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Albert Holmes Slides In, on 21 August 2017 - 01:46 PM, said:
I support a football team. I do not care about the political or religious beliefs, sexual practices, sexuality, gender, ethnicity or sexual preferences of those in and around the team, those who love and/or support it, or those who run it and are employed by it. If I could choose for everyone I'd model the club on the German club St Pauli, but that is not my choice alone.
I am an atheist. I understand there will be those of religious beliefs within the club too. That is their freedom and right. I do not, however, believe our club, supported by Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and many other religions for all I know should be distributing Gideon Bibles to all its staff and publicising its Christianity on its website.
Gideon International distributes bibles free around the world. This is not generosity, it is what it does. Gideon is a class based organisation whose membership is limited to current or retired business or professional MEN aged 21 or older who are members in good standing of an evangelical or Protestant church. Wives of Gideons may also join the Gideons International Auxiliary.
So how does Chesterfield Football club square its support of a class-based, Christian organisation that discriminates against women with the core values it was espousing on its website only months ago?
I'm feeling dodgy about continuing my support for the club, which has been lifelong.
I am an atheist. I understand there will be those of religious beliefs within the club too. That is their freedom and right. I do not, however, believe our club, supported by Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and many other religions for all I know should be distributing Gideon Bibles to all its staff and publicising its Christianity on its website.
Gideon International distributes bibles free around the world. This is not generosity, it is what it does. Gideon is a class based organisation whose membership is limited to current or retired business or professional MEN aged 21 or older who are members in good standing of an evangelical or Protestant church. Wives of Gideons may also join the Gideons International Auxiliary.
So how does Chesterfield Football club square its support of a class-based, Christian organisation that discriminates against women with the core values it was espousing on its website only months ago?
I'm feeling dodgy about continuing my support for the club, which has been lifelong.
Some clubs do have long established connections with a church or a faith, like Southampton (Anglican) Everton (Methodists) and Mansfield ( Snake-handlers) which might give this sort of deal some grounding. As far as I know though, Town don't. Individual players can do what they like but I don't reckon Town should be promoting religion or associating itself with those that do.
Its not like a sponsorship deal, I know, but there's an implicit endorsement of a product here, and its not a very wholesome one. AHSI's concerns about their reactionary attitudes are fair enough; unsurprisingly the Secular Society is trying to keep them out of schools, and a lot of church groups, even, are against their methods.
The Gideons, like all missionaries, are essentially ideologues and like many an ideologue before them they're looking to get their 10 pennorth into football grounds. Thing is, they work with the zeal of a door to door salesman; it's all about shifting units.
Wether anyone is ever going to read them is another matter, but if 34 clubs have already got a box of bibles in the cupboard under the stairs, someone's clearly up for Missionary Of The Month.
Interesting though. Life's rich tapestry and that.
This post has been edited by bifocart: 22 August 2017 - 05:17 PM
I prefer Erich Von Daniken 
