Update:
This coming Sunday is known as “Super Bowl Sunday” in the USA. Most years, the American football (which is not the same as the sport called soccer in the USA) contest known as the Superbowl is the most watched television program in the USA. Over 100,000,000 are expected to intentionally (as opposed to perhaps seeing a news item about it) watch at least some of it this year according to various reports.
This year he has to drag in Apostle John who was against American Football, big time!
Tackle football fans WANT one team to repeatedly knock down players of the opposing team. They get a thrill and satisfaction from their team winning.
But for many tackles to happen, one or more players often get, at least slightly, injured and sometimes permanently so.
To encourage this as a fan and to be pleased when it happen simply is not good for Christians and is harmful for character development–including developing more of the love of God.
The Apostle John was inspired to write, “he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also (1 John 4:20-21).
Encouraging and celebrating violent physical contact (tackling) is not showing love towards players.
He is also perturbed this year that regular Church of God members will watch the game. The horrors!
Tackle football is a lust of the flesh and eyes. Those who claim to be Christian and endorse it are letting the pride of life deceive them.
How many who are in the COGs love the worldly sport of American tackle football and really do not care that it causes irreparable harm to its participants? Is it not another reason that some watch because of their lust for violence and/or for social acceptance?
This is not what loving Christians should do.
Since American football games, like the Super Bowl, intentionally inflict various hurts, the following scripture supports the idea that American football will not be allowed in the Millennium:
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LordAs the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9, NKJV)
While “love does no harm to a neighbor” (Romans 13:9), what do sports like American football do?
A while back, on the night before the Super Bowl, I saw portions of TBN’s Christian World News. Towards the end, they interviewed players on the teams in that scheduled Super Bowl game who professed Christ. The players, individually, basically stated that their faith was more important than winning the Super Bowl. But none said that they would renounce violence, not harm others, or not participate in the game because of its negative fruits.
Additionally, of the multitude of groups that profess Christ, it appears that only an actual or relative handful or so will tell their members that they should not be fans of American tackle football. Sometimes they will not denounce it because their leaders are fans, sometimes because they are afraid that they might lose members and/or money, and sometimes because of all of those reasons.Would Jesus want you to watch the Super Bowl? What about the Apostle Paul who warned against approving violence? The same Apostle Paul who said to imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Would Jesus or the Apostle Paul watch the Superbowl as football fans rooting for one team to crush the other team?“Perhaps,” some might answer. And still others may ridicule and/or dismiss what I have written.
However, if Jesus Himself did watch the Super Bowl, would He watch it and hope that one team would tackle and crash into members of the other team? Or might He watch it, if He did, so He could make social commentary against the violence and/or distorted priorities of the land?
Would Jesus take pleasure in humans damaging other humans for entertainment?
Thiel has been on the warpath against football for quite some time now. He is particularly galled that today is Super Bowl Sunday and over 100,000,000 people may INTENTIONALLY watch it!
Thiel writes:
Then in his next sentence, he has this to say:Today is known as “Super Bowl Sunday” in the USA. Most years, the American football (which is not the same as the sport called soccer in the USA) contest known as the Superbowl is the most watched television program in the USA. Between 100,000,000-200,000,000 are expected to intentionally (as opposed to perhaps seeing a news item about it) watch at least some of it today according to various reports.
Since most people in the USA have, at one time or another, made some hint of professing following Jesus, a relevant question may be:
Would Jesus want you to watch the Super Bowl?
Lest we forget, in Thiel speak whenever he talks about "professing" followers of Jesus he is talking about the "SO-CALLED" harlot daughters of the Catholic church. These unwashed UNCONVERTED masses are worthless fake Christians that follow Jesus instead of the law. Whenever Thiel throws around the "so-called" and the "hint of professing" style Christians he is ultimately trying to tell you that there are REAL "professing" Christians and "called" ones. Of course, the "called" ones can only be found in the Continuing Ed Church of God.
Thiel finds American football to be offensive because of the "violence" in it. He writes:
I think the root of the matter may lie deeper than the "violence" he wants to see. Did Thiel really want to be on the football team but was ultimately too unfit for it? That is the impression I have heard people had that were in LCG listening to his malarkey. Was he rejected and therefore humiliated in front of his peers? Many seem to think so.After seeing the injuries that some of my high school football-playing colleagues suffered, I could not reconcile the scriptures with American football. There are better ways for Christians to learn principles like teamwork from other sports or activities than watching actual violence such occurs in American tackle football.
Thiel then brings John the Baptist into the mix. Thiel cherishes his flesh too much to dare to play football:
Thiel then quotes Theophilus as the authority on refusing to watch football. Because football is violent in Thiel's eyes he thinks it is comparable to Christians being martyred in the Forum or gladiators fighting to death. What a moronic comparison. Of course, Christians did not attend events where people fought to their death. To compare football to that same kind of violence is stretching the point to absurdity.Also, notice what John the Baptist taught soldiers:
14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. (Luke 3:14, KJV)I could not reconcile loving my neighbor as myself and cherishing my flesh and not doing violence to any man by watching others do it in a football game. Nor the following:
9…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:9-10, NKJV)
The New Testament also warns Christians against being violent or approving of those that are (Romans 1:28-32), while history records that early Christians would not watch violent sports. Notice one such report from Theophilus of Antioch perhaps written about 180 A.D.:
Consider, therefore, whether those who teach such things can possibly live indifferently, and be commingled in unlawful intercourse, or, most impious of all, eat human flesh, especially when we are forbidden so much as to witness shows of gladiators, lest we become partakers and abettors of murders. But neither may we see the other spectacles, lest our eyes and ears be defiled,
Then, Thiel just sinks further into his madness. Football is EVIL and so are the cheerleaders!
Since I do not actually watch American football, I do not know how many violent acts are likely at today’s Super Bowl, but the number is likely to be very high, and maybe even a lot more if thoughts of violence are included (cf. Matthew 5:21-22).
In my view, the tackle version of the sport of American football is evil (touch football I would not consider to be inherently evil–though attitude is still a possible factor there). Also, no Christian can really defend how professional football cheerleading females are publicly dressed and displayed–and presumably some of how they will be displayed at today’s Super Bowl game.
In the world Thiel is going to be King and Ruler over as God, he is not going to allow American football to be played.
Since American football games, like the Super Bowl, intentionally inflict various hurts, the following scripture supports the idea that American football will not be allowed in the Millennium:
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9, NKJV)
Thiel concludes with this. When you look at it, it really makes sense to a follower of Armstrongism. The Jesus they think the world knows is this weak, effeminate, pussy-boy who is too delicate to play tackle football.
Say what?????????? Jesus is now a sports commentator?????Would Jesus want you to watch the Super Bowl? What about the Apostle Paul who warned against approving violence? The same Apostle Paul who said to imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Would Jesus or the Apostle Paul watch the Superbowl as football fans routing for one team to crush the other team?
Perhaps, some might say. And some may ridicule and/or dismiss what I have written.
If Jesus Himself did watch the Super Bowl, would He watch it and hope that one team would tackle and crash into members of the other team? Or might He watch it, if He did, so He could make social commentary against the violence and/or distorted priorities.
Thiel needs to stop making such a fool out of himself with these worthless and idiotic promotions of personal opinion. Armstrongism is based purely upon personal opinion instead of having anything to do with Jesus or reality.