"YAY, Yeshua for the Hail Mary Pass!!" OR "Why do sports figures trivialize religious beliefs?"

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Even in defeat, Tim Tebow creates controversy -- this time in Tinseltown. HBO's Bill Maher created a firestorm over the Christmas weekend with a scathing reaction to Tebow's subpar performance in Buffalo. Shortly after Tebow threw four interceptions in the Broncos' lopsided defeat to the Bills, Maher turned to his Twitter page to poke fun at the very religious NFL star. (And a warning: Maher's tweet includes harsh language and divisive references.) "Wow, Jesus just [screwed] #TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere ... Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler "Hey, Buffalo’s killing them," Maher tweeted. Maher, a proud atheist who supports legalizing pot, same-sex marriage and is a board member for PETA, upset a number of conservatives, according to Entertainment Weekly. Eric Bolling of Fox News responded to Maher by calling him "disgusting vile trash," among other things.

Tebow didn't bother responding to Maher, but plenty of his fans did. Some called for a mass cancellation of HBO subscriptions over the offensive tweet. "Real Time with Bill Maher," is scheduled to return to the premium cable channel on January 13, 2012. The comedian has roughly 872,000 followers on Twitter. Believe it or not, that's 100,000 more than Tebow's number of Twitter minions. As for Tebow's Broncos, they'll win the AFC West title and the No. 4 seed with a win over the Chiefs or a Raiders loss to the Chargers this weekend.

Source



Bill Maher's take on atheism is well known; he produced his own documentary on the subject Religulous. Mr. Maher is a polarizing figure on many subjects with his atheism and the influence of religion in the United States with its impact on policy debates clearly irks the living shit out of many on the right (and religiously minded people too). In this fascinating interview with Richard Dawkins on Real Time Maher develops a much more developed rationale for opposing the influence of creationism. When asked about France's prohibition on Islamic clothing by women, Dawkins recounts his experience of visiting one of Great Britain's best private Islamic schools and the complete rejection of any science not taught in the Qur'an.

To be fair, I know some faithful believers who are just as disgusted as Bill Maher with Tebow's trivialization of religion in national league sports, which incidently seems to be an American thing. (e.g. you never hear "Lets scrum one for the Lord, mates!" in Scotland for example ;) So, personally while I think Bill Maher is completely justified in a general sense to ridicule Mr. Tebow's superficial religious beliefs-- at least in terms of wining football games. I would love to think God cares about us personally and intimately, but I just can't see why the Almighty and All knowing Lord would care who wins a NFL game. And on the other hand-- if Tebow is trying to evangelize, well that's a turn off for many who see personal faith as something more intimate, not to be cheapened by wearing Bible verse quotations under your eyes during a NFL scrum. To be fair however: Mr. Tebow does A LOT charitable works (e.g. his support of 600 orphaned children all around the world, or the construction of a children's hospital in the Philippines). While I appreciate Mr. Maher's issues with religious beliefs and the impact it has on the national political conversation, his tweet didn't help foster an intelligent conversation. Mr. Maher should apologize. But I know he won't ;)

Comments

[wristtattoos.livejournal.com]

Why should he have to apologize? He's entitled to his own opinion, no matter how much of an ignorant idiot he is. And to be honest, Tebow kind of brings it upon himself. I thought it was funny.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

I laughed when I first read the tweet. But I think Maher is pretty funny in that George Carlin / Lenny Bruce tradition.

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

Wait, so Maher is allowed to express his opinion, but Tim Tebow is somehow exempt from being able to express his AND invoke his right to freedom of religion? PLEASE!

Just as Bill Maher has a right to express his opinion, people have the right to call for a boycott of his show. And I'm not shocked with half the stuff Maher says anymore. It's pretty much just for shock value so he can stay relevant.

[skull-bearer.livejournal.com]

What the hell? By the reaction to this tweet, I though Mayer was gloating over Mr Tebow's DEATH. Grief people, it's just a touchdown, if Mr Tebow was an atheist and someone like Bill O'Reilly tweeted something like 'oh ha ha ha, bet he wished he believed in god so Jesus could have given him that touchdown' then no one would have cared at all. Seriously, who cares?

Or am I missing something in this?

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

War on Christians and all that. If Tebow was a Muslim and Maher had tweeted something about that people would probably be praising him.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Touchdowns - how do they happen? Ball comes in, ball comes down. You can't explain this.

Tebowing is retarded

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Tebow's personal actions are commendable, his on-field demonstrations of them, not so much.

“Yes, the long war on Christianity. I pray that one day we may live in an America where Christians can worship freely! In broad daylight! Openly wearing the symbols of their religion... perhaps around their necks? And maybe -- dare I dream it? -- maybe one day there can be an openly Christian President. Or, perhaps, 43 of them. Consecutively.”
― Jon Stewart

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

I luld.

[allisnow.livejournal.com]

I think it was in bad taste, but that's kind of who Maher is. Whatever. I doubt Tebow gives a crap, so why should I?

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Tebow's nothing but a new variant of the old phenomenon of the attention whore. His praying piously on football fields is his own reward, he'll be admired by men like all such pseudo-piety with no respect for God and God's own words as recorded in the Bible in this world but not in the next. Frankly Tebow's an embarrassment to American Christianity though it doesn't surprise me the GOP's religious arm admires his pseudo-piety as much as it does. Nothing like praying for all to see and admire to show one's faithfulness to the King not of this world. He probably votes GOP, too. /snerk.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

I might add that Maher's an asshole but then he relies on the George Carlin/Gilbert Gottfried variety of comedy. That and assholery are quite good friends. Maher's schtick is offending people, so if people expected something different that's rather missing the point.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

I just can't see why the Almighty and All knowing Lord would care who wins a NFL game

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows! Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. Matthew 10:29-33

If God cares about the sparrow, he cares about the Broncos' football game and every hair on your head, too. What people like Bill Maher, who doesn't understand and doesn't care to learn about orthodox Christianity, seem to miss is that prayer isn't supposed to be magic. We pray in the will of the Father. I can't speak to what is in Tebow's heart. I do not know what he prays or why he does it. Honestly, I cannot say that I care. Prayer isn't a conjuring. If Mr. Tebow is doing it right, prayer should be confirming and acknowledging the working out of God's sovereign will in the world. Prayer, correctly done, is a way to start making our will conform to the will of God.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Tebow prays on camera so everyone sees him and squees about what a pious, God-fearing, moral man he is, I highly doubt Jesus, who repeatedly condemned that kind of thing would approve of it being done by anyone who represents him. But then it's no secret that what a good number of American Christians call "Christianity" has a name-only resemblance to what Jesus actually taught, preferring to be the religious wing of a political movement, not a religion. American Christianity would ten thousand times render unto Caesar for the flash and pomp and leave Jesus in an alley being beaten up.

[oslo.livejournal.com]

Supposing that God does care about the outcome of a football game, and that people are capable of acting contrary to God's will (thus necessitating "prayer, correctly done," in order to bring one into conformity with God's will), then it seems just as likely as not that God in fact would prefer Tebow to lose, right? Do you suppose Tebow's prayers are anything like, "Gosh, I hope God didn't really want me to flub that touchdown?"

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

1. Ostentatious public displays of religion are rather contrary to the Gospel.
2. Sports-related religiosity along the lines of "[x team] is winning because [x player] is a good Bible-believing Christian!" makes us all look like idiots.
3. Bill Maher is an asshole with nothing worthwhile to say.

[kurtvonnegut.livejournal.com]

[x team] is winning because [x player] is a good Bible-believing Christian!

What I also notice about this is that a lot of black players reference God all the time, and no one praises them for it. When clean-cut white players do (Tebow, Drew Brees), they're automatically praised for being great guys.

[kurtvonnegut.livejournal.com]

They're both assholes and I can't stand either of them.

But Maher can apologize when Tebow apologizes for wanting to take away my human rights, k?

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

?

[oportet.livejournal.com]

I can't give him points for being funny, or making sense.

Saying fuck isn't really shocking anymore.

He did take a shot at Christianity though - so brave of him.

Does anyone here siding with him have an opinion that didn't come straight from Maher himself?

[victor-szasz.livejournal.com]

Maher didn't really take a shot at Christianity. After all, he mentions Jesus who, while lauded upon heavily by the christians, wasn't actually a christian himself. As to the XMAS reference, while it's often taken to form for being Christ's Mass, it's really a pagan holiday co-opted by Christianity as Jesus wasn't even born in December.

Pretty sure from what i know of Maher and the phrasing up there, that 'fuck' wasn't used for shock value. Maher says fuck like some people say potato. It's just a thing, no big whoop.

[victor-szasz.livejournal.com]

In no way, sense, or form did Maher try to start an intelligent conversation. That there is a rant, with a twist of his usual humor, in no manner does it lead to more than it states. Sure, people are clearly talking about it but that does not seem to be his intent, anymore than it is mine when I share dead baby jokes with my friends.

They're disturbing and mind warping but I am not telling them to discuss the righteousness of doing harm to babies.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Consider this the obligatory reminder of Maher's idiocy on vaccines (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPrLCIoxe8Y&feature=player_embedded).

Meanwhile, Bill Maher being an asshole like this is why society hates atheists. He's the stereotype.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

That, and Dawkins's almost maniacal obsession with rubbing his atheism right into religious people's faces, just for the sake of it.

Said by an atheist.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

lowlhut? Maher has influence on religion and/or policy? lololololol the internets generation strikes again with their premium cable channel relevance!

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

It's moments like these that make us atheists cringe with disgust. Guy's being a major asshole.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

Please speak for yourself.

[musicpsych.livejournal.com]

I had to laugh when I saw that your "charitable works" link went to The Tim Tebow Foundation. He's doing his charity work in the most public way possible, via a foundation that bears his name. At least it's consistent with his public prayer. Whether he intends it or not, his charity work - and his prayer - are serving as marketing for his personal brand. And as an observer, it's hard not to be cynical about that.

I don't think Maher should apologize. I guess I fall more into the "It was a joke!" camp. It's making fun of the idea that God has a stake in Tebow's team - not the Broncos, but Tebow's team - winning a football game.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Oh I dunno. When I go to Lincoln Center, I see brazened on one of the side of the buildings "The David Koch Theater" (yeah, THAT Koch Brother). I also never suggested Mr. Teabow is a humble man, he clearly isn't. And I'm taking the charitable works at face value (I have no reason to believe he's lying, otherwise those who dislike him would have discredited that work). Of all the things he could do to be self serving, if it helps 400 orphaned children, I wished a lot more people would be self serving. I wished like hell that I could do that much positive change in the world.

And yeah, I get it was a joke by Maher. I laughed initially when I read it too. But sometimes he's a jerk.

[404.livejournal.com]

Maher is a little late in the Tebow bashing procession, but at least he succeeded in being as vulgar and nauseating as he possibly could be.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

Really? If you want vulgar and nauseating, hang out on 4chan.org/b.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

To be fair however: Mr. Tebow does A LOT

He's probably praying for you to be cured or to burn in hell. This guy is siding with "focus on the family" anti gay campaign.


Mr. Maher should apologize. But I know he won't ;)

Maher's quip pales in comparison with the damage Tim is going to cause by supporting homophobic groups. Tim should apologize for the next mathew shepard-esque beating he will encourage.

He's riding homophobia all the way to the bank. Fuck him. No apology or quarter.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

I hear ya man. I'm a big softie for charitable works though. I can almost overlook anything else provided he's not physically harming anyone with his political viewpoints. I swear I wished I could help 400 orphaned children. :/

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is true that the material Creator of the flat and immobile Earth cares a great deal about you. On the other hand, once you transcend its enslaving ways, you can come to know a higher level of divinity.