Are sports biblical?

Skitnik

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Are sports biblical?


I see it all the time. Some athlete runs the race, scores touch down and raises hands to the sky to thank God. I do not get it. What does God have to do with that? Next day that very same athlete looses to openly homosexual, cross dressing child molester and it means what exactly? Does it mean that God favors that person now? In minds of many it may.


Yes there are passages in the Bible about running the race but it is just a proverb. Same way there are proverbs comparing peoples and nations to prostitutes but does it mean an endorsement of prostitution?


One thing to run around, jump around for some exercise. Not many people in the Bible sat at front of computer all day for a living. Another thing is to beat your body up to the point of disability, like most professional sports do. I heard on the news about congressional investigation of massive neo-opiate pain killer epidemic. Apparently much of is attributed to sports injuries even in teens. I remember conversation with my coworker before his double knee replacement surgery. He pointed and his knees and said: “This knee is basketball and this one is football”.


I think Christianity is all about making oneself smaller, child-like so that God can make us great in His ways and for His glory not about beating others, making our selfish selves greater than others the way sports do. Feed our pride and wallow in in pain of those who were defeated. Superiority of one man over another, competition for adoration for being better than others maybe even becoming rich and famous doing that… how can that be comparable with teachings of Jesus?


I do not see how competitiveness can be a good part of character for a Christian. To a Christian the only opinion that should matter is an opinion of God, the only standing that should matter is standing before God. Christians do not have to compete with each other for is His time and attention. He is outside of time so He has time to be an individual God to every individual that seeks personal relationship with Him.


Massive waste of time, effort, money…. Entertainment and distraction. Why would God have anything to do with it? The way I see it sports is nothing more than modern version of idolatry. People are so obsessed with players, teams, scores, statistics….. spend so much money, waste so much time!


Many say that sports make them happy, relaxed, relieves stress and God wants us to be happy, so sports must be ok then. Never mind that people can be “happy” for all kinds of very wrong reasons. Felling of unhappiness comes from the enemy and by dialing back on unhappiness while people are engaged in sinful or wasteful activities he can make then run around and chase happiness in all kinds of very wrong places. If God wanted us to be happy in chasing a ball around He would at least give us four legs or do you think He created us to be miserably bipedal all our lives?


How sports is not idolatry by new, modern name. Famous athletes are revered by many as demigods of some sort. Followed around and more or less worshiped. Teams are used to divide and conquer minds and souls. People hate each other to the point of violence and even murder at times because “my team” won or lost to “your team”.


The whole “my team” thing totally escapes me. Here in Western Washington USA when Seahawks won seems like everything everywhere turned green and blue with number 12 on it. I did not even realize how widespread this form of idolatry was until I came into some supermarket store and saw that at least half of people wearing Seahawk football jerseys. It was a day before Stuporbowl (intentional misspelling) aka finals of NFL. Rare wearers of the uniform of opposing team were getting hateful stares or even “boo-eing” by people just passing by! Yeah! Satan loves to make people to hate each other does not matter how ridiculous the reasons for that are!


The only men who is rightfully saying “my team” are the team owners raking in billions of dollars from pockets of suckers of new idolatry. Those are the new “priest class” of idolatry by new name. Plus the whole class of sports facilitators and administrators. (AKA new idolatry “temple priests and prostitutes”). Some may say that Christian sports stars promote Christianity. Yeah sure, same as “Christian prostitutes”. Nothing in the world changes, really. Just changes names.


Even pastors in churches cheerleading for teams. Everything short of jumping around with those cheerleading pom poms right at the church pulpit! Disgusting! I am sure it happened in some churches somewhere though.


Never mind almost, almost naked girls jumping around in all kinds of poses including explicitly sexual ones! Don’t they understand that many men in the bleachers are thinking: “I wish my wife could do that and without any clothes on.” Many of them consider themselves good Christians too.


I do not watch TV anymore. I am not implying in any way that watching TV is sinful but personally I found it to be very beneficial when I stopped filling up my mind with junk. One day I had to wait in lunchroom at work for a while, TV was on and NatGeo special on sports gambling was on it. This whole issue is entirely foreign to me. I knew next to nothing about it but apparently it is a huge shadow industry that hurts a lot of people. Just another strike against idolatry of sports.


Also. How many people end up trading church for playing sports, going to games, taking kids to practice sports? Yes most of it is done on Saturday but that is when God should be worshipped. On the holy day of Sabbath, instead of temples of God people take their children to temples of idolatry. Sabbath is not a suggestion it is a commandment and does not expire like an old can of beans or something. Instead of God’s temples people go to temples of idolatry. But that is a whole different topic of Sabbath observance.


The only exception being of course the martial arts. Read the Old Testament. All kind of godly and even appointed by God “martial artists” there! How about Samson with a donkey jawbone! Read the Book of Jasher thrown out of teachings of early Christian’s teachings by Jew-hating Constantine because in it early Hebrews are portrayed as supernaturally (not superhuman) powerful “martial artists”.


Yes, God does allow necessary killing. “Shall not kill” is a mistranslation. It actually says “shall not murder”. Jesus in not some long-haired bearded hippy either. Read the Revelation. But that is going into whole different topic….
 

SkyWriting

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Are sports biblical?


I see it all the time. Some athlete runs the race, scores touch down and raises hands to the sky to thank God. I do not get it.

Training is hard work. Thanks be to God you don't have a heart attack
in the process. It's not my thing either. A coworker's wife heart stopped at 27.
Lucky it was a nursing home and the staff revived her. Later she deduced that
her dad had died, likey from the same condition at the same age.
 
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Are sports biblical?


I see it all the time. Some athlete runs the race, scores touch down and raises hands to the sky to thank God. I do not get it. What does God have to do with that? Next day that very same athlete looses to openly homosexual, cross dressing child molester and it means what exactly? Does it mean that God favors that person now? In minds of many it may.


Yes there are passages in the Bible about running the race but it is just a proverb. Same way there are proverbs comparing peoples and nations to prostitutes but does it mean an endorsement of prostitution?


One thing to run around, jump around for some exercise. Not many people in the Bible sat at front of computer all day for a living. Another thing is to beat your body up to the point of disability, like most professional sports do. I heard on the news about congressional investigation of massive neo-opiate pain killer epidemic. Apparently much of is attributed to sports injuries even in teens. I remember conversation with my coworker before his double knee replacement surgery. He pointed and his knees and said: “This knee is basketball and this one is football”.


I think Christianity is all about making oneself smaller, child-like so that God can make us great in His ways and for His glory not about beating others, making our selfish selves greater than others the way sports do. Feed our pride and wallow in in pain of those who were defeated. Superiority of one man over another, competition for adoration for being better than others maybe even becoming rich and famous doing that… how can that be comparable with teachings of Jesus?


I do not see how competitiveness can be a good part of character for a Christian. To a Christian the only opinion that should matter is an opinion of God, the only standing that should matter is standing before God. Christians do not have to compete with each other for is His time and attention. He is outside of time so He has time to be an individual God to every individual that seeks personal relationship with Him.


Massive waste of time, effort, money…. Entertainment and distraction. Why would God have anything to do with it? The way I see it sports is nothing more than modern version of idolatry. People are so obsessed with players, teams, scores, statistics….. spend so much money, waste so much time!


Many say that sports make them happy, relaxed, relieves stress and God wants us to be happy, so sports must be ok then. Never mind that people can be “happy” for all kinds of very wrong reasons. Felling of unhappiness comes from the enemy and by dialing back on unhappiness while people are engaged in sinful or wasteful activities he can make then run around and chase happiness in all kinds of very wrong places. If God wanted us to be happy in chasing a ball around He would at least give us four legs or do you think He created us to be miserably bipedal all our lives?


How sports is not idolatry by new, modern name. Famous athletes are revered by many as demigods of some sort. Followed around and more or less worshiped. Teams are used to divide and conquer minds and souls. People hate each other to the point of violence and even murder at times because “my team” won or lost to “your team”.


The whole “my team” thing totally escapes me. Here in Western Washington USA when Seahawks won seems like everything everywhere turned green and blue with number 12 on it. I did not even realize how widespread this form of idolatry was until I came into some supermarket store and saw that at least half of people wearing Seahawk football jerseys. It was a day before Stuporbowl (intentional misspelling) aka finals of NFL. Rare wearers of the uniform of opposing team were getting hateful stares or even “boo-eing” by people just passing by! Yeah! Satan loves to make people to hate each other does not matter how ridiculous the reasons for that are!


The only men who is rightfully saying “my team” are the team owners raking in billions of dollars from pockets of suckers of new idolatry. Those are the new “priest class” of idolatry by new name. Plus the whole class of sports facilitators and administrators. (AKA new idolatry “temple priests and prostitutes”). Some may say that Christian sports stars promote Christianity. Yeah sure, same as “Christian prostitutes”. Nothing in the world changes, really. Just changes names.


Even pastors in churches cheerleading for teams. Everything short of jumping around with those cheerleading pom poms right at the church pulpit! Disgusting! I am sure it happened in some churches somewhere though.


Never mind almost, almost naked girls jumping around in all kinds of poses including explicitly sexual ones! Don’t they understand that many men in the bleachers are thinking: “I wish my wife could do that and without any clothes on.” Many of them consider themselves good Christians too.


I do not watch TV anymore. I am not implying in any way that watching TV is sinful but personally I found it to be very beneficial when I stopped filling up my mind with junk. One day I had to wait in lunchroom at work for a while, TV was on and NatGeo special on sports gambling was on it. This whole issue is entirely foreign to me. I knew next to nothing about it but apparently it is a huge shadow industry that hurts a lot of people. Just another strike against idolatry of sports.


Also. How many people end up trading church for playing sports, going to games, taking kids to practice sports? Yes most of it is done on Saturday but that is when God should be worshipped. On the holy day of Sabbath, instead of temples of God people take their children to temples of idolatry. Sabbath is not a suggestion it is a commandment and does not expire like an old can of beans or something. Instead of God’s temples people go to temples of idolatry. But that is a whole different topic of Sabbath observance.


The only exception being of course the martial arts. Read the Old Testament. All kind of godly and even appointed by God “martial artists” there! How about Samson with a donkey jawbone! Read the Book of Jasher thrown out of teachings of early Christian’s teachings by Jew-hating Constantine because in it early Hebrews are portrayed as supernaturally (not superhuman) powerful “martial artists”.


Yes, God does allow necessary killing. “Shall not kill” is a mistranslation. It actually says “shall not murder”. Jesus in not some long-haired bearded hippy either. Read the Revelation. But that is going into whole different topic….

God can still use you through sports , there was American football player who had John 3:16 on his shoe i believe and during the play millions of people googled what John 3:16 means because they did not know.

He averaged 31,6 yards per pass.
CBS rating peaked 31.6
and he passed for 316 yards
Tim Tebow his name I believe , coincidence or God at work through him ?
 
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Celticroots

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I don’t see an issue with sports. I do archery and love it.

Regarding competitiveness it can teach you to do better next time should you lose. And it can teach you to lose gracefully.

Participating in sports is also a great way to meet people with the same interests as well as learn discipline and mental toughness. And being active releases endorphins as well as relieves stress.

So because someone gets injured playing a sport, then sports are worthless? Wow.

If someone is training to the point where they injure themselves then that needs to be addressed. A good coach should teach you how to pace yourself during workouts so the chance of injury is less, although sometimes it’s just a risk you take.

I think some Christians go out of their way to find something wrong with everything.
 
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dreadnought

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Are sports biblical?


I see it all the time. Some athlete runs the race, scores touch down and raises hands to the sky to thank God. I do not get it. What does God have to do with that? Next day that very same athlete looses to openly homosexual, cross dressing child molester and it means what exactly? Does it mean that God favors that person now? In minds of many it may.


Yes there are passages in the Bible about running the race but it is just a proverb. Same way there are proverbs comparing peoples and nations to prostitutes but does it mean an endorsement of prostitution?


One thing to run around, jump around for some exercise. Not many people in the Bible sat at front of computer all day for a living. Another thing is to beat your body up to the point of disability, like most professional sports do. I heard on the news about congressional investigation of massive neo-opiate pain killer epidemic. Apparently much of is attributed to sports injuries even in teens. I remember conversation with my coworker before his double knee replacement surgery. He pointed and his knees and said: “This knee is basketball and this one is football”.


I think Christianity is all about making oneself smaller, child-like so that God can make us great in His ways and for His glory not about beating others, making our selfish selves greater than others the way sports do. Feed our pride and wallow in in pain of those who were defeated. Superiority of one man over another, competition for adoration for being better than others maybe even becoming rich and famous doing that… how can that be comparable with teachings of Jesus?


I do not see how competitiveness can be a good part of character for a Christian. To a Christian the only opinion that should matter is an opinion of God, the only standing that should matter is standing before God. Christians do not have to compete with each other for is His time and attention. He is outside of time so He has time to be an individual God to every individual that seeks personal relationship with Him.


Massive waste of time, effort, money…. Entertainment and distraction. Why would God have anything to do with it? The way I see it sports is nothing more than modern version of idolatry. People are so obsessed with players, teams, scores, statistics….. spend so much money, waste so much time!


Many say that sports make them happy, relaxed, relieves stress and God wants us to be happy, so sports must be ok then. Never mind that people can be “happy” for all kinds of very wrong reasons. Felling of unhappiness comes from the enemy and by dialing back on unhappiness while people are engaged in sinful or wasteful activities he can make then run around and chase happiness in all kinds of very wrong places. If God wanted us to be happy in chasing a ball around He would at least give us four legs or do you think He created us to be miserably bipedal all our lives?


How sports is not idolatry by new, modern name. Famous athletes are revered by many as demigods of some sort. Followed around and more or less worshiped. Teams are used to divide and conquer minds and souls. People hate each other to the point of violence and even murder at times because “my team” won or lost to “your team”.


The whole “my team” thing totally escapes me. Here in Western Washington USA when Seahawks won seems like everything everywhere turned green and blue with number 12 on it. I did not even realize how widespread this form of idolatry was until I came into some supermarket store and saw that at least half of people wearing Seahawk football jerseys. It was a day before Stuporbowl (intentional misspelling) aka finals of NFL. Rare wearers of the uniform of opposing team were getting hateful stares or even “boo-eing” by people just passing by! Yeah! Satan loves to make people to hate each other does not matter how ridiculous the reasons for that are!


The only men who is rightfully saying “my team” are the team owners raking in billions of dollars from pockets of suckers of new idolatry. Those are the new “priest class” of idolatry by new name. Plus the whole class of sports facilitators and administrators. (AKA new idolatry “temple priests and prostitutes”). Some may say that Christian sports stars promote Christianity. Yeah sure, same as “Christian prostitutes”. Nothing in the world changes, really. Just changes names.


Even pastors in churches cheerleading for teams. Everything short of jumping around with those cheerleading pom poms right at the church pulpit! Disgusting! I am sure it happened in some churches somewhere though.


Never mind almost, almost naked girls jumping around in all kinds of poses including explicitly sexual ones! Don’t they understand that many men in the bleachers are thinking: “I wish my wife could do that and without any clothes on.” Many of them consider themselves good Christians too.


I do not watch TV anymore. I am not implying in any way that watching TV is sinful but personally I found it to be very beneficial when I stopped filling up my mind with junk. One day I had to wait in lunchroom at work for a while, TV was on and NatGeo special on sports gambling was on it. This whole issue is entirely foreign to me. I knew next to nothing about it but apparently it is a huge shadow industry that hurts a lot of people. Just another strike against idolatry of sports.


Also. How many people end up trading church for playing sports, going to games, taking kids to practice sports? Yes most of it is done on Saturday but that is when God should be worshipped. On the holy day of Sabbath, instead of temples of God people take their children to temples of idolatry. Sabbath is not a suggestion it is a commandment and does not expire like an old can of beans or something. Instead of God’s temples people go to temples of idolatry. But that is a whole different topic of Sabbath observance.


The only exception being of course the martial arts. Read the Old Testament. All kind of godly and even appointed by God “martial artists” there! How about Samson with a donkey jawbone! Read the Book of Jasher thrown out of teachings of early Christian’s teachings by Jew-hating Constantine because in it early Hebrews are portrayed as supernaturally (not superhuman) powerful “martial artists”.


Yes, God does allow necessary killing. “Shall not kill” is a mistranslation. It actually says “shall not murder”. Jesus in not some long-haired bearded hippy either. Read the Revelation. But that is going into whole different topic….
Paul mentions running a race.
 
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Skitnik

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God can still use you through sports , there was American football player who had John 3:16 on his shoe i believe and during the play millions of people googled what John 3:16 means because they did not know.

He averaged 31,6 yards per pass.
CBS rating peaked 31.6
and he passed for 316 yards
Tim Tebow his name I believe , coincidence or God at work through him ?

God can use total pagans like king Nebichanez
 
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Skitnik

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I don’t see an issue with sports. I do archery and love it.

Regarding competitiveness it can teach you to do better next time should you lose. And it can teach you to lose gracefully.

Participating in sports is also a great way to meet people with the same interests as well as learn discipline and mental toughness. And being active releases endorphins as well as relieves stress.

So because someone gets injured playing a sport, then sports are worthless? Wow.

If someone is training to the point where they injure themselves then that needs to be addressed. A good coach should teach you how to pace yourself during workouts so the chance of injury is less, although sometimes it’s just a risk you take.

I think some Christians go out of their way to find something wrong with everything.
Archery is in the way a martial art too.
 
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Albion

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There is nothing wrong with sport, although individual people can make something wrong out of it (or out of their own performances).

In Bible times, sport was not much of a feature in the life of people. Only a century ago, it was still relatively unimportant; but today it is almost a secular religion with arenas the new cathedrals and athletes the new priests. IOW, it is not easy to make a fair comparison between these different time periods when it comes to the subject of sport.
 
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Skitnik

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There is nothing wrong with sport, although individual people can make something wrong out of it (or out of their own performances).

In Bible times, sport was not much of a feature in the life of people. Only a century ago, it was still relatively unimportant; but today it is almost a secular religion with arenas the new cathedrals and athletes the new priests. IOW, it is not easy to make a fair comparison between these different time periods when it comes to the subject of sport.

You did not read pass the title, did you?
 
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Celticroots

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Archery is in the way a martial art too.

That's true in a way I suppose. You have to put a lot of focus and concentration on your shot. Mental toughness is a big part of this sport, maybe more so than some others.

I love archery because it's one of the one sports I can do. I can't do aerobic sports due to lung problems.

I plan to start shooting competitively.
 
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Drought of the Heart

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Great question and the best answer is , did Jesus play ? We love our sports and we start our children off very young , we give more time and money to sports than we give to God. Most of them are violent so I always say no... Could it have been, yes ...
 
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You did not read pass the title, did you?
Sure I did, but my response was intended as an observation about one aspect of the OP, not a new version of War and Peace or a point-by-point analysis of everything that was written there.
 
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Yes there are passages in the Bible about running the race but it is just a proverb.

Running a race is mentioned in an approving way in Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 2:16, Galatians 2:2, Galatians 5:7, 2 Timothy 4:7, and 1 Corinthians 9:24-26.

Those last two passages mention boxing as well.

It seems that the Apostle Paul was a sports fan. And if it was OK for him...
 
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Skitnik

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Running a race is mentioned in an approving way in Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 2:16, Galatians 2:2, Galatians 5:7, 2 Timothy 4:7, and 1 Corinthians 9:24-26.

Those last two passages mention boxing as well.

It seems that the Apostle Paul was a sports fan. And if it was OK for him...

It was clearly a metaphore in all above mentioned cases.... or, I guess God wanted us to grow wings or find an eagle big enough to ride on every time flying eagles were mentioned.
 
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Skitnik

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Sure I did, but my response was intended as an observation about one aspect of the OP, not a new version of War and Peace or a point-by-point analysis of everything that was written there.
OK
Seemed like you are saying that there is nothing wrong with idolatry, religion of sports than.
 
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