It is a typical day in COGland as many members are settling in for a Thanksgiving meal and watching a game of football on TV. That is except in Arroyo Grande, CA where Tin Foil Bob is having another meltdown over American football.
Give thanks to God, but not for American tackle football
Today is the national holiday in the USA called Thanksgiving. And despite certain claims, its specific origins are not pagan. But, of course, no Christian needs to celebrate national holidays like it if they do not wish to (cf. Romans 14). And the Bible does condemn gluttony.
Yet, whether on this day or others, the Bible teaches that people should give thanks:
4 Sing praise to the LORD, You saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name (Psalm 30:4).
The Bible is full of admonitions to give thanks to God. The New King James Version of the Bible has the word ‘thank’ 25 times, ‘thanks’ 75 times, ‘thankful’ 3 times, and ‘thanksgiving’ 32 times. It also has the word ‘praise’ 237 times and ‘praises’ 11 times.
One thing that I have noticed on the day called Thanksgiving by those in the USA, is when I have been at many other places than the home I lived in, American football has been playing on television.
For many, other than food and family, football is a major focus of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Christians should give God thanks, but not encourage violence in sports like American tackle football.
To close, perhaps I should mention that we do not ‘add a day’ to God’s holy days if we somehow observe Thanksgiving or other national holidays. National observances are NOT holy days, nor does anyone have to keep them. Jesus, however, observed at least one (cf. (John 10:22-23), setting an example that we can if we so choose. But not through encouraging violence.Dave Pack, at least, had a more historical history of Thanksgiving posted about why we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States, something Tin Foil Bob never does since all of his articles are always about him.
Dave Pack seems to be ok with football:
As Thanksgiving Day approaches, ponder and consider the many wonderful blessings you enjoy. Be grateful for these wonderful benefits. (To learn more, read our article “The Sin of Ingratitude.”) Realize that these material blessings were not given to us because of anything we have done—we do not deserve them. God has bestowed them on us—simply because of His mercy, and His promise to Abraham, the father of the faithful (Gal. 3:6-9).
Before you and your family enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, or begin watching a parade or football game, be sure to take time to truly thank God in prayer and thought for the national wealth, power and prestige He has given this nation.
While there is still time, make certain that you and your family are not partaking in the nationwide, unthankful attitude. Be sure to give thanks to God in the same heartfelt, sincere manner that the pilgrims did on the first Thanksgiving in North America! Should You Celebrate Thanksgiving Day?
Bob is a doctor. It's hard to convince a doctor to let people knock you on the head.
ReplyDeleteDon't watch football because it is violent, but they can't wait to wipe out the majority of the worlds population. We plan to barbeque you if you wear the wrong suit, if your dress is too short, long hair, eat porky pig, fail to give me all your income, etc.
ReplyDeleteStatistics show that eye injuries occur far more often in people who are fishing than who are playing football. Drowning is also much more common among fishermen than among football players. Is Bitter Bob prepared to speak out against the first Apostles for their choice of such an unacceptably dangerous way to make a living?
ReplyDelete4:15 wrote: "Bob is a doctor."
ReplyDeleteA doctor of homoeopathic quackery and a "PhD" from an Indian diploma mill. He is not a legitimate medical doctor and certainly is NOT a Dr. of theology. Those titles are just as fake as his claim to be a doubly blessed prophet of God.
4:47 Football is INHERENTLY dangerous. Fishing is not.
ReplyDeleteEven your mother knows not to let people knock you on the head.
ReplyDeleteWho says homeopath is quackery?
ReplyDeleteDoes Bob Thiel have a Mrs.or a muse? Seems like he could use the guidance of a good partner who was mutually invested in their plight!
ReplyDeleteHomeopathy is quackery. If true your drinking water has the memory of every drug, poison, pesticide, poop and pee pee in it as well.. Drink up
ReplyDeleteErr, did Dave just mention a article on the 'sin of ingratitude?' The same Dave who has robbed many members of their life savings, leaving them destitute via his common teaching?
ReplyDeleteDave is Robin Hood in reverse. He takes from the poor and gives to the rich, as in himself and his bootlickers.
Bob Thiel wrote: "...To close, perhaps I should mention that we do not ‘add a day’ to God’s holy days if we somehow observe Thanksgiving or other national holidays..."
ReplyDeleteLev 23:34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
Bob Thiel does not to want to "...add a day’ to God’s holy days...", but Bob apparently has no problem adding holy days to God's holy days.
God said having a holy convocation on the 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacle and the 8th day, and obviously the weekly Sabbath if one exists between the 1st and 8th days is a holy convocation; however, I believe Bob Thiel, like many xcogs, has no problem treating all 8 days like they are all Sabbaths, and although Bob may not emphasize that fact, Bob has a holy convocation for each of the 8 days.
God only calls for 2 holy convocations; 3 max, but is Bob Thiel, in his own self-righteousness think he is doing God some service by having more holy convocations than God asked for?
And yet, Bob wants to make some big deal over football!
Bob may not think he is adding days to God's holydays, but he sure is adding "holy convocations!"
Is God really more concerned about Thanksgiving day & football than He might be with how His holy convocations are determined by human beings like Bob Thiel...especially if done contrary to His only instructions given in Leviticus 23?
Time will tell...
John
Yes, Dr. Thiel has a wife. Joyce takes some of the pictures he posts. Here's hoping they both enjoyed watching the National Dog Show on TV Thursday.
ReplyDeletebe thankful, American Gridiron is the greatest sport on earth! How would you like to be put to sleep watching Soccer like the rest of the world?
ReplyDeleteI was put to sleep just listening to Bob preach! Bloody hell, what is wrong with that guy?
ReplyDeleteDave Packs reasoning presents a quandary. To which God are Americans thanking for their power and wealth ?
ReplyDeleteGod the Father or the God of this world Satan ?
At times over the years i have wondered which God really rules the COG landscape.
Real men play soccer. And they dress like men with their proper shorts. This is unlike the Yankee football players who wear those sissy ballet stockings. Gay men must get excited watching their football players.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThe memory of pee is not pee.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteAmerican football is a bunch of thick-skinned louts getting paid the big bucks to bang their heads together. Then they go and screw the cheerleaders. That is why fat slobs and skinny weaklings worship them.
Who else is now a Bears fan after Thursday's game? Did you catch the Mike Ditka lookalike in crowd?
ReplyDeleteMore people DIE driving a car, than in all sports combined each year.
ReplyDeleteTHUS- according to Thiel logic, all driving should be banned!
i suspect there wont be automobiles in the millennium...
DeleteAnointing for "And the sick shall be made well" is also quackery
ReplyDeleteQuackery, Dennis? Indeed both homeopathy and anointing are quackery.
ReplyDeleteEmbarrassing news, though. Quackery works. See this article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/magazine/placebo-effect-medicine.html
Just returned from an extended family feast that included football on an HD wall-size screen with the sound turned off. For a one-hour game spread over the afternoon, and not being a sports fan, made me look forward to the commercials. Watching European soccer with a soccer fan a few years ago was much easier in actually entertaining in comparison. In the NFL game, I didn't see violence to the extent one may expect from Bob's descriptions, but did think there was a lot of poor sportsmanship. Another viewer said the bad behavior is also extant in baseball.
ReplyDeleteA Scots general manager I had some years ago occasionally remarked that his football (soccer) is really football, but American Gridiron and English Rugby weren't...
ReplyDeleteTwo words: The Bears
That's all that needs to be said..
- except perhaps "Cheese Fries"
ReplyDeleteRating the Sports:
Gridiron: 10
Baseball: 9
Rugby: 7
Aus-Rules: 6
Cricket: 5
Soccer: 3
Bob Thiel is just out of his time element. Had he lived in Roman times, it would have been totally appropriate for him to speak out against going to the Coliseum to watch the gladiators make sport of Christians. Actually, I’d be tempted to think that here is a man who is stuck in the Old Testament, although so many of my Jewish friends love football, so that can’t be right. Stuck in Armstrongism is probably a more apt description.
ReplyDeleteBB
yeah,funny you should coin that analogy because history will probably see us as just as wrong and barbaric as the romans, and just as resistant to the truth being proclaimed as they were, despite our advanced technology and so called progressive ways...
Deletec f ben yochanan
i suspect i am not the only one to play sandlot in this whole discussion; been knocked out twice cuz the boys i played with were bigger than me...been knocked out once while sparring in the ring...
ReplyDeletefact is God didnt intend for us to participate in sports where we could suffer injury or death, and both football and boxing have claimed lives and left many injured, some permanently...
and for those of you what like to say that driving is statistically more dangerous, i would bet not so per capita, considering the 10s of millions of cars on the road, compared to the 1000s of football games played anually...
c f ben yochanan
i would also remind you that it is a scientifically proven fact (many of you on this blog claim to swear by science) that with each head blow the brain suffers a reduction in brain cells, and football players are constantly suffering blows to the head; not to mention the contant other injuries: knee scrapes, broken teeth, broken extremities, eye gouges, muscle, tendon and ligament injuries, etc...
ReplyDeletebut, we in our civilized society love to see football played much in the same way as the romans loved to see gladiator violence...
c f ben yochanan