While most of the reactions have been very positive following the news that NBA player Jason Collins is gay, a minority of less-than-enthused individuals have come forward since the news broke.
ESPN basketball analyst Chris Broussard said the following on an edition of Outside the Lines:
"I'm a Christian. I don't agree with homosexuality. I think it's a sin, as I think all sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman is."
He added:
"If you're openly living that type of lifestyle, then the Bible says 'you know them by their fruits,' it says that that's a sin. And if you're openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality - whatever it may be, I believe that's walking in open rebellion to God and Jesus Christ, so I would not characterize that person as a Christian."
I then read a Facebook status which said, "For those of you, like me, hoping that someday ESPN's main focus is sports highlights as opposed to media propaganda, just remember, MTV used to play music."
This morning, I read that Ben Shapiro - editor-at-large for the far-right website Breitbart.com - made some tweets regarding Collins, which said the following:
"So Jason Collins is a hero because he's gay? Our standard for heroism has dropped quite a bit since Normandy."
and
"Jason Collins averaged 1.1 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 0.3 BPG. All more relevant than the fact that he's gay."
As is always the case, 100% of the people won't agree on the issue of homosexuality. However, whether or not we want to view it as a sin, I find it frustrating and perplexing why some, like Chris Broussard, feel they are omniscient when it comes to morality and due to this, feel they have the right to cast judgment on others. Broussard mentioned that he believes sex before marriage is a sin, just like homosexuality. My question for Broussard would then be, "Were you a virgin when you got married?" If he answers in the affirmative (so long as he's being honest), I'll cut the guy a little bit of slack. However, the chance of that happening is minimal. So, assuming the guy engaged in pre-marital sex, how can he be a spokesperson on his view of sexual sin according to God when he committed such acts himself? Also, considering the fact that he, Jason Collins, myself, and everyone else continually make mistakes and sin, how can he so adamantly declare people like Mr. Collins aren't Christian and he is? These sound like classic cases of denial and projection to me.
With regard to the Facebook post, while it's true that ESPN has become a 24-hour news network in the world of sports, I don't see how in light of yesterday's events, it can be cast as a left-wing media propaganda outlet. Jason Collins represented a major first. Especially in this day and age, all such firsts are going to be talked and reported about a significant amount. Jackie Robinson was a great baseball player, but what is the #1 reason he's talked about and respected so much? Because he was the first African-American called up to play at the Major League level. The guy broke a barrier, instilled hope, and paved the way for many other African-Americans to play in the Majors. While I don't think Collins' coming out will be as historically significant as Robinson's breaking into the Majors was, it is a first, a major story, and yet another step in the right direction for gay acceptance and equality in this country. In saying all this, I don't know how any relatively sane individual could be surprised by the amount of time ESPN spent on this story.
Lastly, Ben Shapiro should really look in the mirror when it comes to the lowering of standards with regard to our labeling a person as a hero.
On January 10th of this year, Shapiro tweeted this:
"On the phenomenal @marklevinshow tonight to discuss 'Bullies'! Very excited. Mark's a hero..."
On December 1st of 2011, Shaprio had this to say via Twitter:
"@adamcarolla is my hero..."
He wasn't done there. Shapiro tweeted the following on January 8th of this year:
"With Sen. Ted Cruz, Tea Party hero, in green room at @hannityshow!..."
Finally, Shapiro tweeted this on February 15th of last year:
"Hero Josh Mandel running an extraordinarily tight race in OH with terrible incumbent Sherrod Brown:..."
You were saying, Mr. Shapiro...
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-espn-chris-broussard-sparks-uproar-after-jason-collins-remarks-20130429,0,1157118.story
http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/04/29/espn-chris-broussard-jason-collins/
ESPN basketball analyst Chris Broussard said the following on an edition of Outside the Lines:
"I'm a Christian. I don't agree with homosexuality. I think it's a sin, as I think all sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman is."
He added:
"If you're openly living that type of lifestyle, then the Bible says 'you know them by their fruits,' it says that that's a sin. And if you're openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality - whatever it may be, I believe that's walking in open rebellion to God and Jesus Christ, so I would not characterize that person as a Christian."
I then read a Facebook status which said, "For those of you, like me, hoping that someday ESPN's main focus is sports highlights as opposed to media propaganda, just remember, MTV used to play music."
This morning, I read that Ben Shapiro - editor-at-large for the far-right website Breitbart.com - made some tweets regarding Collins, which said the following:
"So Jason Collins is a hero because he's gay? Our standard for heroism has dropped quite a bit since Normandy."
and
"Jason Collins averaged 1.1 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 0.3 BPG. All more relevant than the fact that he's gay."
As is always the case, 100% of the people won't agree on the issue of homosexuality. However, whether or not we want to view it as a sin, I find it frustrating and perplexing why some, like Chris Broussard, feel they are omniscient when it comes to morality and due to this, feel they have the right to cast judgment on others. Broussard mentioned that he believes sex before marriage is a sin, just like homosexuality. My question for Broussard would then be, "Were you a virgin when you got married?" If he answers in the affirmative (so long as he's being honest), I'll cut the guy a little bit of slack. However, the chance of that happening is minimal. So, assuming the guy engaged in pre-marital sex, how can he be a spokesperson on his view of sexual sin according to God when he committed such acts himself? Also, considering the fact that he, Jason Collins, myself, and everyone else continually make mistakes and sin, how can he so adamantly declare people like Mr. Collins aren't Christian and he is? These sound like classic cases of denial and projection to me.
With regard to the Facebook post, while it's true that ESPN has become a 24-hour news network in the world of sports, I don't see how in light of yesterday's events, it can be cast as a left-wing media propaganda outlet. Jason Collins represented a major first. Especially in this day and age, all such firsts are going to be talked and reported about a significant amount. Jackie Robinson was a great baseball player, but what is the #1 reason he's talked about and respected so much? Because he was the first African-American called up to play at the Major League level. The guy broke a barrier, instilled hope, and paved the way for many other African-Americans to play in the Majors. While I don't think Collins' coming out will be as historically significant as Robinson's breaking into the Majors was, it is a first, a major story, and yet another step in the right direction for gay acceptance and equality in this country. In saying all this, I don't know how any relatively sane individual could be surprised by the amount of time ESPN spent on this story.
Lastly, Ben Shapiro should really look in the mirror when it comes to the lowering of standards with regard to our labeling a person as a hero.
On January 10th of this year, Shapiro tweeted this:
"On the phenomenal @marklevinshow tonight to discuss 'Bullies'! Very excited. Mark's a hero..."
On December 1st of 2011, Shaprio had this to say via Twitter:
"@adamcarolla is my hero..."
He wasn't done there. Shapiro tweeted the following on January 8th of this year:
"With Sen. Ted Cruz, Tea Party hero, in green room at @hannityshow!..."
Finally, Shapiro tweeted this on February 15th of last year:
"Hero Josh Mandel running an extraordinarily tight race in OH with terrible incumbent Sherrod Brown:..."
You were saying, Mr. Shapiro...
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-espn-chris-broussard-sparks-uproar-after-jason-collins-remarks-20130429,0,1157118.story
http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/04/29/espn-chris-broussard-jason-collins/
Comments
Post a Comment