The Religion of Football

You say religion, I say entertainment. Who's right? Depends on the individual. :wavey:

 

TEN REASONS WHY PITTSBURGH PIRATES OUTFIELDER BILLY SUNDAY SAYS HE LEFT BASEBALL IN 1893 (USA Today Baseball Weekly, June 8-14, 1994)

1. Because it is a life which has an undesirable future.

2. Because it develops a spirit of jealousy and selfishness; one’s whole desires are for personal success regardless of what befalls others.

3. Because it tends to indolence as shown by the fact that few use the five months of unemployed time for study and self-improvement and preparation for future pursuit.

4. Because it is better to benefit mankind than to simply amuse them.

5. Because after one attains to a certain standard of efficiency, there is no more room for development.

6. Because it does not develop one for future usefulness; as illustrated by the fact that many ex-ballplayers are engaged in the saloon business.

7. Because it is a life in which morality is not an essential to success; one may be a consummate rogue and a first-class ballplayer.

8. Because reflections on past “grand stand catches,” “great slides to the plate,” “stolen bases,” and the echo of applauding multitudes are very poor food for consolation.

9. Because I felt called of God to do His service.

10. Because of the anticipated contentment (now realized) which comes to any man who finds himself in the right place.

 

When entertainment in any form comes before serving God, it is a new religion.

When parents say to their kids, "we can't go to church because we have to go be entertained someplace else" Those parents are instilling in their kids that entertainment is more important than worship...

I like to be entertained as well as anyone else, but I won't put it in front of my service to God.

I agree with Rufus....

 

I'm not sure who the "they" is he's talking about. I'm a huge football fan. Perfer College to pro, but still watch every pro game I can. For me it's a no brainer, when it's time to go to church, the tv goes off and we go to church. I've actually raised a daughter who's about as big a fan as I am. She would agree with me.

But it's not just football. In my church, I have more people who would likely miss for a NASCAR race than for a football game.

 

And I agree with Filmproducer, so that makes the score 2-2.

First, when was it that church used to trump everything? When did that happen? Evidently, it was before my time, because while I've gone to church since I was a little boy, I grew up in a town of about 100 and we only had 20 or 30, at most, in church on any given Sunday. I doubt that my town was much different than any other place.

I'm challenging the assertion that church used to trump everything. For some people, including yours truly, church does trump everything. That is not the case for everybody. The good ol' days were not as wonderful and idyllic as the writer of this essay seems to want us to think.

Second, fans who skip church to watch the Super Bowl one week will skip church to watch something else next week.

 

We have plenty of people who do miss church for a NASCAR race. Our pastor, half-jokingly suggested that we have a satellite service on race Sundays and buy a tent to pitch at Talladega under which to hold it.

 

Here's one worshipper paying his vows.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250652,00.html

 

In a nutshell- One man's 'entertainment' is another man's 'religion'.

I grew up around motorsports. Still love it and keep track of it. But since I accepted Christ I have not missed a Sunday service to attend or watch a race. Not that I have not been tempted to. But by the grace of God I won't.

I have attended a pro football game on Sunday, when it was an afternoon game and we could go after church was finished and leave before evening service started. I mean with plenty of time to get to the service before it started.

 

It is important for our owners to keep us stupified with sports and cheap booze else we might realize what they are doing to us.

 

How much of this may be attributed to the change in Christian beliefs regarding the Lord's Day?

 

No that much IMO. For a few decades the most watched football game of almost any week was the Monday Night Football game. I'm not sure if that's still true, but this, along with the rabid popularity of college football and its rivalries and bowl games, should disprove any insinuations about "the Lord's day."

On a broader scope to this thread.... are some claiming that if it is 'church time' [on Sunday or any day, at any time] people who are doing anything else whatsoever, and not there, are worshipping another god? Work schedule, sick family members, visiting a friend over the weekend, serving in the reserves, rounding up horses that broke the fence and got away..... these would be the modern definitions of idolatry? - not buying a car that costs twice as much, or more, than an economy/compact when that's all that's 'needed,' or buying a house that you know will stretch your budget out of shape very month to keep it?

 

The examples I described are of really questionable "necessity." No one has to take a job they know may require them to work on the "Lord's day." No one has to join the reserves. Whether staying home with a sick family member is a necessity depends on a number of factors; is it a young child?; is the person unable to care for himself or herself?; is at least one other mature member of the family a non-churchgoer anyway?; and certainly there are lame excuses involved-- if one family member has a cold, do they all have to stay home in case they are carrying the virus which has not manifested disease yet?... et al. As for the horses getting loose, that also depends on several factors as to the urgency of rounding them up immediately, but normally that would need to be taken care of as soon as possible; nevertheless are horses, their value, and the potential fine more important than worshipping God?

Since every day is the Lord's day, I can't say any of these things merit much energy of thought to me.

 

We choose church. Even on vacations, my family would go to church on Sunday while we were out of town. My family will do the same.

It's a matter of priority. If the worship of God is your priority, then you will go to church; if it's not, then why go?

 

Right on Joshua, we all see way too many brothers put something before Him. It is in fact a real pleasure worshiping with other believers on the road.