebow being maligned, I have yet to hear a single person saying anything negative about the man’s beliefs or his display of them.
You’ve got to be the same people who genuinely believe there is a “war on Christmas.”
So, let me tell you what you’ve done for this moderate, Christ-follower, who has friends who range from hard-core atheists to ultra-conservative Evangelicals. You’ve made me dislike Tim Tebow. I went from thinking of him as a talented athlete who is open about his faith, to cringing every time I hear his name.
I realize that’s not fair. But it’s true.
I am generally suspicious of people who trumpet their faith. I’ve found that the folks who have Bible verses pre-printed on their checks are usually the first ones to cheat on their taxes and stiff their waiters. People who have those Jesus fish magnets on their cars are, generally, the first ones to cut you off in traffic and then flip you off. They also tend to be the ones who think God will help their team to win a football game. Heaven help us.
Now, I fully realize that Tim Tebow may be none of those things. I have always thought that when he kneels on the sidelines, he is simply giving thanks for his God-given talents and for the opportunity to use them. At least that’s what I hope he’s doing. But you people who continue to stand up for him when he doesn’t seem to need any help, you make me suspicious.
Yes, there are people who dislike Tebow. News flash: he’s a professional athlete in the NFL. He will always have people who dislike him. That’s the nature of the business. I will always dislike Brett Favre. It has nothing to do with him personally. It has nothing to do with his faith, his family, his dog, where he shops, what he eats, or his uncle’s dentist’s first cousin’s choice of rental cars. (It’s not even the fact that he seems to have a fondness for flashing his teeny-weenie in cell phone photos … although that doesn’t help his cause!) I dislike Brett Favre because he is a Packers icon. I grew up hating the Packers. It’s nothing personal. It’s sports. I’m sure (aside from the voyeurism thing, of course) he’s a perfectly lovely person. I still don’t like him.
So, grow up. Stop believing that because you’re a Christian in this country, you are a persecuted class. It’s ridiculous. And it’s so far from the truth that if you truly, in your heart of hearts, believe it that it is true, you are delusional. Seek help.
In the meantime, instead of standing up for an over-paid, privileged professional athlete, why don’t you stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves. Go mentor a kid who’s being bullied in school. Feed a homeless person. Send money to an organization helping victims of a natural disaster. Start acting a little more like Christ … you know, that guy you keep vaguely referring to in your Facebook posts.
