Tim Tebow

What if Tim Tebow Were a Muslim?

Imagine for a second, the Denver Broncos quarterback is a devout follower of Islam, sincere and principled in his beliefs and thus bowed toward Mecca to celebrate touchdowns. Now imagine if Detroit Lions players Stephen Tulloch and Tony Scheffler mockingly bowed toward Mecca, too, after tackling him for a loss or scoring a touchdown, just like what happened Sunday.

Published

13 years ago

December 7, 2011

Geoffrey Grider

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All hell would break loose

We would never dare mock a Muslim player the way we ridicule Tebow for his faith in the One True God of Israel

I know what would happen. All hell would break loose.

Stinging indictments issued by sports columnists. At least a few outraged religious leaders chiming in on his behalf. Depending on what else had happened that day, they might have a chance at becoming Keith Olbermann’s Worst Person In The World.

And there would be apologies. Oh, Lord, would there be apologies — by players, by coaches, possibly by ownership with a tiny chance of a statement from NFL commish Roger Goodell.

You cannot mock Muslim faith, not in this country, not anywhere really.

It is primarily a respect issue, because religion is sacred and should be off limits. Yet when Tulloch and Scheffler dropped to a knee to mock how Tebow prays — an action known as “Tebowing” that has gone viral among the public, too — we yawned and told Christians to lighten up. We blamed Tebow for making a show of honoring God rather than himself in moments of joy. We excused them because Tulloch said he was mocking “Tebowing,” not God.

Because ridiculing a man who chooses to honor God is so much better, right?

His religious fervor is an easy target for the vitriol spewed from those who dislike him, but the reasons are much deeper than that. From his advocacy of abstinence to his infamous “You will never see another team play this hard” speech at Florida, it is like he is too good to be true. He is too nice, and thereby we want him to trip up so we can feel better. We want him to be revealed as a hypocrite, and when that fails to happen, we settle for gleefully celebrating his failures on the football field. And why? Because he dares to say thanks?

I keep telling myself I am done with this Tebow debate only to be drawn offside, this time by a Lions player I had never heard of and a viral web meme that sprouted this week that had fans flooding an ESPN story’s comments section with viciously funny, yet downright mean and very sacrilegious quips of the “X > Tebow” formula.

What this whole repeating cycle of Tebow — rip his game, mock his faith, rise to his defense, repeat — has revealed about religious discourse in America is ugly. We have become so enamored of politically correct dogma that we protect every minority from even the slightest blush of insensitivity while letting the very institutions that the majority holds dear to be ridiculed. And this defense that Tebow invites such scrutiny with his willingness to publicly live as he privately believes calls into question what exactly it is we value.

One of the things Boomer Esiason got right earlier this week in his vicious, radio-show takedown on Tebow as a quarterback was how personal the criticism is. A good many NFL players and fans seem to be rooting for this guy to be a massive failure.

I could not figure out what was causing this onslaught of venom for a guy almost everybody claims to like, and I finally decided it is more about us. He makes us uncomfortable. He is a reminder that the blue-red, liberal-conservative fight over taking God out of everyday life is intellectually dishonest. He is too good.

Tebow is proof that God goes comfortably into whatever arena of your life you wish to take Him. I used to work with a great guy, Simon Gonzalez, a very devout Christian, and he prayed before every meal. Others would be killing free press meals and he would stop, bow his head and silently say thanks. He was not making a spectacle of his beliefs. He believed that God deserved thanks for what was before him, and not just when convenient for Simon. And people would squirm — not because what he was doing was wrong but because it was right. It is the same for Tebow.

There is no organized prayer led by Goodell before every game and no mandate for a post-touchdown prayer. Players such as Tebow — and he certainly is not alone in his belief and faith in the league — do so because consciences request it.

That others chose to mock — and Tulloch is in good company with many journalists I call friends and web posters with a wicked sense of humor — reminds me very much of the final line of The Paradoxical Commandments so often attributed to Mother Teresa. “You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.”

And everybody is getting dropped in the grease on this one.

The defenses of Tebow, by Christians, are so ugly it defeats the point. This is where Christianity so often loses people, the ardent preaching of the gospel of “I’m Right, You’re Wrong” and the demand for tolerance and the unwillingness to grant it. Because if Tebow were Muslim and did celebrate by bowing to Mecca, that would deserve respect too. Same for a Jewish player, yet why do I see that blowing up into an ugly mess as well? The level of discourse about religion in this country is frankly embarrassing, a bastard child of political discourse.

The only one who looks good in all this — maybe too good for some — is Tebow.

I find it especially telling that Tebow rarely lectures and does not fight back. He did not create Tebowing, nor is he responsible for it blowing up hipster style. It was kind of cool, I thought, after hearing a kid had said he was “Tebowing” while getting chemo.

Tebow is just a guy with the good sense to say thanks. Instead of taking his cue, we mock his faith.

And that says more about us, none of it good. source – Fox Sports

You can follow author Jen Engel on Twitter, email her or like her on Facebook.

Related Topics:Christian muslim NFL tebow tebowing tim

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Donald Trump

Tim Tebow Joins Trump Administration For Stunning Announcement Of $100 Million Dollar Grant To Combat Child Sex Trafficking And Human Slavery

Tim Tebow Joins AG Barr, Ivanka Trump To Announce $100M in Grants To Combat Human Trafficking And Child Sex Rings Around The World.

Published

4 years ago

September 22, 2020

Geoffrey Grider

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Tim Tebow proceeded to outline a three-fold approach in addressing human trafficking. It starts, he explained, with a proactive approach to support families “before they get in a desperate situation where they do something that eventually they’re gonna regret.”

One of the reasons why Donald Trump is so hated by The Swamp is because there is a huge child sex-trafficking pedophile ring in Washington. And no, I am not talking about PizzaGate or QAnon. I was told by someone who works in the DoD that there is more pedophilia happening in Washington than you could shake a stick at. President Trump has taken unprecedented action to combat child sex trafficking and human slavery, signing an executive order aimed at combating human trafficking and online exploitation back in January. Now Tim Tebow has joined the Trump administration in the fight, and The Swamp is furious.

Joe Biden is running for president and Kamala Harris as his vice president, and both of them agree with abortion on demand up to the due date of the child. Over the past few years, Democrats have embraced abortion as a means of population control to a degree that would make Hitler and the Nazi concentration camp people blush. Never before in American history have the battle lines been so clearly drawn. The Democrats are the party of death, if you vote for them, you are saying you are in agreement with them.

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DEMOCRATS ARE CONSUMNED BY THEIR DESIRE TO ABORT THEIR BABIES, CLICK TO SEE HOW BAD IT REALLY IS

Tim Tebow Joins AG Barr, Ivanka Trump To Announce $100M in Grants To Combat Human Trafficking

Tim Tebow has teamed up with Attorney General William Barr and White House adviser Ivanka Trump to provide much-needed funding to organizations fighting the ongoing battle against the modern-day slavery of women, girls, and boys across the world.

According to NBC8, Barr and Trump hosted a roundtable in Atlanta on Monday to discuss the issue and announce the creation of $100 million in grants to fight human trafficking. At the discussion, Tebow, whose tireless work to fight human trafficking eclipses his successful career in professional sports, shared his vision for “making a dent” in the fight against modern slavery.

“I’m grateful for all of you that are here and all of the work that you have done,” Tebow said, addressing the room alongside his wife, Demi-Leigh. “I truly am so grateful, because, for me and my wife, this isn’t an 8 to 5, a 9 to 5, this is a calling.”

“It’s a calling because we believe it’s the greatest form of evil in the world today. Because there are 40 million people around the world that need us,” Tebow declared. “They need us to say, ‘no longer is it about the credit, it’s about the mission.’”

“Eventually we have to say, ‘not on our watch. Not anymore,’” he went on.

Tebow proceeded to outline a three-fold approach in addressing human trafficking. It starts, he explained, with a proactive approach to support families “before they get in a desperate situation where they do something that eventually they’re gonna regret.”

The second prong, Tebow went on, was to be “a part of the rescue.”

“That’s one of our non-negotiables, is we’re on a rescue mission. When you say ‘rescue mission,’ it puts a timeline on it… We have to live with a sense of urgency to rescue as many lives as possible.”

The third aspect of the plan is to build long-term relationships, Tebow said, because “it does take holistic healing. It takes holistic love, and it also takes sharing with someone that they might have been a slave physically but they’ve also so many times become a slave inside. Slavery’s not just on the outside, it’s on the inside as well.”

“So many times, these survivors have forgotten their worth,” Tebow lamented.

“You know, the reason why we got into this was because eight years ago, my dad was preaching in a remote country, and there were four girls that he was next to that were being sold,” Tebow recalled. “And he took out all the money out of his wallet, which was $1,250 and he bought those four girls. And then he called me and said, ‘I just bought four girls and not really sure what to do now.’ and I said, ‘that’s OK, dad. we’ve got your back.”

Tebow and his father proceeded to build their first safe home, supporting those four girls and going out to rescue more from the clutches of slavery.

“I’m so grateful for that day because it opened my eyes to what is happening around the world.”

“Another one of our non-negotiables is that there’s power when we come together,” Tebow concluded. “We need more people to be able to come together on this, because when we do, we believe there’s power, and we believe we can make a dent.” READ MORE

Tim Tebow Foundation Joins Human Trafficking Effort With Trump

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Headline News

Fans Flock As Tim Tebow Blasts Home Runs On Mets Farm Team The Columbia Fireflies In South Carolina

The former Heisman winner Tim Tebow took Augusta Greenjackets reliever Jose Morel deep for a three-run home run in the fifth inning.

Published

8 years ago

April 10, 2017

Geoffrey Grider

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So have fans from around the South Atlantic League, which includes teams from the Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky and West Virginia, places where college football is king and where Tebow is revered for his gridiron prowess, his persona and, for many, his Christian faith.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJV)

The former Heisman winner took Augusta Greenjackets reliever Jose Morel deep for a three-run home run over the rightfield wall in the fifth inning.

Tim Tebow with his second homerun of the season! It was a 3-run HR to Right Field. #LetsGlow pic.twitter.com/jrusDpU6EL

— Columbia Fireflies (@ColaFireflies) April 9, 2017

Tebow, a New York Mets prospect, homered in his first at-bat and is currently 3 for 13 (.231) with two home runs, a walk and five strikeouts.

In his very first at-bat for the Columbia Fireflies, the Mets’ Class A affiliate in the South Atlantic League, Tim Tebow added another chapter to his enduring story by blasting a home run, delighting the 10,000 fans who had come to watch him, many of them wearing Tebow jerseys in all sorts of colors.

Jeff Reed, 56, a lawn care specialist from nearby Blythwood, was in the crowd. Reed had actually been a fan of Tebow the football player despite living in a rival Southeastern Conference city. When Reed’s wife went to Denver a few years back, she returned with a No. 15 shirt that Tebow wore when he played quarterback for the N.F.L.’s Broncos. And for Tebow’s first game with the Fireflies, Reed wore it to the ballpark.

“As soon as we heard he would be playing here, we bought tickets,” he said.

So have fans from around the South Atlantic League, which includes teams from the Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky and West Virginia, places where college football is king and where Tebow is revered for his gridiron prowess, his persona and, for many, his Christian faith. source

Headline News

Tim Tebow Blasts A Home Run In Very First At-Bat During Mets Instructional League Game

Man of God Tim Tebow stepped up to the plate and blasted a home run to the delighted cheers of fans and teammates alike.

Published

8 years ago

September 28, 2016

Geoffrey Grider

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Tim Tebow hit a home run in his first at-bat in Mets Instructional League play

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23 (KJV)

In his very first at-bat, on the very first pitch, in his very first instructional league game, man of God Tim Tebow stepped up to the plate and blasted a home run to the delighted cheers of fans and teammates alike.

Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback and Heisman winner who is attempting to launch a professional baseball career at age 29, hit an opposite-field home run on the very first pitch he saw as a member of the Mets organization on Wednesday.

. BOOM! @TimTebow hits a homer during instructional league game! pic.twitter.com/8h9JCzr7Br

— Katie Johnson (@Katie_Johnson_) September 28, 2016

The pitcher is no joke. John Kilichowski went to Vanderbilt University … and was an 11th round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2016 MLB draft.