Respecting All Religions
Discussing the Rising Issue of Religious Criticism in Our Country’s Media This staff editorial represents the views of the staff of Le Journal-14 out of 14 staff members voted in support of this editorial. There he is again. One of his knees touches the bristly turf as his elbow rests on his knee. His head leans against his clenched fist while a drop of sweat drips down his face. He passed 316 yards against the Steelers. His passes in this game added up to 31.6 yards per completion. If this weren’t already coincidence enough, this evangelical Christian quarterback had the Bible verse “John 3:16” written under his eyes for this very game. Since that game on Jan. 8, 2012, the news media and social media have been exploding with criticisms about Tim Tebow, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, and his love for God. Junior Claire Willman, who is well-versed on Tebow, knew of a website called “Tebowhaters.org”, a site which campaigns against Tim Tebow because of his religious ways. “He should be able to show his love for God just like anybody else. And if people follow his lead and do it as well, that is great,” freshman Anna Romano said. Exactly. People shouldn’t be criticized for displaying their love for their religion. Even the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution explains this point perfectly. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The Constitution guarantees our right to practice any religion we choose, or none at all, and the
right to speak freely. But we should be responsible with these freedoms. While we are free to criticize, we are also morally obligated to show respect to people and their faith. I believe that many Americans need to take a step back and re-read the first amendment to remind themselves of what our great founding fathers established our country upon. Unfortunately, I believe that many of us are influenced by others and by the news media to disre-
“He should be able to show his love for God just like anybody else...” -freshman Anna Romano spect other peoples religions. “...I believe in an America where religious intolerance will someday end; where all men and all churches are treated as equal...” President John F. Kennedy said on Sept. 12, 1960, in a speech regarding his Catholic religion. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States, and he didn’t have an easy time getting there. During the 1960 election, many Americans were skeptical of a Catholic running for president. Many were fearful that Kennedy would make decisions through the Pope. Because this was one of the first elections in
which television played a big role, the news media’s reflections may have egged-on such anti-Catholic bias. Many already had prejudices against Catholics during that time period, but the media also influenced Americans’ concerns with John F. Kennedy’s religion from the very start. More recently, American Muslims have felt the sting of religious intolerance. Many Americans were frightened after 9/11, and out of this fright came unfair accusations against the Muslim community. It was not unusual to hear people equate the Muslim faith with terrorism. Such statements are simply unjust. No one deserves to be unjustly criticized in this way. “Even though it was the extremists who were involved in the 9/11 attacks, some people stereotype regular Muslims as terrorists as well,” Romano said. Although the events of 9/11 were extremely traumatic, that gives us no license to jump to unfair accusations and wrong conclusions about a whole group of people. So the next time you see or hear religious criticism by others or in the media, check yourself. When you see Tebow take a knee and hear radio and television announcers mock him, recognize the unfairness of these comments. If you hear ugly remarks that generalize all Muslims as being terrorists, voice your disagreement of religious prejudice. If there is talk about a presidential candidate’s religion, question the stereotypes. We all have the right to practice our religion freely. We should respect this freedom for all. Catholics, Christians, Muslims, Jews-everyone. -Drawing by Ally Ungashick
Religious Persecution? “Wow, Jesus just f***ed #TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler “Hey, Buffalo’s killing them.” -tweeted by Bill Maher, political commentator “Mitt Romney downgraded from Mormon to moron” -tweeted by Paul Solomon, political reporter “God Hates Israel” and “Jews Killed Jesus” are just some of the words among many of Fred Phelp’s disrespectful protest signs.
-Information from Twitter and Fred Phelp’s website
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