|
Post by brophy on Jan 29, 2009 7:46:38 GMT -6
Apologies ahead of time for anyone I end up offending here in this post. I assure you that is not the intent.
This is a 'religion' question from a different angle, with no agenda, but plenty of questions.
Many times the Christian faith is leaned upon to support the "mentoring young men" approach to (football) coaching. That providing character lessons from scripture, via bible studies, of honoring the tenets of the Faith..... that the realm of coaching and Christian faith go hand-in-hand, and in many circles, one implies the other. If you are a devout enough believer, then surely you are a better coach. Or that if you do not exhibit enough qualities, you are less than a professional coach.
I realize that MUCH of this (these issues) are intertwined / co-joined, based on culture, society, tradition, and faith....and often times the origins or rationale blur together, so providing a definitive answer may be difficult.
My question, and there are many to come, is...... Has anyone served on a Jewish staff? A Muslim staff?....a Hindu staff?
If so, what were your experiences? Did you coach the kids differently? If not, do you think those coaches are missing something quantifiable? Does their (different) faith handicap them from reaching their 'full potential' as coaches?
I'll provide the caveat to this upfront, this is in no way a slam, gripe, attack on the Christian faith, this is just a question about the culture and dynamics at work in the coaching profession.
|
|
|
Post by mariner42 on Jan 29, 2009 8:19:30 GMT -6
Coach, Never been a part of or heard of any non-christian staff. That said, I don't think there's any handicap or limitation or anything like that for coaches of any religion. Most religions all teach the same basic virtues of humility, compassion, charity towards your fellow man, etc. etc. If you get into coaching with those core values in your heart, regardless of your religion, you're going to be capable of being a heck of a coach. I'm a christian and it's certainly influenced my approach to coaching, although working at a public school in one of the most liberal parts of CA has affected my methods, I do use scripture (among many other things) as a teaching tool. If I met a Muslim coach with a turban, prayer rug, and genuine love for the athletes in his heart, the only thing that would matter to me is when can he start working for us. Not entirely sure if I answered the question, but there it is. :-p
|
|
|
Post by realdawg on Jan 29, 2009 8:27:50 GMT -6
As mariner mentioned many religions have the same core values. Most of these are the same core values that you want to instill in your athletes. Hardwork, dedication, humility, etc.... are all Christian, Muslim, and Jewish values. I am a Christian coach, and I live in the bible belt. Therefore, I am able to use biblical examples of these values to make a point without too much fear of getting in trouble. However, I do not push my kids into my religion (though maybe I should). However, I do force my values upon them (as any coach would). I also let it be known that I am a Christian and anyone that wants to can talk about it with me. Some do some dont.
|
|
|
Post by touchdownmaker on Jan 29, 2009 8:28:46 GMT -6
Has more to do with values than simply what religion you belong to. Faith is faith and goodness is goodness regardless or what label you tag to it.
I have seen, heard, coaching staffs teaching hate and intimidation and brutality. Theres no place for that in our game or in our schools or in our society.
|
|
|
Post by brophy on Jan 29, 2009 8:36:15 GMT -6
I guess the ancillary question would be, with as much as we put into prayer breakfasts and Coalition of Christian Coaches, how many of us (or our communities) would {censored} the bed if Crosstown High was being run by a bunch of _(insert contrarian religion)__?
Also, does one HAVE to affix themselves to a 'denomination' to be considered a good person?
Could we do chicken-dinner fundraisers with the Sadhu Vaswani Hindu Cultural Center (as opposed to the 1st Baptist Tabernacle)?
|
|
|
Post by k on Jan 29, 2009 8:57:23 GMT -6
Our staff has only two religious people. One is a Born Again Evangelical type and the other is a Go to Church Twice a Year Cafeteria Catholic. Everyone else = not religious in any way.
It has never been a problem in any way. There is no difference in how any of the coaches treat the kids.
The only possible thing to even mention is that we know not to plan for anything on Sunday because the Evangelical coach is at church for ten hours. Reasonable accommodations to be made for someone's faith IMO.
|
|
|
Post by jpdaley25 on Jan 29, 2009 10:05:33 GMT -6
My own view is that I am not an ordained minister of any kind, and I am not qualified to take that approach, although we do pray before and after practices and games with the students leading. Our focus is on football and the values and life lessons that can be derived from it.
|
|
|
Post by brophy on Jan 29, 2009 11:18:18 GMT -6
hang on, sports fans.....
please read the opening post - this isn't about if faith should be allowed or utilized
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2009 11:50:34 GMT -6
I guess the ancillary question would be, with as much as we put into prayer breakfasts and Coalition of Christian Coaches, how many of us (or our communities) would {censored} the bed if Crosstown High was being run by a bunch of _ (insert contrarian religion)__? Also, does one HAVE to affix themselves to a 'denomination' to be considered a good person? Could we do chicken-dinner fundraisers with the Sadhu Vaswani Hindu Cultural Center (as opposed to the 1st Baptist Tabernacle)? In today's day and age, no one should have a problem with any religious denomination, when it comes to a sport. I FIRMLY beleive that denoting yourself, one religion or another has ZERO effect on people beleiving you are a good person, I don't think my kids parents even know what religion I am, nor do they care. I've seen good and bad (really bad) people from every walk. Why couldn't we do dinners with different religions...what do they eat weird?...As long as it's for football, who cares, why does religion have to come into play to begin with ?, as far as I'm concerned it's about a sport, nothiing more. I
|
|
|
Post by dolomite on Jan 29, 2009 11:55:56 GMT -6
My HC is a REAL CHRISTIAN. I never go to church, in fact only me and one other guy on our staff dont go to church on a regular basis. Its worked out fine for us. The HC def instills his Christian beliefs into his football philosophy and the way he conducts himself and treats kids. It works out fine.
|
|
|
Post by brophy on Jan 29, 2009 12:10:46 GMT -6
is it me.......or is the jist of the question asked just not coming across correctly?
|
|
|
Post by bulldogoption on Jan 29, 2009 13:28:45 GMT -6
The question is a good one..............but I would guess that there aren't many who have served on a staff consisting of faiths other than Christianity.
ALSO......I see this all the time with threads. They degrade quickly into a bunch of brown blah. People lose sight of the original question. I'm a very literal person so it drives me crazy when it happens. I suppose others may not have to be so literal and thus the threads are taken on tangents. ESPECIALLY the threads that have ANYTHING to do with character issues. It turns into the same message over and over......coaches should have and teach good character...............why folks keep posting the same message is confusing to me, but to each their own.
For the record, I'm answering the question about the question not coming across correctly. I can't answer the original one.
|
|
|
Post by rbush on Jan 29, 2009 13:44:12 GMT -6
I have grown up believing in God and am looking at being ordained as a minister. One of our coaches, and one of my closest friends, is an agnostic. He does an amazing job with the kids. He is also a volunteer and not on salary; I pay him out of my stipend. I recently found out I'd be having a little extra money come my way and told him about it. I said it could buy us much needed headsets, or a sound system for the weight room, or maybe pay his salary. He replied "Spend it on the kids. Do what's best for them". This is the attitude we want in our program. You can call it a Christian attitude, but it isn't exclusive to that Faith.
To answer the original questions, no, I don't think anyone is handicapped. Mariner nailed it, many faiths have similar morals. I'll wager most Christian coaches teach the morals of their faith, i.e. doing what's right, looking out for others, never cheat, be honest, etc. I'll also bet few teach the theology of the Christian faith, i.e. salvation by grace, divinity of Jesus, etc. If teaching the morals makes a guy a good coach then good morals, not just Christian morals, are the difference.
If people would coach different is an interesting question. I regularly use Biblical examples in my coaching. For instance, "The snap count is on two. You know Revelations, the whole plague of locusts end of the world thing? It's going to be worse than that out here if someone jumps". If I had a coach mention Shiva to prove the same point that'd be fine. I would hope it'd work the other way as well.
|
|
|
Post by brophy on Jan 29, 2009 13:45:01 GMT -6
thanks, bulldogoption (and others that have posted). I appreciate any insight we can get. The question is a good one..............but I would guess that there aren't many who have served on a staff consisting of faiths other than Christianity. that was kind of the reference point, and maybe I should have just left it as a rhetorical question or something (because I highly doubt any other staffs exist). The point being the perceived (intentional or otherwise) sanctity of declaring a faith, and/or proselytizing players (not in and of itself) that creates a higher prestige on coaching staffs. ex. The 'sanctioned equity' that is placed on coaches or staffs simply because of claiming a title (religion) or professing a belief, now holds a once ordinary object into a higher esteem.Again, this isn't a gripe. I know a lot of great staffs that are comprised of Christians. I'm not on a witchhunt. It is merely trying to tie the logic involved with this emotional association. ALSO......I see this all the time with threads. They degrade quickly into a bunch of brown blah. People lose sight of the original question. and it is probably my fault for not articulating well enough what I meant to say or convey, and I could see how, if you weren't clear on my meaning, would jump to the assertions some already have. BUT.....PLEASE, DEAR GOD, DO NOT TURN THIS INTO "IS WITNESSING OKAY?" THREAD. There are enough of those already. This is more of a "shoe on the other foot" perspective, then an apology for (Christian) faith.
|
|
|
Post by tigercoach on Jan 29, 2009 13:50:08 GMT -6
My question, and there are many to come, is...... Has anyone served on a Jewish staff? A Muslim staff?....a Hindu staff?
If so, what were your experiences? Did you coach the kids differently? If not, do you think those coaches are missing something quantifiable? Does their (different) faith handicap them from reaching their 'full potential' as coaches?
I joined a staff this past season with an veteran coach who is buddhist and another coach who seemingly had a bad taste for any outward expression of faith/religion. Myself, being a Christian it was different because I have never really worked in an environment with that amount of diversity (even though that is not a large amount of diversity). I had a very informative time working around those guys, learned a lot about stuff I had never been exposed to. We never once had an issue, because in each of our own ways we had the most important common denominator in football: we all cared about the betterment of the kids. I don't mean in a religious nature yet a manhood nature. I can't speak universally but there was no difference from what I could tell in the way we all coached the kids versus any other coaches or any other coaches on any other staff I have been a part of. When it comes to coaching ball, I think essentially you can or you can't . Poor coaches can evolve somewhat but those are the coaches who do a majority of "coaching" tasks that are involved in the job, (laundry, eq. room, etc.) even though we have all done them at some point. Regardless of ones individual religious, faith or lack of either. Perhaps from our own individual points of view we all feel that in some way or other that those we are surrounded by are not living as fulfilled a life as we are because of what we believe... Christian, hindu, buddhist or other. Missing something quantifiable, I don't think so on this earth. Beyond that we branch off into another topic. The only handicap I could really see would be ignorance on the behalf of others and in the long run that is really the handicap of the ignorant ones.
|
|
|
Post by CoachA21 on Jan 29, 2009 15:07:16 GMT -6
Im glad you posted this coach because I was wondering the same thing and again, I don't intend to offend anyone as well. Basically I have noticed that majority of coaches are either religious christians or not religious at all. Some coaches bring in their faith into the game as motivation such as praying before a game and I find that to be fine. But your question does have a point, if 'faith' does have an impact on being more potential in those that do not have faith. As a Hindu, I plan to coach football really soon and always ask myself will I be discriminated because of my religion or race. Would people judge me differently and would I be teaching the game in another way than majority of coaches do? The answer to that is that as coaches, we do not teach hatred towards others because thats setting a bad example. As for coaching differently, I don't think that my faith would change anything in the way I would run things. If my team wants to pray before a game, I will not mind praying with them but I would encourage them. Once again, I appoligies if I myself said something offensive, which was not my intent.
|
|
|
Post by wingtol on Jan 29, 2009 15:32:25 GMT -6
This may or may not fit into the discussion but the only experience I have had with someone who wasn't of a Christian faith that professed to be of another religion was an ast. basketball coach at one Catholic school I coached at was a Muslim. He ended up getting fired because he was arrested for selling bootleg clothing in his store. He tried to say he was fired for his faith and not his crime. It got ugly for a bit with the media and all but eventually settled down.
I heard he was a good coach and all the kids liked him. His JV teames were very good. So I would have to say that faith really doesn't play into the "being a better coach".
I would ask this: Does having NO faith effect coaching more than having faith/religion/beliefs different from the religious norm in the community?
|
|
|
Post by brophy on Jan 29, 2009 15:39:45 GMT -6
I would ask this: Does having NO faith effect coaching more than having faith/religion/beliefs different from the religious norm in the community? that is essentially what the original question was about. If you go to church and are the biggest SOB..... If you don't go to church (hegemonic faith group not supported) and are competent....... what is it that makes us endear honor to the church-goer? If I am inclined to share the Gospel of Christ during a lesson, would you mind if your other coach is delivering readings of the Koran during Indy? If so, what is the difference? This isn't about self-righteous rants of Christian vs Presbyterian vs Lutheran vs Catholics.............because none of those even define a person, or as this thread is indicating, their worth[/b]. THIS guy is a 'christian' and THAT guy isn't (and WHO defines this?) .......why should one be looked at with higher regard (in the coaching profession).
|
|
|
Post by khalfie on Jan 29, 2009 16:25:12 GMT -6
Hill larry us! 1. Why not simply ask, why men prefer blondes? 2. Can anyone pm me a copy of that "lower case l" playbook?
|
|
|
Post by coachweav88 on Jan 29, 2009 22:46:00 GMT -6
I'd say he's a pretty good coach (even if it is bball). 10 Championships. The way he gets people to understand their role on a team. Pretty amazing. I'd like to post more on this topic, but I still haven't totally got my thoughts together on this. yet. I guess the first question that needs to be answered is what makes a great coach? Then, it is easier to say whether or not someone hypothetically could reach their full potential as a coach. Also, I think success is defined differently by different people so that's more of a subjective issue. just some thoughts. hopefully more to come soon
|
|
|
Post by coachweav88 on Jan 29, 2009 23:16:44 GMT -6
I'm reminded of a story I heard from a sermon.
A seminary professor was about to have open heart surgery. They informed him that he had a choice between two surgeons. One the best surgeon in the country, but he was an athiest. The other surgeon was only average, but he was a Christian. The professor responded, "Give me the athiest. I'll do my own praying."
I guess he was looking for the most competent surgeon, not the most religious person. Maybe that also would work with coaching football.
|
|
|
Post by dhooper on Jan 29, 2009 23:35:28 GMT -6
Great post, I never been a part of a staff thats not Christan's. Something I have wonder when your interviewing for assistant coaches does his religious believe play a factor? I know thats hard. I like to know my assistance have the same values as I do. They don't have to be necessarily Christan's but same values.
|
|
|
Post by khalfie on Jan 29, 2009 23:42:23 GMT -6
I may have been to vague...
with my "why most men like blondes..."
The point was, and is, that the great lie, is that we like what we like.
Its not true... the masses are moved by extremist... the extremist set the end points, and we, the masses, fall somewhere inbetween.
Now I know many of you, immediately said, I could careless about blondes... and its probably true, but our standards of beauty have all been manipulated, by those of influence, whom for whatever reason, find blonde hair blue eyes to be attractive...
Now I say that, to say this...
Some of the most influential people to walk this planet, have been of the religious persuasion.
Hence, people seeking other positions of influence, want to utilize the historical credibility garnered by those religiouslly inclined...
Which is why most bad folks, immediately turn to god, once they have performed the worst of acts. Men seeking positions of influence, try to establish legitimacy and justification by defining themselves as religiously inclined...
True or not... the masses won't know until its too late, but instant credibility can be established through religious affiliations, simply due to the strong history of religion within this country...
And of course... in America, the religion of shoice has been christianity.... hence buddism, hindu, Islam, can not be utilized to garner such legitimacy, and therefore, those that practice said religion don't shout it to the world, because there's no leverage to be gained.
My mother always told me... beware those that scream "praise the lord" the loudest... they need jesus the most.
Those that have a private relationship with the lord, truly understand its importance.
|
|
|
Post by coachweav88 on Jan 30, 2009 9:28:20 GMT -6
using Phil Jackson as a concrete exmple. Would he be a better coach if he followed Jesus? Like I said before, different people have different ideas of what makes a good coach better so I'll list a few and apply them to this example.
Would he win more games? Probably not. Being a Christian doesn't guarantee that you'll win games. God doesn't pick the side who has the most Christians on it or the team that prays the most. Would he be able to teach better? Probably not. Teaching is about having knowledge and the ability to communicate that knowledge. Those are skills that are developed with experience. Becoming a Christian would not change that.
Would he be able to teach more character? It's doubtful. Christianity teaches that no matter how much "character" we have, it still isn't good enough. We still fall short of God's standard. Even "good actions" in and of themselves can be bad. For instance prayer can be a sin if you do it to bring attention to yourself. Helping people can be a sin if you do it with the wrong motivation, (e.g. you do it for some sort of gain for yourself). So if Johnny Christian teaches his team values of humility, loyalty, love, etc. (without teaching about Jesus) they are no better off than if Billy Buddhist teaches his team those same values because both sets of people are without Christ. In addition, teching about Christ doesn't necessarily mean that people will accept Him either. If people rejected Jesus, why wouldn't they reject his followers? So as far as developing people, being a Christian probably wouldn't help him in that department either. Being a Christian MAY help him love people more, because as Christians, God puts His Spirit in us which gives us the capability to love people with His love. We don't always exercise that capability, but we do have it within us. Loving people doesn't necessarily mean that they will change for the better either (Jesus loved everyone, but many people hated him).
So that leads me to conclude that Phil Jackson would not necessarily be a more effective coach if he became a Christian. However, the measure of success in the Christian life is FAITHFULNESS rather than EFFECTIVENESS.
If you are faithful, it doesn't always mean you'll be effective. If you are effective, it doesn't always mean you are being faithful.
Just some thoughts. Take it for what it's worth.
|
|
|
Post by charger109 on Jan 30, 2009 11:07:32 GMT -6
This Post is a good one. I really think that it comes down to what coach you feel is going to give you the best chance to win based off of his knowledge of THE GAME. We already have a problem in some cases with race. Part of having a "healthy" environment in football IMO, is having different views. WE ALL have different views when it comes to play calling, practice planning, etc... and if we respect each others views in all aspects, the outcome is usually a positive one as far as a healthy environment. I am Muslim, and I have not been discriminated against that I am aware of. I am coaching college as a student assistant and everything. Do I think that it may be a problem one day, I hope not, but it may happen. Do I worry about it, yes. In interviews, they don't ask " What is your religion?" If they hire you and find out later, then they may or may not have a different view of you regardless of your record and performance. When most people talk to me, and find out I am Muslim, they go "Oh, well I didn't know that". That is usually after they offer me some Pepperoni pizza and I tell them I can't eat pork IMO, if you are a genuine person and are kind to others and they learn about YOU as a man, then it should not be a problem. The team I was with last year, did team prayer and the coaches and players knew I had a different religion. I didn't leave the room, I just stood there out of respect for the team and I said a prayer to myself. I had a player that would ask if he could step out or say his own prayer and we let him. We never held religious discussions or anything, unless we had a get together at coaches meetings out to eat, when we did, it went very well, because regardless of our differences, w had one goal as a staff that we could not get done without each other. Sorry if this was too long, I just felt it was important to share my view and experience. Good post guys.
|
|
|
Post by gunrun on Jan 30, 2009 14:10:31 GMT -6
I'm reminded of a story I heard from a sermon. A seminary professor was about to have open heart surgery. They informed him that he had a choice between two surgeons. One the best surgeon in the country, but he was an athiest. The other surgeon was only average, but he was a Christian. The professor responded, "Give me the athiest. I'll do my own praying." I guess he was looking for the most competent surgeon, not the most religious person. Maybe that also would work with coaching football. Claiming to be a Christian doesn't make one a better coach. Competency is what matters, like Coach Weaver illustrated. Billy Graham was a great Christian, but that didn't make him a great football coach. Obviously, there are plenty of great non-Christian coaches. Bill Belichick isn't a Christian, but he's a better coach than I'll ever be, even though I may be a Christian. Also, back to the original post, I don't think a person's faith handicaps them as a coach. However, I think faith can be a benefit as a coach. I am a Christian, but I haven't always coached like one. I used to cuss at players if I got frustrated and mad enough. My faith now helps me to be more patient and to better love and communicate with my players. Players are more motivated when they know you care for them, in my opinion. And a better motivated player is a better player. So for me, personally, my faith has helped to make a better coach than I was before, but it doesn't necessarily make me a great coach, or even a better coach than the next guy--just better than I was before. There are qualities such ability to teach fundamentals, x's and o's, etc. that make someone a great coach, not what religion they claim to profess. THIS guy is a 'christian' and THAT guy isn't (and WHO defines this?) .......why should one be looked at with higher regard (in the coaching profession). It is easy to profess to be a Christian. A person or coach who claims to be a Christian should not be held up with higher regard than the coach who does not claim to be a Christian. The Bible in James chapter 2 says to look at the works of a man to gauge their "faith." Unless their "faith" produces good works, it is dead and useless. I was watching the old movie, The Shawshank Redemption, the other night. The guy running the jail claimed to be a Christian, but his evil deeds proved otherwise and showed his "faith" to be dead and useless. Actions speak louder than words, like the saying, "What you do speaks so loudly, I cannot hear a word you are saying."
|
|
|
Post by brophy on Jan 30, 2009 14:47:00 GMT -6
Bill Belichick isn't a Christian, but he's a better coach than I'll ever be, even though I may be a Christian. didn't he go to a Methodist college? What determines if a coach is labelled as a Christian? If he practices, or if he professes?
|
|
|
Post by dubber on Jan 30, 2009 17:02:00 GMT -6
Brophy, I really want to contribute something to the conversation, but sometimes I am too stupid to understand what EXACTLY you are asking.
But here goes:
I have to disagree with the premise (henceforth known as P)
P: Our premise is that good coaching is aided by Christianity. The subsequent question is how other faiths affect coaching. The subsequent, imo, is irrelevant without establishing the premise.
{sidebar: What IS relevant/interesting/important, is how other religious faithed persons 'fit' into the football culture. That is, how would non-traditional faiths function in traditional faith atmospheres, ESPECIALLY inside the atmosphere of football, which is about winning, not personal salvation. That is, will a Muslim coach ever stalk the sidelines of ND? What kind of troubles would a Jewish offensive coordinator run into coaching in the Bible belt? Would a Hindu coach have trouble recruiting in Wisconsin? Would their expertise and prowess as coaches over or under sahdow their metaphysical beliefs?}
I don't believe "Christian activities" equate to better, more disciplined athletes. Plenty of the "take a knee and pray" guys before the game are the "you f---ing suck" guys at halftime. Not even Jesus' directly spoken words reached everyone (or even most), as the Pharisees and upper class were unable to comprehend the parables. If my Strong Safety doesn't want to listen to me read Psalms 73, he won't.....
What does create better, more disciplined athletes is, uh, discipline and the weightroom. Action creates the attitude. Holding players to expectations and making them responsible is what makes truly solid teams. It is about RELATIONSHIPS AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
Now, some serious Christian coaches (think Tom Osborne) do the discipline BECAUSE of their faith. At that point, faith may be the river that feeds the various ponds or sections of a coaches' life.
Still, other non-Christian coaches have a Kantian view on discipline/running-a-team-the-way-it-ought-to-be-ran.....we clean the lockerroom every night because that is what we are suppose to do. The sense of duty is still there, even though the Bible is not.
Would any other religion take a less than "what it takes to win"/"doing things the right way" approach?
I don't think so.
That being said, I believe this question gains relevance with the growing popularity of football (actually soccer may be a good case study), and with the increasing diversification of the US.
Brophy, somewhere in there, did I seem to "get" the question?
|
|
|
Post by coachinghopeful on Jan 30, 2009 20:39:41 GMT -6
I guess the ancillary question would be, with as much as we put into prayer breakfasts and Coalition of Christian Coaches, how many of us (or our communities) would {censored} the bed if Crosstown High was being run by a bunch of _ (insert contrarian religion)__? Also, does one HAVE to affix themselves to a 'denomination' to be considered a good person? Could we do chicken-dinner fundraisers with the Sadhu Vaswani Hindu Cultural Center (as opposed to the 1st Baptist Tabernacle)? WOW... a respectful, adult discussion on religion in sports?! Brophy, I knew you were a smart football coach, but have you ever thought about visiting the Middle East? ;D To the question at hand, I don't care personally, nor do I think it makes a bit of difference in relating to kids or teaching effectively. I would actually like to see a lot more diversity of faiths, ethnic backgrounds, etc in football, coaching, and sports in general. More power to all the Hindus and Muslims out there who want to get involved! As everyone else has said, what really matters is his values as a person and his devotion to the kids. For all the focus on differences and customs, people the world over more or less agree on the basics of what's "good" and what's "bad." Hard work, persistence, respect, dedication, charisma, discipline... these are all good HUMAN characteristics. Not necessarily Christian or even religious ones. I also think that a lot of time "Christian" is really more of a code word for "white or black and decent." Many an atheist has been called a "good, Christian man" because he treats people well. This thread reminds me of a story I heard about Bruce Pearl, the beloved basketball coach at the University of Tennessee. On a radio call in show a while back, a lady called in and praised him for instilling "Good Christian values" in his team and was gushing over how wonderful it was to see such "fine Christian young men" representing the school. Pearl paused for a minute, and graciously replied, "Well thank you for the compliments, ma'am, but you should know that I'm Jewish and a couple of our hardest working players are Muslim." The woman gasped and hung up. From personal experience, though, I can say that bigotry is alive and well, which can undercut a great coach in some places through no fault of his own. It's not the coach's problem, though. It's the community's and spineless administration's. I grew up in a very conservative part of the country where I know that any coach who would merely talk openly about a different faith than the rest of the population would be run out of town on a rail. As a kid I got a lot of flack from my classmates because I didn't attend church--my parents just didn't want to go for their own reasons--and because I didn't know how to recite or conduct myself during prayers at school events since I'd never prayed before. It's still that way. We had no Muslims, no Jews, no Hindus or anything else in our schools. The handful of Catholic and Mormon kids had to put up with teasing, though as far as I know it rarely got too serious. I am embarrassed to say that some of my teammates enjoyed bullying the atheist, gay, goth, and punk kids (basically anyone who was "different."). A couple of our then-assistants, one of whom became HC my Senior year, knew and condoned it. I'm not sure if their religious beliefs played a role or not, though. That and a $17 million sexual harrassment lawsuit probably contributed to their firing a few years later. It's not been that long ago that my hometown made the national news because a very small, very vocal group of parents claimed that using fairy tales to teach elementary school children to read was secretly an evil plot to corrupt their good Christian kids and turn them into little satanists--no, I'm not exaggerating. They were actively telling their kids not to do their schoolwork and to disobey their "anti-Christian" teachers. Every so often people here still make very public scenes demanding that religion be actively brought into the schools and government. Just about any local community here would have a fit if any non-Christian (or even a non-specific-and-accepted-denomination-Christian) became a coach or teacher and started talking to kids about his religious or spiritual beliefs. There would be a few overprotective parents who would literally jump at the opportunity to file a lawsuit in the name of sticking up for Jesus, even if the coach was being respectful of everyones' beliefs and never did anything wrong. It's not right, but that's just how people are in some places. They see other faiths as threats, and the adherents as godless and untrustworthy. This doesn't represent the majority of people, and it's not a uniquely American or a Christian trait, but a few people who want to make a lot of noise can cause problems, and nothing gets those types stirred up like religious differences.
|
|
|
Post by coachweav88 on Jan 30, 2009 21:08:23 GMT -6
"Every attempt to impose the gospel by force, to run after people and proselytize them, to use our own resources to arrange the salvation of other people, is both futile and dangerous." -Dietrick Bonhoeffer The Cost of Discipleship
|
|