Yeah, but it's really annoying. We know that hes a Christian and he loves Jesus, but he doesn't need to say it every damn time. Thats what praying at the table and praying before bed is for, I don't want to hear it when I watch TV, if I did, I would watch those crappy religious channels.

Good write-up, Rich...

@Billy Mays: Hey Billy, I totally hear you loud & clear re: those crappy religious channels. However, Tebow says absolutely nothing that even remotely resembles what those crappy religious channels spout.

Billy - I guess the point of my post and my question to you is... Why do you think it bothers you when he says it?

I'm a Cowboys fan (I know, boo-hiss!) but Tebow's passion is pretty refreshing...grew up a mile away from Giants Stadium in Rutherford but my folks got me a Cowboy's jacket from the local thrift store and I've been following "America's Team" ever since :)

religion is widely accepted in sports... ive been i die hard sports fan since i was a kid and you always see teams praying before n after games, and when they win big games or awards they always thank god.
Rich- if tebow was a muslim and thanks allah and talked about being a muslim as much as he talks about christianity how do you think he'd be treated. if tebow was jewish, buhdist, or muslim he'd be getting distroyed in the media right now

1) Timothy Tebow bows to honor the Name of God
2) Timothy Tebow honors the name of the evil pagan goddess NIKE with what he wears (the evil pagan goddess NIKE worshipped for victory over 2000 years ago and still worshipped today in Paganism)
3) God and an increasing number of Christians see a problem with that

This is what God has to say...
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:10-12

both overt and covert acts of thanks to God are frowned on by the secular left who despise any acknowledgement of a supreme being as long as it is not the politically correct flavor of the decade ie Islam

Great thoughts everyone. I admire anyone who has the chutzpah to proclaim their faith in public and to live by those beliefs. We live in a free country based upon Judeo Christian values & I thank G-d every day that I live in this great country. IMHO...people mock others because they are unsure of their own beliefs & insecure with who they are. G-d bless Tim Tebow & may G-d continue to bless all those who believe in love & compassion for all. BTW...Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a very Happy & Healthy New Year to all!

Nobody would care about Tim Tebow's relentless verbalizing of his faith were it not for the fact that his faith has as part of its doctrine prosetelyzing and conversion of nonbelievers. Combined with an increasing "Christianization" of politics, it's making for a national environment that appears to those of us who are not Christians to be hostile to our own beliefs (or lack of same, as atheists in this country are even less trusted than child molesters). The whole "Christianer-Than-Thou" thing that's gone on in the GOP for the last three decades is part of what is creating this environment. If Tim Tebow, or anyone else for that matter, derives strength and the ability to get through this level of reality through his beliefs, that's his business. But when he has the hubris to believe that his deity thinks he is SO important that said deity micromanages his life, he opens the door to ridicule. It's not his faith that bothers people, it's his hubris. What was that about the meek inheriting the earth again?

While I personally do not find Tebow's religious antics particularly offensive, it is relatively easy to see why some individuals would find them offensive.
In times of crises, with people out of work, homeless people starving and without shelter, with military crises around the globe, religion and prayer serve as sanctuaries for those in trouble.
Somehow viewing Tebow's weekly "thanks to God for allowing me to score touchdowns and my team to win" seems somewhat trite in the face of all that.

I'll tell you the real reason for Tebow hate-& it has very little to do with his beliefs. It has to do with the undeserved credit he's getting on the field because so many folks want to elevate him to hero due to this character he is playing and be portrayed as OFF the field.
Real fans are not interested in the NFL being tainted by the pop culture virus that has infected music & other aspects of our culture. We want to watch players play football, thats all. We don't care about these guys' personal lives-at all. Most of them are criminals, spoiled buffoons, or insane trash.
What is happening now is a joke. If you watch the games objectively, it is easy to see that Tebow is an AWFUL QB. But he plays on a team that has been winning lately-primarily on the strength of what may be right now the best defense in football & clutch special teams. Tebow isn't the reason they're winning, he's the reason they aren't winning by 30. But that's not the story being shouted across America these few weeks. We're being sold some nonsense that the worst player on the field is in fact some kind of "winner", simply because there's a demographic in this country that wants this "nice Christian boy" to be something that he isn't. Meanwhile, it distracts from and cheapens what is actually going on in the games.
Looking forward to reality settling in. Tebow will be out of the league within 2 yrs.

@Howard... hey, hope you've been well! Tebow has never attributed any win to God. All he does is give thanks to the God he believes is sovereign & good

@B&B... nearly everyone proselytizes intentionally or unintentionally. Whether it be in the realm of religion or sports team or product, it's a fact of life. I've worked in the advertising industry which spends hundreds of billions of dollars to 'proselytize.'

@Buddy... whoa, so you're saying the fact that his teammates love playing with and for him doesn't inspire their play at all? I'd beg to differ. And do you really believe the media attention he's garnered 'cheapens' what actually goes on in the games? Hasn't it given each and every one of us something to discuss & debate and even disagree amicably about? Isn't this what life is about and doesn't professional sports mirror some aspect of our lives in some way? I truly believe so...

Sure, his 'private' persona has spilled into his 'public' one on a scale that's making him larger-than-life. But let's remember that there's so much consistency in his character both on and off the field, and I believe that is to be applauded.

Tebow ain't not nowhere close to being perfect a a football player and human being, but he knows that all too well which is why he needs & professes Jesus as his perfect Savior. Guys like him and Pat Tillman should be honored, cherished, and pointed to as wonderful examples of living truthfully & passionately.

Clearly god is not a Dolphin, Raider, Chief, Jet, Charger, Viking or Bear fan. HA. The way I see it is, and I do not believe in god or religion at all but I love Tebow. In this day and age where it seems like all athletes care about is themselves and their fast expensive cars (aka B.Jacobs) or bring a gun to a club (aka Plax) or accused of rape (aka Big Ben) or make a mockery of their sport by holding a 1 hour press conference to tell the world where he will be bringing his talents (aka LeBron). Tebow is genuinely a good guy. He has respect for his opponents, teammates, coaches, and the fans. I don't know if I would want him as my starting QB but he would make a great son-in-law.

Plus every time I hear the word Tebow all I think of is this: http://youtu.be/gXTlAJrgGEY

You made some very good points Pastor Rich. One point, mentioning God isn’t always so bad, but you mention Jesus and people shudder, as if they are expecting Jimmy Swaggart to appear and start condemning people to hell. It is because for a lot of people--the Christians they have seen, did not lead a Christian life; thus, why people view Christians as hypocrites. So why is society up in arms with Tebow thanking Jesus? It's a strange and foreign concept to a non-believer. Lack of knowledge or proper exposure to the Bible I think scares people who have that little part of them that knows there is a higher power, just have yet to accept and be grateful for it. Not that I want people to follow Jesus because their public figures or hero's follow and believe in Jesus--but if we had more Tebows out there I think it would strike up some curiosity amongst the masses. It bothers me that people judge Tebow for his faith. (What are we in the days of the Salem Witch trials?) Seriously, for a non-believer/Football or Bronco's fan--what does his faith have to do with you watching a game? You know who else was ridiculed for his beliefs’...JESUS. I think it is refreshing to see a public figure profess his faith! I bet Tebow has an amazing testimony that would ‘change some minds’ about faith and the love of Jesus.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I can definitely see why news outlets put out stories about Tebow. It definitely gets people's attention.

In the news of the strange:

Two Long Island high-school students have been suspended for Tebowing in the hallways of the school.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/7357978/high-school-athletes-suspended-tebowing

The legend grows...

@ Christine - Wonderful thoughts. It's true, there are so many people who profess to be followers of a certain religion but who don't live their lives according to the tenants of that religion: these are poor examples of people of faith. If more people lived the true word of G-d, we would be in a much better place. The most important Commandment (no matter what religion you believe or if you believe in nothing at all) is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Just think how much peace would encompass the world if we all followed that one simple action?!? I'm a Jew and seeing or hearing a Christian or any other person profess their faith does not offend me at all. Hearing an atheist or agnostic explain their point of view doesn't offend me. I can learn from many different people why they believe what they do. Again as long as their saviour or whatever they believe in has taught them true compassion for others and prompts them to act positively and proactively toward their fellow human beings, I'm "down with that". Let's all lighten up on Tim Tebow, he appears to be a fine young man who believes in something larger than himself and seems to be living his life in accordance to those beliefs. Let's all look inward during this holiday season and throughout the years to try to be the best people we can be, reach out to others and live lives that elevate us to a higher spiritual level. Thanks Pastor Lee for prompting this conversation.

@ Won - No. I simply don't care. None of the discussion about Tebow changes the fact that he is the worst starting QB in the league. The very simple fact in all of this is that if Tebow isn't being built up because of the Jesus aspect, we wouldn't be talking about him at all. Take that away, and we're properly talking about the Broncos defense and the wonderful coaching job John Fox is doing instead of this gimmick. Like I said, I look forward to the inevitable end of this winning streak and quick demise of Tebow's career so we can be done with this silliness. I'm not interested in football being hijacked by Entertainment Tonight.

Pat Tillman and Tim Tebow have nothing in common but the NFL. Tillman was a man who cared deeply enough about his country to turn his back on a big NFL contract to do what he thought was right in fighting for the country he loved. It was only after he was in the war that he realized the lies he'd been told. Go rent "The Pat Tillman Story" and find out the kind of true hero Pat Tillman was...a hero who would never have wanted people to think he was. Pat Tillman was a man of deep convictions, some of them at odds with the war he enlisted to fight -- and that may very well be why he was killed by his own guys. Tim Tebow is a third-choice quarterback with a 49% completion rate who is ONLY being elevated to near-deity status by the media and by people who think one has to do Big Religious Demonstrations to prove their piety. Tim Tebow may very well walk the walk in terms of his charitable works (though I would like to know if any of his charity work involves charity for its own sake, not to recruit more soldiers for Jesus) but he is nowhere in the same league as Pat Tillman.

@B&B... Hey, thanks for your opinion. I disagree, and I know about Pat Tillman. You perhaps should read up some more on Tebow's life as well.

I don't look for the quick demise of anyone's career unless it's a career based in crime. If someone is destined to fail, they'll fail on their own but I don't wish failure perhaps due to that "karma thing"....what goes around comes around. If he's an awful quarterback, then he won't succeed and that's that! Nuff said!

It is a crime when someone is stealing a job from someone else who deserves it more for reasons that have nothing to do with their qualifications.

I think it’s great that Mr. Tebow has the courage to publicly acknowledge his faith and its influence in his life. Many like myself keep my faith to myself but do so because I tend to be self-conscious. Yet I don’t doubt for a minute my faith has influenced the positive aspects of my life, its decisions and actions.

I personally believe there is one God who has many faces and is reflected in Christianity, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim and other organized faiths that ultimately suggest we be reflective to treat each with respect and compassion. Some may warp their faith to an edge but it’s usually those that forget they are not god or authorized to judge. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:2

To be sure what I respect most of Tebow’s active display of his faith is its initiation of discussion. It refreshing that faith is associated with positive outcomes over the unfortunate extremism extracted from the Muslim faith’s fringe.

"Here's the thing," writes Pastor Lee, "I'm convinced that if he thanked 'Yahweh' or 'Allah' no one would think twice about it."

If he thanked "Yahweh," my guess is hardly anyone would know what he was talking about (and those who did might know the ancient word was considered too Holy to utter.) But if he thanked "Allah" -- no one would "think twice about it"?

Really?!?

That statement is so demonstrably preposterous (think Loew's for instance), and so typical of the shameless demagoguery many so-called "evangelicals" use to rile up their flocks (not that Pastor Lee is necessarily one them), that for me it tends to undermine his entire piece.

Not that he doesn't make a valid point. I'm not very familiar with Tim Tebow's interviews or his sideline kneeling poses. I do think that whether crossing one's chest at a foul-line or kneeling before or after a touchdown, one needs to be very careful, lest faith devolve into superstitious magic. But I agree that elements of our secular world can be quick to overreact to any expression of religious faith.

On the other hand, if Mr. Tebow truly wants to be an effective witness, he needs to consider where true witness leaves off and ostentation begins. Another Biblical passage may be pertinent here:

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full." (Matthew 6:5)

JeffO- I agree with what you said. After I posted the blog, I recognized that the statement was inaccurate and imprecise. I appreciate your well thought-out comment.

The Matthew 6 passage was referring to hypocrisy and I don't think any of the criticism against Tebow is that he's a hypocrite. But duly noted.

I don't think Tebo is a hypocrite, though he may need to reflect more carefully on unintended consequences. For instance: Reading the ESPN story you posted above, with 40 kids eventually joining in on a kneeling "joke" between classes, it seems to me that this was more of an adolescent lark than any genuine outpouring of faith.

Also in my opinion, there are certainly hypocrites on the Tebow bandwagon. In the last Iowa debate, Rick Perry, who approved this exploitative, truth-warping exercise in wedge politics -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PAJNntoRgA -- calculatingly compared his candidacy to Tebow's quarterbacking.

Isn't hating someone because they demonstrate their adherence to a religion a form of intolerance and religous bigotry? this mostly occurs from people that say they are Agnostic or Atheist.

I think the mere fact that he is so open about his faith should be respected. There are not many people who are exposed on the national level that would be so uninhibited about any belief, let alone one that is religious. However, as we all know that ones public vs private persona can differ greatly. Let's hope for once that some actually both 'talks the talk' and 'walks the walk'.

Will reply at length later, but in the meantime, you guys might find this article a worthwhile read - http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7319858/the-people-hate-tim-tebow

By the way, nice post, Rich.

WOW! Judgement central here! I will leave his truth where it belongs, between Tebow and his God. I am just grateful that he is not one of those dancing, pelvis thrusting, kissing up to God end zone characters. While their entertaining, I am glad my kids have an option to see out there!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul2dhNaQgxM

this really puts it into perspective