Tim Tebow’s Eyes Say John 3:16

I don’t know, I suspect the average person will not instantly convert to Christianity based on seeing a quick flash of some numbers. I don’t particularly feel threatened by it.

He does not represent the government nor is in in a position of authority over anyone else, so I don’t particularly care what he does. It’s like wearing a cross – it’s a personal choice that impacts no one else, so why get all worked up about it? It’s silly, I don’t agree with him, but I am not about to start condoning censorship.

CheerfulAtheist, I appreciate your stand against censorship. I believe that if someone wants to say “There is ‘No God’” or say “The Lord is my Saviour” then they should have that right. Tim Tebow is not the property of the University of Florida, discrediting any church/state debate, and the NCAA should not ban players from expressing religious, political, or cultural views. If a football player wanted to quote Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, or the Koran, then they should be allowed to. I am highly supportive of Tebow’s openness about his religion. If he truly believes that salvation only comes through the Lord, then it makes sense that Tebow would want to spread it.
Andrew

Tim is probably wearing that message on his face as a means of self motivation and self faith, just as one would wear a cross around the neck.
and of course if a few people are saved by the word of jesus christ the better

The problem isn’t that Mr. Tebow is allowed to speak with his eye shadow, it’s the probable reaction to a similar atheist message. The coach or the school or the NCAA would not allow it. However, Hemant (and I) only assume that would happen. What we need is a test case. Any atheist athletes out there?

John 3:16 is a bit disturbing when you think about it. You have this supposedly omnipotent deity who can create the entire universe and all life in only 6 days just by talking it into existence. Yet, in order to provide human beings with everlasting life (even though we still die) he has to torture and kill his own son (who is also him) in a particularly brutal and violent fashion. What sort of sick God is this who creates these convoluted solutions to problems of his own devising?

Still if it helps some Floridian footballer to achieve greater confidence in his game or to intimidate his opponents then who am I to judge?

As for Philippians 4:13 I am again concerned that players don’t seem to realise how much of an investment their trainers and supporters put in them. If Tim really can “do all things” then why waste his time with an entertainment, why not cure cancer or Aids or feed the world’s starving? Is it because he is playing to his strengths that are assisted by a plethora of able helpers and Jesus is only a factor in building and maintaining his confidence? I think it is.

I find myself increasingly intolerant of public displays of faith the more I see them. Whatever happened to faith in a personal God?

Well, good for John. If anybody tells him he can’t do it, I hope he’ll send them my way so I can set them straight.

And, no, he probably wouldn’t get away with displaying an atheistic message. That’s because the persecuted Christian majority…uh, actually I’m not sure just how that works.

I do not see the offense here. I could understand if he had the actual words of the verse written on his face, but displaying the reference in which to find the words, atleast to me, does not seem offensive. If an Islamic player had a page number in the Koran on his face I wouldnt be bothered either. Even still if an atheist had a chapter and page number of Darwin’s “Origin of Species” I would not be offended. We should be cautious and want to preserve our right of Freedom of Speech, even if we do not always agree.

Don’t you have better things to think about? So what if someone wants to show his faith? Not long ago, before the 12% of the population’s atheists decided to team up with the ACLU and wrestle for control through the courts, it wasn’t a big deal. Why is it that people with no faith have an issue with those that do? If your life is that miserable you probably need faith.

Hoverfrog — you need help and clearly have a focus issue, among others I’m sure
The vast majority of the people in this country have no issue with this. Last time I checked the U.S. was still a democracy.

It is best if religion is practiced privately and the sport remains secular, focus on the game not the advertising or p[ropoganda or whatever.

You do make a good point with the “There is”, “No God” alternative. It seems that the extreme Christians recently were outraged at private billboard space on buses in the US and now in England, where athiest messages are posted.

It’s better for everyone involved if the advertising is left out of the public arena.

Uh, my guess is that atheists are not that well represented among football players, and ESPECIALLY among football coaches.

In all honesty, those who care most about spreading reason would be far more likely to be found in the science lab.

Besides: what if Tebow got hurt in a play? No one would think anything. But if a QB with an atheist message (how could you code it to fit under the eyes anyway?) were to get hurt, the woos ’round the country would be exclaiming “see, that is our god, getting him for that”

The bigger problem, as I see it, is that genetically gifted mesomorphs are considered role models because they are big, stong and can run fast.

Who is really more important anyway? The athlete or the person who chips in on a cure for a disease? (yes, I know about the Florida State player who is a Rhodes scholar; there are exceptions)

At the end of the game, when asked if he would return to UF for his senior year, or go to the NFL and make Thunderbucks, his reply went something like this:

“I don’t know… but I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ [for helping us beat those panty-waist Sooners]”

OK, the bracketed part is my embellishment, but you get the point.

Meh. It’s tribal warpaint; I don’t have a problem with people adorning themselves with spells and magic symbols to protect them during battle (real or ritualized). It’s useless and silly, but they can go ahead and do it if they want.

I am slightly concerned that a secular or non-theist message would cause an unfounded outrage, but then again I’d tend to look askance at an atheist athlete who felt it necessary to paint on a magic spell of atheistical protection.

hoverFrog – Explain to me how you think everything got here. Then explian to me what made that happen and then how all of it got together and made everthing. Tell me why it rains? Not how… why. Did some star crash into the ocean and send up little particles of water and they happen to fall from the sky. Now tell me how that happened and on and on. Science can only prove so much. There has to be a beginging point and anything, example God, that can ceate itself can certainly create us and everything we see. There is more to life than science. I hope you all understand this before it’s to late. God did not intend for life to be this way but he gave us our freedom and Adam and Eve chose not to obey the rules so life was no longer perfect. Then God allowed sacrifices and we got worse and worse and finally He decided the only way we would be saved was through Himself. So he recreates himself as a human, dies in order to save everyone, even you, and only asks that they believe in salvation through Jesus. Think of how you were made. It wasn’t just your parents having sex. it was all the processes after. WHAT??? could make that???? Science can’t do it without the body fluids. Even cloning has to start with things from the body. Jesus and God, who are the same LOVE you no matter what you say or do! Just accept it. Just ask Jesus to come into your life and heart and forgive you of your sins so you can have eternal life in a perfect place. That’s all it requires. Don’t question it with science.

Problem is, there is NO WAY the team or the NCAA would allow “Praise Allah” to be written on his jagoff eyepatches. You think we have feeedom of expression here? America is a theocracy no different than the TALIBAN

Scott:

You’re going to have to try harder than that if you want to get moderated away here.

I’d like to see the opposing Middle Linebacker facing him with eyeblack saying DEUT 23:1.

Ah intolerent anti-Christian bigotry lives on.

Eh. Who gives a shit about college sports/football anyway?

Scott,

And it applies to the majority as well, not just people who hate God

Atheists don’t hate god. We just don’t believe in him/her. Do you hate unicorns? Fairies? Santa? And while most of us have no problem with Tim Tebow wearing whatever mythical items he desires below his eyes, we’re interested to know if he would have been accepted had he had “There is, No god” or “Praise, Allah” under his eyes.

Seriously, I think people who complain about little stuff like this should actually get out and do something good for the community instead of wasting your time bitching.

You mean like people who get upset when I say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas?” Or the people who get pissed when a U.S. Congressman swears on the Koran instead of the Bible? Or the people who boycott Disney for having “Gay Days”? Or people who support “Saving Private Ryan”, with all of its shrapnel-ripping-flesh goodness being shown uncensored on public television, but get upset when a nipple is displayed for a nanosecond? Or the people in the 90′s who wanted cursed NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf for using his religious freedom to express his religious and poltical views by not saluting and turning his back on the U.S. Flag before games?

If Tebow wishes to walk aroud campus ( as an individual) with his eyes on his sleeve, so be it. But when he is a part of a public institution and representing same he must keep his messages secular. We do not pay taxes for education to promote a certain religion. I believe it is a question of separation of church and state and the Gator coaches made a serious error in allowing it. Tim should have attended Notre Dame or Boston College they needed him.

Spurs Fan,

Nice effort. You explained our position well. But honestly, it was probably a waste of your time. Folks like Scott don’t “get it.”

trader: “If Tebow wishes to walk aroud campus (as an individual) with his eyes on his sleeve, so be it. But when he is a part of a public institution and representing same he must keep his messages secular.”

I don’t see how the establishment clause of the First Amendment would apply here. There is no serious likelihood that Tebow’s face-painted Bible verses would be confused for any official endorsement of religion, which is what that clause is about.

With the risk of severe head and brain injuries football players face, I wonder if Jesus would approve of such a violent game?

http://img363.imageshack.us/my.php?image=3000157tq2.jpg

Invariably, those people that are the least confident in their beliefs have the most need to constantly be putting them out for public consumption, as well as to be always proslytizing. Those secure in their faith don’t have to be always sticking it in everyone’s face.

OTOH, since I’m a Gator (1979), if it helps Tebow to believe that Jesus is a Gator too, more power to him. I didn’t really find it annoying for him to have “John 3:16″ on his face, I thought it was rather amusing that he didn’t realize what it says about him.

We have a fast food chain out here that prints “John 3:16″ on the bottom of their soda cups, “Proverbs 3:5″ on the milkshake cup, “Revelation 3:20″ on the hamburger wrappers, and “Nahum 1:7″ on the double hamburger wrappers. It’s pretty low key, and it started when the founder’s son became “born again.” Certainly it’s less annoying than what Alaska Airlines does. I won’t fly on Alaska Airlines because of it. Plus In ‘N Out treats their employees very well, and it’s a well managed company. I was impressed when I was in one of their restaurants and someone came in and asked if he could sweep the parking lot in exchange for some food and the manager readily agreed.

Now lettuce pray.

No one; Atheist, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, etc.; gives up their right to display their religious views or lack of them just because they are in public. We do not give away our right to freedom of expression just because we are elected to public office or have our pictures put on TV.

If you want to get Christian messages out of the public square, spend your time putting forth cogent, persuasive arguments against it.

I’m sure that Tim Tebow cares not a jot for me or my opinions Hank. It isn’t a matter of feeling threatened either even though I consider some opinions and practices of Christians could potentially threaten me and others. That I think it is stupid and without value is not the same as feeling threatened.

It isn’t even that we rail on a guy because he has faith. More in the way that he chooses to express this faith. To me I perceive him not as a man with faith to support him but as a caricature or joke who paints odd biblical references on his face.

Interesting as a WWJD? moment.

Can you picture Jesus with “John” “3:16″ written under his eyes? (Sick irony to that particular verse, for him-as-a-human.)

In football, what position would Jesus play? Would smiting, excorsising demons, and performing miracles during the game violate the rules? I don’t remember anything from the NT about super-human strength, but he could call on the Holy Spirit for a bit of a boost, and he would presumably have an “in” with the big guy at those pre-game prayers.

With all the problems in the world.. war, starvation, etc. Do you really think God cares about a football game? Give me a break Tebow, keep your religion where it belongs, your home and church, not a football field. What if he lost the game, what does God think of him then? It all is pure stupidity.

why do you care if he promotes his faith?

Wade, I’m sure you mean well but I have plenty of very good reasons to reject belief in gods of any kind. I started writing about this last week on Off The Map if you’re interested in exploring common atheist reasons.

Science is an excellent tool to test the validity of a claim. For example geological strata throughout the globe shows not a jot of evidence for a global flood event that is consistent with the biblical Flood myth.

Organic molecules (this is not molecules from organisms but a certain kind of molecule) have been detected on comets. Similar comets undoubtedly struck the forming Earth.

If you don’t believe that we share a common ancestor with apes and monkeys, a different idea than being descended from them altogether, then try reading about evolution and examining the vast amount of evidence that supports it. It really is fascinating stuff with genuine, real world applications.

I hope you will listen to reason and not science that is created by humans and probably has some huge errors in it.

Science is really the application of reason to better understand the world based on observable facts. It is not really possible to separate reason from science. Of course scientists make mistakes, sometimes the evidence leads in strange directions. Fortunately science has a mechanism to correct this and reduce human error. Religion has no such mechanism. Which is often unfortunate.

I think we got our “censorship” test case.
Two weeks ago Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor had eye black saying “Vick”, as an homage to recently free NFL QB Michael Vick (who killed and tortured dogs while financing an illegal dog fighting ring).

He failed to impress anyone with his explanation of why he chose to wear Vick’s name on his eye black. His coach, Jim Tressel, put an end to it by saying, “Any messages or symbols on players eye black will be strictly “government issue” from here on in”. Basically, it will have an Ohio State logo, or nothing.

I’d bet the house that next season, the NCAA will adopt the same attitude as Coach Tressel.

I’m not what you’d call a religious man myself… but i’ll be praying for Timmy’s health given the hit he took last night and the subsequent “issues” that followed.

Go Gators!

I feel that Tebow is well within his human rights to display bibical markings on his face, arms or where ever he wants. What is the difference in this and all the gross and indecent tatoos we are all subject to viewing everywhere?

I admire him or any one who will go outside the box for his convictions, and then have critics try to pick him a part.

God bless him and others who love our Lord!

As an internet atheist, I