(much good content, but still in process)
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BIBLE THOUGHTS ON SPORTS
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The Adventist ministry Little Light Studios has made a very eye opening video about sports because of the superbowl today and great work to 3 of our High Point church members that were involved (Michael Siarkowski, Alex Castillijos, and Regine Wijaya). We know that wherever God has a truth, Satan has deceptions and sports is no exception. The Bible does not use the word sports, but it does mention a couple sports that existed at that time and talks about some principles and traits of sports that are positive and relates them to our spiritual walk, but also some that are negative and need to be avoided by Christians (and the first Christians were very vocal in opposing some sports in Roman times).
This video talks about aspects of some sports that are very seriously dangerous. We’ll be sharing some positive and negative aspects of sports in the next few days, since while some sports can be done in godly ways, some are opposed to God’s principles or are being used wrongly, harm people’s lives and sports has become for millions a religion that replaces true worship of God.
This is a good video to watch before major sports events.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IozSL1XiPdk
I do think it’s a little imbalanced since it focuses almost exclusively on the negative aspects of sports, and there are some. But the Bible and EGW also indicate that there are some positive aspects as you will see below.
Here are a couple Bible verses that relate to sports, both pro and con:
BIBLE PRINCIPLES THAT SUPPORT SPORTS
1) The Bible talks positively about sports as a metaphor for the spiritual race to win eternal life.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24–27
2) The Bible says that physical training (some versions say exercise) which is what many sports promote, is a good thing, but godliness is better.
“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Tim. 4:8 NLT**
“Godliness brings lasting benefit in everything; It brings you blessings in this life and in the future life too.” 1 Timothy 4:8 (CJB/ERV/ISV)
BIBLE PRINCIPLES THAT WARN AGAINST SOME COMMON PROBLEMS IN SPORTS
1) Satan’s big mistake in his rebellion against God was to indulge in pride. And this is a prime attribute of many sports, to play so hard that you dominate the other player/team and show that you are best and they are inferior or even nothing.
Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. 13 For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.[e] 14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ 15 Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.
2) The Bible has much to say about pride and it’s evils. Here is another one.
“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18
3) The Bible tells us to focus our minds on what is pure, true and valuable, not things that are sinful, or harmful in any way to others.
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9
The big issue is that God’s ultimate ideals are principles like love, truth, diligence, cooperation/service for others purity and things like that. Certain sports/games do involve and emphasize principles that the Bible.
A) The Bible talks about the importance of wise rules to guide us and help us live in harmony with others. Many sports teach this as well.
“Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.” 2 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)
If you’ve ever played a game without rules, it can get crazy. One year I was a student at Milo Adventist Academy and I played a basketball game with people who came for deaf camp. They did not seem to know the rules and would just bowl opponents over and no fouls were ever called. I couldn’t even communicate what a foul was to them. The game was more like wrestling without rules and not much fun…I didn’t play long.
B) Many sports help people get valuable exercise outdoors that is good for their body and mind.
C)Some sports can help educate people to learn to be part of a team and sacrifice for the common good. That’s a very Christian principle for marriage, family and churches.
D) Many sports helps teach people the need for discipline and perseverance to achieve goals of higher value
So some sports can and do follow principles that can be in harmony with biblical principles. Some that are much more in line with this would be things like rock climbing, surfing, sky diving, hiking, sports like pickleball, basketball, baseball, volleyball, etc. played in friendly ways with low or no competition and good will to all who play.
But many sports from ancient times to now are intrinsically against Bible principles, or can be easily distorted and are at war with God’s principles:
1) Some sports were and are extremely violent solely for entertainment value. In ancient times gladiator games were heavily promoted and many gladiators were forced or influenced to tragically lose their lives just for entertainment and many were obsessed with watching these games. This was a very deceptive propaganda tactic of mind control by the elite and powerful, sometimes called bread and circuses, to distract people from serious problems in the nation’s leadership.
Now some sports like UFC/MMA fighting as well as boxing and in some cases football train people to engage in violence and harm to other human beings that God created. This has serious psychological effects that has influenced many athletes to treat friends and spouses in abusive ways outside of sports. It also has resulted in many serious injuries and sometimes tragic deaths or early deaths.
The Brain Of A Boxer research has shown how even minor hits to the head, especially when received by young adults and children, causes damage.
https://www.ibroresearch.com/the-brain-of-a-boxer-the-story-of-paul-pender/
Tackle football has a major problem in this area as well.
League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/league-of-denial/ bounty gate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatalities_in_mixed_martial_arts_contests
UFC Deaths: Taking a look into the dark side of cage fighting.
https://sportsnaut.com/ufc-deaths-dark-side-of-mma/
2) Some sports heavily emphasize beast traits such as pride, excessive competition/domination of others,
esp. highly physical and competitive ones that have higher levels of violence like boxing, wrestling (of the World Wrestling Entertainment type) and underground wrestling can be even more violent than WWE, bull riding and in the past gladiator fights.
3) Some sports heavily train people to think in terms of us vs. them, even though all people are created by God to love and cooperate. This easily lead to discrimination, dehumanization and it’s very common for the military establishment to advertise heavily at some sports games for soldiers who then sometimes go on to kill many people, all too often innocent people.
4) trash talk which is not pure speech
5) some athletes/sports rituals/superstitions can involve occult ceremonies/witches. A surprising examples of this is football quarterback Tom Brady’s wife Giselle who has influenced him to get into some new/age occult practices and Brady talks about how she has predicted which years he is going to win and lose and it happened as predicted:
“I have these little special stones and healing stones and protection stones and she has me wear a necklace and take these drops she makes and say all these mantras,” Brady said….”She said, ‘You’re lucky you married a witch, I’m just a good witch.'”
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tom-brady-describes-some-of-the-crazy-pregame-rituals-gisele-has-him-go-through-every-week/
6) Many have have major connections to sex trafficking. They don’t directly cause it, but they bring a large crowd of men, who have been conditioned to do everything to “win” and get what they want and sometimes this leads to sexual exploitation.
Is the Super Bowl the Largest Human Trafficking Event in the World?
https://www.ijm.org/news/is-the-super-bowl-the-largest-human-trafficking-event-in-the-world
Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation at World Sporting Events
https://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cklawreview/vol85/iss3/8/
7) some people let sports consume enormous amounts of time and financial/human resources that are needed to reach people who don’t know anything about God and eternal life, and many who do know about God, sports consumes all their free time, replaces godly worship and it easily become an idolatrous religion that causes the loss of eternal life.
If you do follow sports, some athletes are Christians and talk about how Jesus is far more important than any game, and they are just thankful that God created them with bodies and abilities to play and they know that knowing and growing closer to Him is far more important than who wins a game.
5 Well-Known Christian Athletes Who Are Playing in Super Bowl LVII
https://www.crosswalk.com/headlines/michael-foust/well-known-christian-athletes-who-are-playing-in-super-bowl-lvii.html
So as with everything, think carefully about the choices you make, what God would have you do and it’s influence on others and “always do what is good for each person and all people.” 1 Thess. 5:15
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ELLEN WHITE THOUGHTS ON SPORTS
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Ellen White yet again spoke wisely about these things.
“Vigorous exercise the pupils must have. Few evils are more to be dreaded than indolence and aimlessness…gymnastic exercises fill a useful place in many schools But she noted “they are often carried to excess.”… “As a rule, the exercise most beneficial to the youth will be found in useful employment…so far as possible, facilities for manual training should be connected with every school.”–Education, p. 210, 215, 217
She told a medical student who wrote to her: “I do not condemn the simple exercise of playing ball.” –Selected Messages, book 2, p. 322.
But she said this too may be overdone. “There were some who were striving for the mastery, each trying to excel the other in the swift running of their bicycles. There was a spirit of strife and contention among them as to which should be the greatest. The spirit was similar to that manifested in the baseball games on the college ground. Said my Guide: ‘These things are an offense to God.’ ” –Testimonies, vol. 8, pp. 51, 52.
“Some of the most popular amusements, such as football and boxing, have become schools of brutality. They are developing the same characteristics as did the games of ancient Rome. The love of domination, the pride in mere brute force, the reckless disregard of life, are exerting upon the youth a power to demoralize that is appalling.
“Other athletic games, though not so brutalizing, are scarcely less objectionable because of the excess to which they are carried, they stimulate the love of pleasure and excitement, thus fostering a distaste for useful labor, a disposition to shun practical duties and responsibilities. They tend to destroy a relish for life’s sober realities and its tranquil enjoyments. Thus the door is opened to dissipation and lawlessness, with their terrible results.” –Pages 210, 211.
Ellen White warns against the serious consequences of people being excessively involved in playing competitive or professional sports
• The Holy Spirit will not work in their hearts (FCE 220)
• They have grieved the Spirit of God (CT 348-350)
• They are only professed children of God (CT 350)
• They are controlled by Satan (FCE 225)
• They are following the ways of the Gentiles (FCE 225)
• Their character is affected when playing games (FCE 225)
• They appear frivolous, rude and grotesque during games (CT 348)
• They should blush with mortification after playing football (FCE 225)
• They have a marred record in heaven (CT 348-349)
• They are weighed in the balances and found wanting (CT 348-349)
• They should follow Christ, their pattern, who never played football (FCE 229)
• Satan and his angels are on the grounds when sports are played (FCE 220; 225)
FCE -Fundamentals of Christian Education CT -Councils to Parents, Teachers, and Students
Pastor Ron Graybill writes a powerful conclusion on this issue:
“The more competition involved, the more the student’s time is consumed and the more he is diverted from preparation for practical life. The more intense the competition, the more brutal the game becomes as any football or basketball fan can tell you. The greater the competitive incentive, the greater the love for victory, the love of domination. Winning is the only thing. The future is now. Losing is like death. The more intense the competition, the more reckless becomes the dis regard of life. When competitive factors dominate an athletic event, that is when the stimulation and pleasure is the greatest, when practical duties are most likely to be neglected, when life’s sober realities and tranquil enjoyments lose their relish, and the door is opened most widely to dissipation…
In 1899 Ellen White was in Sydney, Australia, when she encountered a huge crowd on one of the streets. “Hundreds and hundreds, and I might say thousands, were gathered together. ‘What is the matter?’ I asked. ‘It is because of the cricket match,’ was the answer. And while men were playing the game of cricket, and others were watching the game, Satan was playing the game of life for their souls.’ “
In Australasian Union Conference Record, July 26, 1899.
We’re not just talking here about baseball or flagball or basketball. We’re talking about a far more important game: the game of life. Our opponent is Satan, and only here may it truly be said, “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.”
https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1974/07/ellen-g.-white-and-competitive-sports
I will give 10 reasons with references and examples below, but the brief reasons professional sports have become a destructive idol for millions are:
A) Professional sports involves ~10 types of often sinister propaganda that increases exploitation, prideful ideologies of superiority, conflict, violence, abuse and even causes a significant number of deaths every year as you will see from research below.
B) They divert huge sums of money that could literally solve over 1/2 of world poverty and many other problems towards pride and trivial activities.
C) They are a tool to distract people from thinking about crucial issues. They occupy enormous amounts of time that steal time from spirituality, families, human rights work (like ASJ), service to the community and much more.
D) Corporations have encouraged powerful sports rivalries to fracture the general population and workers into groups to distract them from really crucial issues and
E) There has been a lot of discrimination in sports (esp. in the past) which has also influenced many viewers.
More specifics are below that I have studied and learned from many scholars. But check out these articles as well:
Why Americans know so much about sports, but so little about world affairs.
http://www.alternet.org/noam-chomsky-why-americans-know-so-much-about-sports-so-little-about-world-affairs
Chris Hedges’ “Kneeling in Fenway Park to the Gods of War.” (https://www.truthdig.com/articles/kneeling-in-fenway-park-to-the-gods-of-war/) and
Sports is used as a distraction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYUUYsxzV5I
Dr. Chomsky’s comments on sports as propaganda (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz1nIHv6P6Q, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA5jOdPiZWI).
Others have pointed out that Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem at NFL games to protest racial oppression and inequality in the USA. Because of that no team will hire him now. Several SDA pastors are protesting this and calling for a black out of the NFL, a boycott or “man cott” until it treats people like Colin Kaepernick fairly instead of discriminating against them for standing up for what they think is right. I would strongly urge adding Tim Tebow and others to that list and also using a great deal more critical thinking and reducing watching professional sports in general. The pastors ask people to commit to these things:
1) Boycott the NFL. Don’t watch NFL games or buy from NFL supporters. ( see NFL sponsors here: http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2015/09/23/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/NFL-sponsors.aspx)
2) Spend the time you would have spent on TV (at least 1-2 hours a week) with boys and girls instead, esp. those who don’t have stable parents. And long term, never let sports be more important than kids.
3) Spread the word to others so it impacts the NFL financially, a language they understand. Money. It can also impact even atheists when they see pastors confronting injustice. One said:
“I’m an Atheist and fully support this! I have shared with my friends so they can talk to their congregation. Please stand tall and be strong.” Tina C
4) Pray daily for youth, communities, local and government officials (~6am if possible)
https://www.facebook.com/debleaire.snell/videos/10212542800299251/
or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZknulxWUXA
There are far more serious problems with professional sports though than just a couple people losing jobs. This ranges from its use as distraction propaganda on up to people literally dying.
1) VIOLENT SPORTS COMMODIFY PEOPLE AND SOMETIMES CAUSE ABUSE AND DEATHS
Some professional sports like boxing and football are commodifying the bodies of the athletes and then discarding them after all profits have been reaped. Study after study show that playing in the NFL is literally killing people. Here is a current NFL player who completely blacked out the league.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/sports/football/john-urschel-baltimore-ravens-retires-nfl-cte-study.html
Here is a link the PBS documentary that inspired Will Smith’s movie Concussion. The documentary clearly illustrates how playing in the NFL is detrimental to one’s health.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRYYwwRzeSQ
Scientists are learning that violent sports, especially ones like WWE wrestling, are particularly destructive because of a concept called mirror neurons. When we watch something, these neurons basically react to it in a similar way as if we have done that action ourselves. And it makes habit paths in the brain that get stronger each time. Over 1000 scientific studies have proven that violence in media significantly increases violence in real life.
Lionel Tate for example loved watching wrestling shows on TV and he sometimes imitated them in play with his friends. On July 28, 1999 he was babysitting his younger friend Tiffany Eunick. He was 12 years old and weighed 170 pounds. Tiffany was 6 years old and she weighed 48 pounds. For some reason, he started wrestling with her and tried out some of the moves that he had seen on TV on his young friend. Tragically, Lionel’s “play” caused many traumatic injuries eventually ending in Tiffany’s death. An autopsy showed that she suffered some 35 injuries including a fractured skull, lacerated liver, broken ribs, internal bleeding and many cuts and bruises.
A number of athletes have not been able to separate their violent sport from real life and have abused their spouses, family members or friends.
2) MONEY WASTED: Sports vs. Poverty (or education, science, homes, etc.).
Spending on professional sports in America alone will soon reach $73 billion a year (https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrenheitner/2015/10/19/sports-industry-to-reach-73-5-billion-by-2019/#79fc39901b4b ) and the pay of some athletes and esp. CEOs is just obscene when so many poor are in such dire need. If $73 billion were rightly directed, it would be enough to end over half of poverty worldwide. This is crucial since poverty is the root cause of a plethora of problems ranging from crime to broken marriages to trafficking to bad grades and much more. See some facts on this here:
http://blog.truth-is-life.org/rights/greed/
blog.truth-is-life.org/rights/equality/
3) TIME WASTED/FAMILIES HARMED: Professional sports uses up enormous amounts of time for no real practical benefit. How many thousands of hours have children lost from their fathers because of sports? That time could be spent on family, human rights, helping those in trouble, study, health habits and more. We should never put sports above marriage, family or children.
4) OBESITY: Professional sports influences many people to be couch potatoes. Obesity not long ago passed smoking as the #1 killer in America).
5) PROPAGANDA #1: Distraction from real issues.
Sports can be quite an effective form of propaganda that distracts people’s attention. The 1% elite have long used sports and other means to create conflict and rivalries between people so that they are distracted from the real cause of problems, the greedy elite rich and powerful who control governments and corporations. Major sports events are also often used to distract people’s attention from controversial military attacks and/or controversial legislation.
Chris Hedges lists an example of this:
“The owners of coal companies at the turn of the 20th century in southern West Virginia found that by funding local baseball teams they could blunt the solidarity of workers. Towns and coal camps rallied around their individual teams. Workers divided themselves according to team loyalty. Sport rivalries became personal. The owners, elated, used the teams to help fracture the labor movement. And the infernal logic is no different today. The players on a baseball team — who usually do not come from the city they represent — are used to promote a provincial chauvinism and a false sense of belonging and empowerment. And the financial, emotional and intellectual energy invested by fans in these well-choreographed spectacles keeps the onlookers docile and supine.”
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/kneeling-in-fenway-park-to-the-gods-of-war/) and
In the past, minorities were excluded from sports, a terrible injustice as the movie “42” about Jackie Robinson points out. But why are there so many minorities in sports now? Why are nearly all NFL cornerbacks minorities and most other players too? Is this because of physical ability? Maybe. But could it be partly because those who own the sports teams know it is harmful to lives as documentaries show and are racists. It may be because they want to distract minorities to consume more of their attention with sports since while people of all races are being victimized, it is happening worse to minorities.
6) PROPAGANDA #2: Creates US vs THEM mentality which conditions people to join the military
Many professional sports influence people to focus on competition and domination more than cooperation (although a few do encourage teamwork), esp. so when there is corruption in sports as often happens. Professional sports influences some people to have an us vs. them, win at all costs mentality. It influences some to hate people that they don’t even know. My team and by extension nation is right above all others, regardless of what fair evidence and truth say. This is ideal training for the military and motivating soldiers to fight against enemies, something that is often done for greed and that America’s founders and many others have warned is the fastest way to plutocracy and loss of freedom. It’s why the military spends a huge amount of their advertising budget at sports stadiums and websites.
Sports can influence people to think that the way to solve problems is by dominating others or even by force or violence. But this is not God’s way, nor the right way. Solving challenges through interdependence, the highest level of living, is by far the most effective way to make progress for everyone.
Dr. Chomsky says,
“Sports is a crucial component of the propaganda system. It offers people something to pay attention to that is of no importance. It keeps them from thinking about things that really matter to their lives…I remember in high school I asked myself at one point, ‘Why do I care if my high school team wins the football game….I don’t know them…it doesn’t make sense….but it does make sense….it’s training in irrational jingoism….Professional sports are a way of building up jingoist fanaticism….It’s a way of building up irrational attitudes of submission to authority. That’s why energy is devoted to supporting them, advertisers pay for them and so on.”
He and others say that for 80% of the population, the main reason sports is funded so heavily by corporations and the government is because:
A) It consumes their time with topics that don’t really matter for real life. This reduces their time and attention for important topics. It reduces their capacity to think. Most comedies, cartoons, a lot of movies, dramas, etc. are similar.
B) It gets people to hate others that they don’t even know, something that is a useful trait for training soldiers to kill people in other countries.
It’s not only sports that do this. Violent video games and many other heavy competition based activities do this too. Violent video games are one of the biggest places where the military recruits its tech operatives, such as drone operators. These young people, with very little experience, are then put in control of drones that determine life or death for people in far away countries.
As a consequence of drones, a boy in Pakistan said,
“I no longer love blue skies. In fact, I now prefer grey skies. The drones do not fly when the skies are grey,” a 13-year-old Pakistani boy named Zubair told Congress on Tuesday. Zubair was 12 when he and his younger sister, Nabeela, were injured in a drone strike near North Waziristan last October. “When sky brightens, drones return and we live in fear,” Zubair told Rep. Alan Grayson and others at the congressional briefing. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/saddest-words-congresss-briefing-drone-strikes/354548/
https://www.salon.com/2015/02/14/i_no_longer_love_blue_skies_what_life_is_like_under_the_constant_threat_of_a_drone_attack_partner/
This short clip shows how video games and drone warfare are closely connected.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGA8RFB0VSw
Drone 2014 DRONE is a documentary about the covert CIA drone war. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMyPzoIMmKM
7) EXCESS STIMULATION
I have shared facts and truth from the Bible and confirmed by Sabbath on topics that make the difference between life and death for millions of people with atheists or even Christians. Too often I got the response, “TLDR” or mocking smiley faces and crucial facts of the Bible and science are ignored. This is evidence that the propaganda of distraction and consuming their time has been effective.
8) BOREDOM WITH TRUTH/SPIRITUALITY/SCIENCE
Professional sports can sometimes create so much excitement about something of such trivial value, that some people feel bored with topics like God’s truths/the Bible, science and human rights. These topics take in depth investigation and work and sometimes aren’t so exciting, but they are crucial to life, freedom and many kinds of success.
9) WASTED WORK
How much useful work could the athletes themselves do if they were not paid athletes? Some athletes do us their free time and influence admirably and this is commendable. But many don’t. If their energy were redirected, maybe they could work for human rights, build homes for the poor, counsel people experiencing abuse, invent scientific solutions to problems, teach students, work as a missionary to give the most important truths on the planet to people.
10) CAN SABOTAGE HIGHER EDUCATION
Many athletes in the past sacrificed their studies for a chance at the big leagues. They may have had short time success or not. But they did not gain the skills to give them a long term stable career. Now some of this has been fixed. But there are still other problems such as the use of scholarships to manipulate students in various ways:
“According to a study written by the College Athletes Players Association and Drexel University called, The $6 Billion Heist: Robbing College Athletes Under the Guise of Amateurism , ‘student-athletes enter an agreement that isn’t as binding as it used to be: Under this new arrangement, athletes were vulnerable to losing their scholarships for a variety of reasons such as the inability to produce because of injury, failure to perform as desired on the field, and/or a change in coaching staff or coaching philosophy. In effect, the athletic scholarship became a tool in controlling player behavior, movement, and value.”
www.huffingtonpost.com/evan-f-moore/propaganda-and-sports-ncaa_b_5288787.html