*quality story

Boosting this quality contribution up in the Hot Listing - declared quality by dystopianfuturetoday.

What a great story. Where I come from, we have more hockey than football. I've seen parents swearing at coaches and referees when their 13 year old gets a penalty. It's refreshing to see somebody that understands that sport has little to do with scores and statistics and lots to do with having a good time.

It's called a "game" after all. If it wasn't supposed to be fun we would just call it work.

Made of win.

Great story. The article is great too and adds some nice quotes.

Many people made this happen. However, it's the leadership of Faith's head coach, Kris Hogan that made it happen. From the article...

'He sent out an email asking the Faithful to do just that. "Here's the message I want you to send:" Hogan wrote. "You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth."'

I praise him for taking this stand that resulted in a great game for Gainsville's kids.

You know, the bad side of Christianity gets more publicity than this side -- this site just like many other sites.

This is the true heart of the Christian faith to me. Walking the walk, not just talking.

I am not a church-goer myself, so this isn't about me. This comment is about seeing the whole picture of what it means to be a Christian. It isn't just the hypocrisy and the denying of gay marriage. It is also about showing love and faith.

Boo yah.

This -is- a wonderful story, no doubt.

There's a reason the bad side, as you put it, gets the most publicity...and it isn't because the 15% that don't identify as Christian have some huge undue amount of influence. It's simply because the bad side is demonstrated more often, and more vehemently. I have never in my life personally been witness to any activity like this by Christians. But I have personally seen the hypocrisy and hatefulness more times than I can count.

>> ^bareboards2:
You know, the bad side of Christianity gets more publicity than this side -- this site just like many other sites.
This is the true heart of the Christian faith to me. Walking the walk, not just talking.
I am not a church-goer myself, so this isn't about me. This comment is about seeing the whole picture of what it means to be a Christian. It isn't just the hypocrisy and the denying of gay marriage. It is also about showing love and faith.
Boo yah.

I would've done this. I'm not a Christian. How come good ol' fashion altruism has to be called "christian"? That's narrow thinking. Furthermore, Buddhists, Hindu, Islamic, Jews all show the same sort of charitable actions. To attribute it to christians only makes you look foolish.

>> ^rottenseed:
>> ^bareboards2:
You know, the bad side of Christianity gets more publicity than this side -- this site just like many other sites.
This is the true heart of the Christian faith to me. Walking the walk, not just talking.
I am not a church-goer myself, so this isn't about me. This comment is about seeing the whole picture of what it means to be a Christian. It isn't just the hypocrisy and the denying of gay marriage. It is also about showing love and faith.
Boo yah.

I would've done this. I'm not a Christian. How come good ol' fashion altruism has to be called "christian"? That's narrow thinking. Furthermore, Buddhists, Hindu, Islamic, Jews all show the same sort of charitable actions. To attribute it to christians only makes you look foolish.


Agreed, I would've cheered for the tornadoes aswell, and I'm not religious at all. Haven't been to a church since I was 5 years old. It's just unfortunate that these kinds of things get lumped under the broad spectrum of "Christian" Things to do.

Well said rottenseed and shepppard. I'm exactly the same. I don't need the promise of a long term reward to be an honest and good person.

Only part that reminds me of Christianity is when that lady says, "I felt like he BELONGED to me."


>> ^bareboards2:
You know, the bad side of Christianity gets more publicity than this side -- this site just like many other sites.
This is the true heart of the Christian faith to me. Walking the walk, not just talking.
I am not a church-goer myself, so this isn't about me. This comment is about seeing the whole picture of what it means to be a Christian. It isn't just the hypocrisy and the denying of gay marriage. It is also about showing love and faith.
Boo yah.

Oh, I was a little confused at first. But now I see that you're talking about the game handegg, not football.

http://bitsandpieces.us/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/imagesfootball-20vs-20handegg-thumb.jpg

I'm not quoting the last few posts -- this is in response to them all.

See, you guys are just proving my point that Christians get a raw deal.

I said nothing about other religions, I was only talking about these people. I didn't "attribute it only to Christians" -- you guys did.

As for the folks who have never seen Christians walk their walk -- who have only seen the hypocrisy (which I acknowledged exists) -- well, too bad for you.

I have seen Christians Do Good numerous times. And yes, I have seen the hypocrisy, too, but there are plenty of examples of that. You guys don't need me to list them.

The guy who remodeled my house. Devout Christian. He and his wife adopted 8 children and raised them alongside his natural born four kids. Hard to place kids -- all of them dark-skinned, most of them were older when he adopted them.

My brother. A Mormon. He and I haven't always gotten along. I finally stopped calling him because it was a difficult relationship for me. It took him two years, but he finally started calling me, for the first time in his life. Because the Mormon religion says family is important. So as much as he had problems with me, he walked his walk. We have a good relationship now.

My cousin. Her daughter's boyfriend broke into their house and stole a safe. It took some wrestling, it wasn't easy, however she finally forgave him as she felt her religion asked her to do.

Are these folks perfect? No. Do I expect them to be? No.

They are good people who have found a system of belief that gives them comfort and a framework for getting through life. Is it a framework that I am interested in? Absolutely not. It works for them, however much it may fail them, or rather they fail it.

True for Hindus, Muslims, whatever.

I just am sick of all the bashing that goes on. The discussion of only one side of things.

Humans are complicated. They are imperfect. They are hypocritical. Everyone who has ever laid into a Christian for being hypocritical I'd bet money has been hypocritical in their lives.

Religion has a dark side. For all the good that can come from religion, great bad can also come. We all know about that. This site in particular is quick to bring up the bad.

All I was trying to do is shine a light of praise on this example of folks doing something good because of their religious beliefs. It can happen.

Me getting piled on about expressing that simple thing is amazing to me. And proves my point. Christians get painted only one way on this site.

So I'm sticking to what I said before. You guys can bash on me all you want.

This video is an example of what good can come from Christians walking their walk.

If this were a video about Muslims walking their walk, I would say that. But it isn't. This video is about Christians.

So I said what I said and you know? I am 100% right. Nothing you guys have said changes that these people did a good thing.

If religion wants to claim the moral high ground, it has to take the moral high ground. It doesn't. People are good and bad, whether atheist, christian, muslim, buddhist etc etc.

I think it's weird when people look at convicts and go "he's found Jesus, so he's good now".. why is that any indication? Fred Phelps?

I see Christianity (or any other religion) as a package deal, you can't just accept the good parts and leave the bad parts out - then it's not really christianity anymore, but your own new religion. You can choose to do the good actions, the actions you perceive to be good, while not accepting jesus, jehova or any other deity. And if having blind, unwavering faith is a good deed to you, then you might want to re-evaluate that before you get ripped off by a cult leader.

Some people may need a religious or religious-like structure to be good, but most don't. Why should it be imposed on those?

Anyway, this was an inspiring video, giving the convicts some dignity and something to take their minds off things.

^"Some people may need a religious or religious-like structure to be good, but most don't."

I don't think that is why people are drawn to religion at all. All the religious people I know -- whatever the faith, including New Age woo woo stuff -- seem to be searching for a framework to view life and to give them comfort and support.

For some, that becomes extremely rigid and fundamentalist and is the source of most of the bad stuff from religion. It comforts some people to think that they have the answer and others don't.

Just as it comforts some to bash religion so hard. You know, that is just the flip side of religion -- just as rigid and fundamentalist in their belief that THEY are right.

My brother became a Mormon after going, as a tourist, to the Temple in Salt Lake City. He told me of the huge, beautiful murals in the Temple, all with happy families. Our own family was typically dysfunctional, and my brother was drawn to those images. They were important to him. So he became a Mormon.

Later, in one of the few times he tried to prosyletize me, he said -- they tell me things I have trouble believing. But I choose to have faith.

My brother needed religion to get through this life. It worked for him, he was willing to make the trade-offs between logic and faith, because he needed faith to survive. He has been married almost forty years and he has four grown children who seem to be functioning well, when other kids in the neighborhood weren't so successful.

Just because you don't need that structure and comfort, I don't see why you want to denigrate those who choose it.

And yes, yes, for pity's sake, yes, I know bad things are done in the name of religion. What I am trying to get across is that good things are also done. And I think it is pretty dang weird that ya'll don't just say "yes, some good things are done, isn't that great" and let it lie.

You realize that you sound just as whacko as any True Believer who insists you are wrong for not believing the way they do, don't you? I mean honestly. Look in the mirror and see the shared humanity. How are you different?

This is my crusade, by the way. No different than your crusade. Somehow, we have got to find some way to let others be different than us without it being some sort of sin. Sin against God or sin against logic.

I don't believe in evil or sin. I believe in humanity, with all its warts and all its glories.

Thankyou for lifting up my day.

"And yes, yes, for pity's sake, yes, I know bad things are done in the name of religion. What I am trying to get across is that good things are also done. And I think it is pretty dang weird that ya'll don't just say "yes, some good things are done, isn't that great" and let it lie. "

I won't speak for RS, but the point -I- was trying to make, was that I'm an Athiest, and yet, if I were to do this, I would've been lumped under the "It's the christian thing to do" pile. It's not because I'm a nice person, who believes in supporting those who need it. I would have done it, because it's what I deemed to be "right."

I won't argue with you, I see no point. It'd be like trying to push over a brick wall, I won't change my views, neither will you, and I'll leave you be for it. I won't, however, accept being told that something nice, decent, right, or moral is the "Christian" thing to do, when I'm doing it out of the goodness of my heart, and not because of the Deity I believe in.

Hey Shepppard. You keep making this into something it isn't.

This video is about a bunch of people at a Christian school. So the video is about Christians who did something good.

It isn't about you.

You also put words into my mouth. You say that I would have said "it's the Christian thing to do." I NEVER would have said that.

I am sure that there are folks out there who would say that. I've met them. I'm related to them.

But I would NEVER say that. I don't believe it.

So actually we do agree. It would be stupid to say when anyone anywhere does something nice, "It's the Christian thing to do". I think that is stupid, too.

I didn't do that, however -- conflate all nice actions to being Christian. So you don't have to fight with me about that.

So we can leave it there, right? We agree?

It is wrong to describe all nice actions as "it's the Christian thing to do."

One more thing, Shepppard...

It just occurred to me.... you did know that all those people were Christians, parents, friends and siblings of kids at a Christian school?

'Cause if you thought it was just any old school, I could see you getting pissed at me. Then it would have been the equivalent of saying "it's the Christian thing to do."

But since they WERE all Christians, it was what Christians actually did.

So we're still cool, right?

Hey Shepppard...

I woke up this morning thinking... maybe he did know that was a Christian school... (see my comment above.)

And if he did, then logically what he is saying is -- if something bad is done by Christians, then that is an example of how religion is bad. But if something good is done by Christians, then that is something that can't be ascribed to religion, it has to be universal.

Which doesn't make sense, logically, right? All bad actions are religion's fault and no good actions can be done in the name of a religion?

Folks are both good and bad. Institutions are both good and bad.

It seems to me it is neither fair nor logical to separate the good from the bad.

And to repeat -- yeah, it is stupid to say for any random good action "that's the Christian thing to do." We do agree there.


>> ^Shepppard:
"And yes, yes, for pity's sake, yes, I know bad things are done in the name of religion. What I am trying to get across is that good things are also done. And I think it is pretty dang weird that ya'll don't just say "yes, some good things are done, isn't that great" and let it lie. "
I won't speak for RS, but the point -I- was trying to make, was that I'm an Athiest, and yet, if I were to do this, I would've been lumped under the "It's the christian thing to do" pile. It's not because I'm a nice person, who believes in supporting those who need it. I would have done it, because it's what I deemed to be "right."
I won't argue with you, I see no point. It'd be like trying to push over a brick wall, I won't change my views, neither will you, and I'll leave you be for it. I won't, however, accept being told that something nice, decent, right, or moral is the "Christian" thing to do, when I'm doing it out of the goodness of my heart, and not because of the Deity I believe in.