There has been much debate and outrage at the seven Sea Eagles players refusing to play in the Manly Pride jersey.
This has lead to many personal attacks on these players and on religion from media personalities, fellow sports stars and political commentators; yet there hasn’t been any real perspective from a Christian.
I will attempt to speak to those who are not religious to try and explain where we are coming from.
The biggest issue I have is that the point of the jersey is to encourage inclusiveness, which I find ironic as almost half of the Manly team are excluded from the team.
How can you want all people to feel like they are accepted, yet force them to wear jerseys which oppose beliefs so sacred to them?
Will a gay athlete wear an Islamic-themed jersey? Islam is quite explicit in its opposition to homosexuality. If the gay athletes refuses to wear will they be an Islamophobe?
I don’t agree with this sentiment; I understand why a gay athlete would not wear the jersey as it antithetical to their views.
The same logic can be applied to the Manly players. Sonny Bill Williams refused wearing a jersey with a betting sponsor as it went against his religion. The same goes for AFLW player Haneen Zreika, who refused wear GWS’ pride jersey earlier this year on religious grounds; yet it seems Christians are the ones who cop the scrutiny.
Another piece of irony is that prayers by players kneeling in a circle are broadcast on TV after every game. Hymns sung by the Fijians before every game are often applauded and bring up no controversy.
These are all Christian forms of worship. This is the same religion now confronted by ridicule, yet happily shown on TV.
Futhermore, I challenge the so-called hypocrisy people accuse Christians of for picking and choosing what parts of the religion to follow.
Despite players wearing a jersey with “Pointsbet”, a gambling company, on it and playing in a stadium sponsored by a beer company “4 Pines”, they have no objection to either.
So having a beer or wine (Jesus drank wine) or putting on a bet while avoiding being greedy and being a slave to money is fine.
Laws such as not cutting hair, playing on the Sabbath and eating shellfish are all examples of Mosiac Law, which were directed to people for that specific time in history and don’t apply to us now. We have verses in the New Testament which supersede the laws on cutting hair, working on the Sabbath and eating shellfish.
However, homosexuality is something that has been classified as sin in both the Old and New Testament, hence why it’s still forbidden in Christianity.
Now we have established why Christians can drink alcohol and gamble but not engage in homosexuality.
We firmly believe that we should treat homosexuals no differently to anyone else; we believe “love thy neighbour” and Jesus encouraged us to help and care for the prosecuted.
In fact, my priest two months ago urged us to not judge homosexuals as we ourselves are sinners, but to stand up for them when they are subjected to abuse and homophobic slurs, and I actively do that.
Despite our differences, we are all human. We are just against the sin itself not the sinner; the act not the person. That’s why there is such objection to wearing the pride jumper, as it is a form of advertising a sin.
This would be no different to wearing a jersey advertising adultery or stealing. We cannot encourage sin.
But just because we don’t promote homosexuality doesn’t mean we can’t coexist and be civil.
Kyle Sandilands has said some outright offensive rhetoric about our religion but is protected by freedom of speech; I ask can we be afforded that same luxury?
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
I work with a Sikh, a Buddhist and someone who might be described as being from the ‘alt left’. We get along fine, as we acknowledge and respect our differences without the need to force it upon each individual.
I am going to conclude with my experience with Pacific Islanders, in particular Samoans and Tongans, who hail from nations where 97 percent of the population is Christian – and homosexuality is illegal.
They have grown up with their family and friends who go to church every week, pray together and read the gospel, sing hymns and many more things.
Chances are you would probably have the same views as the seven players if you grew up in the same environment. I imagine those seven players are similar to me, in that we believe God is real and the Bible is the truth, which means you must do your best to follow it as there is a danger of going to hell and burning forever if not followed correctly without repenting.
I understand most readers will laugh this off but we believe this with all our hearts. So please learn to respect our faith.
It’s vital there is dialogue between all involved parties, where we can all practice our beliefs with a mutual understanding of respect regardless of our diametrically opposed views.
Daffyd
Roar Rookie
Socialism? China is a communist country. Russia, when it was a part of the Soviet Union was also. Russia is now a right wing dictatorship. But regardless of that, your question does not make sense.
spaceman
Roar Rookie
Do you think if you were a socialist in the Soviet Union or China under Mao .... and you were forced to purchase dead body parts at markets to eat them, how would you describe that?
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
bet you select certain passages from the bible to preach to your kids about and to judge others on, yet you "conveniently" ignore other passages in it. the bible is the word of god so you should believe all passages in it. you're in denial and ignorant.
spaceman
Roar Rookie
You do realize that Jesus was a rebel against the church, that is what “Christ”ianity was all about … the new testament …. that the church ..”was the state” question to you is … is NRL “your church”? is the NRL supplying your church obligations?
spaceman
Roar Rookie
are you talking about things that happened in the past in general? am i teaching to my kids what things were like in the past? ... is that what your saying? you don't carry your own cross, the people you were born to, your family line was part of that ... yet you don't take responsibility for your families heritage and their "as you claim" crimes against humanity .... haha ... you woke
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
Lets not forget all of the Televangelists who bilk Grandma out of her life savings. How about those “God fearing” people who are killng other “God fearing” people because they don’t fear God in the same way. And there’s the “anti abortn / pro life” Christians who mrder Doctors
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
If you have a daughter I hope she doesn’t lose her virgnity before marriage otherwise all of the men in your town will have to stone her to deth (Deuteronomy 22:20-21), or that your kids don’t curse you or your wife otherwise they are to be put to deth (Leviticus 20:9)
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
so reciting passages from the bible, the book that is the word of god and one that, no doubt, like all religious types you pick and chose what passages to preach to others about and judge them on. if there's anyone who is brainwashed, it is one who reads such a book and believe it to be true
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
no doubt you are teaching it to your kids reciting all of the passages about r.ape, mrder, gen0side, slavry, t0rture, sakrifice, the list goes on
spaceman
Roar Rookie
so can you relate the pass to your current time? what else was going on around the world during these times you speak of .... ummm ... violence maybe?
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
i have read the bible, hence knowing of the violence in it
spaceman
Roar Rookie
You don't understand Christianity, religion, church and state .... and the differences .. do a bit more reading.
spaceman
Roar Rookie
All hail KenW and his boyfriend Kent Dorfman, the perfect specimens of man. lol how they can belittle and conquer the past. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Africans, Indians, Chinese, Indigenous peoples, Aztecs, Mayans, all peoples of the world, animals that ever existed, we all bow in your glory, Tigers do not eat the weak animal for fear that KenW and the Dorf will cancel them! lol What a bunch of brainwashed woke twits! lol omg, they are the revolution, the modernists globalists to set you free. Let us pray for our salvation as delivered by their sermon!
KenW
Roar Rookie
lol, you have no understanding of Christianity, your arguing against something you have no understanding of? Leviticus 24:16 'Anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death' The first 3 commandments literally say no other gods, no other worship, don't ever curse me. NSW still does technically have blasphemy on the books but no-one's been charged in 150 years - it is one of the last vestiges of Christianity that's in our laws. It was handed down from old English law when Christianity held a lot of power there in the 1300s. Of course that was a pretty terrible place to live, like pretty much every society ever where religion had the wheel. You're right, now that we've expelled most of that nonsense we have much higher standards of living.
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
if Ken is WOKE, you're ignorant as FK
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
Ah Christianity - used to exploit the African nations with its imperialistic expansion. Lets not forget the Spanish Conquistadors and their genocide in the Latin Americas, and the Crusades which were religious wars initiated and supported by the Latin (Catholic) Church. So you are happy with the violent past of your religion? Sounds like you are. You probably don't believe it so maybe you should look online about the religious conflicts in the conquest of Mexico.
spaceman
Roar Rookie
Socialism needs the cancellation of Christianity, or any religion, it needs you, everyone to worship the State. You then get a dictator and police state running your life. Religion allows for worship of rules for "yourself" without the state. The bible says I should be stoned for blasphemy. lol, you have no understanding of Christianity, your arguing against something you have no understanding of? And it is clear you are woke, you cancel the past to your current standards, you are an elitist who cancels those that made you, do you denounce, will you denounce your parents now when they are old and you become more powerful than them? You live like a king compared to anyone in History, your wealth, standard of living is better that than anyone that ever lived in History, yet you denounce them with your elitism that they gave you ... a tyrant you are the laws don't need to reference Christianity ... because they are Christian.
KenW
Roar Rookie
I am not a woke socialist, I won’t try to cancel you for it. That's not very Christian of you. The bible says I should be stoned for blasphemy. Don't you think it's strange that this isn't part of our laws considering how our 'society was constructed on Christianity'? Of course there's basically nothing in our laws that reference christianity because that's nonsense.
spaceman
Roar Rookie
Ken an atheist is a follower ... they don't determine outcomes, they have no belief.
spaceman
Roar Rookie
lol, thats ok Ken, I will walk you through it … this society was constructed on Christianity … so the analogy would be, you removed yourself from the splinter …. doesn’t work? …. but it lets you know what you have to do to gain your outcome, you can go and live in a society built on Islam, Hinduism etc … send us a postcard. Be proud of your Christain heritage, it is ok … I am not a woke socialist, I won’t try to cancel you for it.