God, the First Amendment and the Umpire

[BlueLawyer]

I have to say, I don't know what gets a thread locked from time to time.

In the midst of reading what I consider to have been a fascinating thread that began with Ozzie Guillen's "apology" and ended with a lively, but mostly civil, debate on the religious/social/political/legal roots of this country, said thread was locked.

Just when I wanted to comment (go figure).

So, administrators, moderators, and other royalty of this board, if you care to comment, I'd love to know what will get a thread shut down. If it's nothing more than your subjective judgment, that's fine, I'd just like to know.

Strikes and outs!

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by BlueLawyer

SNIPPED
So, administrators, moderators, and other royalty of this board, if you care to comment, I'd love to know what will get a thread shut down. If it's nothing more than your subjective judgment, that's fine, I'd just like to know.
SNIPPED

It's their board and it is not public domain! If they pay for it and maintain it, they can lock what ever they want.

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

Did Ozzy Guillen say something wrong?

[Tim C]

Being agnostic, this thread is really, really funny.

Regards,

[BlueLawyer]

But as far as name calling on this board goes, that thread was mild. And yeah, it was way off in left field, but so are a lot of things on this board.

So, yeah, pulling the thread would have been ok- your thread, your pull. But I don't know what criteria the mods use when deciding to shut it down.

Here's a general musing from me. Most of us umpire because we love baseball. I know that's why I do it. I get a little romantic and misty when I really think about it. Baseball is now and always has been the sport in America that most intersects with society at large. Racism, sexism, drug abuse, spousal abuse, religion, labor strife, anti-Semitism- all of these issues have been played out to a greater or lesser extent in my lifetime being played out in the microcosm that is baseball. So is a topic off limits because it's not baseball? Not umpiring?

Here's one from my basketball career. 10 years ago or so I dumped a kid in a high school game- no "T", no warning, for calling another kid the N-word. Both kids, by the way, were African American. When the coach asked me what happened, I told him. He tried alternately to argue to me that it couldn't be racism because both kids were black and that that's just the way kids on the street talk to each other. I told him that that word had no place in a high school gym, and his players- no matter what their color- had better learn that.

Was I right? Was I wrong? Did I overreact? Would I do the same thing today? All debatable. And all implicate the larger societal issues of the day- then and now. So is that an appropriate topic for this board? That's what I'm trying to figure out here.

Strikes and outs!

[3appleshigh]

Since I didn't get to respond to you, I felt I would here.

I NEVER called you A Religious Zealot. I simply put that is One particular group of people that believe Gay people are sinful. Now you say you never said they were sinful.

"and the majority of those people think that homosexuality is sinful. Being referred to as gay is offensive to the majority of heterosexuals, and has nothing to do with homophobia, a word that was invented by the far-left to excuse homosexual behavior, and to attempt to normalize it."

You see I think you have taken your belief structure and inexplicably thrown that on the "Majority" of people. I think you may truly wish that what you say is true. But you are incorrect. The Majority of people DO NOT CARE!!!. And most people have no issue being called GAY. I think the maroity of Straight people think being hit on by someone who is gay is a little creapy maybe even offensive, but name calling is nothing. Homophobia is a term used to describe a fear of gay people. It is of course created by the FAR-left, not just people with a different opinion, the ever so scary FAR Left. After seeing your tirade, I Say you reside on the FAR right. The word was made up by people in the middle.

"This being a Christian founded nation (fact, just do the research and don't try to argue the point) and that the majority of people in the US consider themselves Christian in some capacity, even though many do not practice their faith, it goes to reason that the majority of people in the US think that the practice of homosexual acts is a sin. It is not so-called "Religous Zealots" who feel this way. It is your mainstream, run-of-the-mill Christian. 87% of the people in the US consider themselves either Jewish or Christian (Catholic or Protestant)."

In my world 89.56% of people believe made up statistics. Here from Adherents.com is the USA religious make-up.
Christianity 76.5% +5%
Nonreligious/Secular 13.2% +110%
Judaism 3,1.3% -10%
Islam 527,000 0.5% +109%
Buddhism 0.5% +170%
Agnostic 0.5% -16%
Atheist 0.4%
Hinduism 0.4% +237%
Unitarian Universalist 0.3% +25%
Wiccan/Pagan/Druid 0.1%
Spiritualist 0.05%
Native American Religion 0.05% +119%
Baha'i 0.04% +200%
New Age 0.03% +240%
Sikhism 0.03% +338%
Scientology 0.02% +22%
Humanist 0.02% +69%
Deity (Deist) 0.02% +717%
Taoist 0.02% +74%
Eckankar 0.01% +44%

I would like to draw your attention to the increse in Nonreligious/Secular up 110 % i'm thinking the Christian's are now stating no religion a lot more often that what ever religion they often throw down although they don't practice. Personally I say Anglican at that spot, but haven't seen a church in FAR TOO LONG.
Now I would say using the actual Stats 76.5% are christian, of that MANY are non practicing and many probably do not hold firm to all beliefs of the Church. In fact I would say that a good 80-85% of Gay people I know probably write down some form of Christianity. I'm thinking at least some of those Don't hold firm to the Sinful nature of homosexuality.

"You can believe whatever you want, but the Bible, which is the best selling book of all time BTW, of which I believe everything from the Table of Contents to the Maps, says that God loves the sinner but hates the sin. God loves homosexuals (and all mankind), but He abhorrs homosexuality. It is an abomination unto The Lord, and nothing you can rationalize it away with will change that fact."

Now in regard to the best selling book of all time, THE Bible certainly is, therefore what ever is written inside MUST BE THE TRUTH! Is that the case? because I got some issues with some others on the the top 10 list as a book to follow and model ones life around.
1.The Bible
2.Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung (Little Red Book)
3.American Spelling Book by Noah Webster
4.The Guinness Book of Records
5.The McGuffey Readers by William Holmes McGuffey
6.A Message to Garcia by Elbert Hubbard
7.The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by Dr. Benjamin Spock
8.World Almanac
9.The Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
10.In His Steps: "What Would Jesus Do?" by Rev. Charles Monroe Sheldon

I hope some start getting Valley of the Dolls going as a way of life, I would love that. And that Little Red Book, has done wonders for the Chinese. Personally, I think the BIBLE is the BEST and most facinating BOOK OF FICTION ever written. It is a book of lessons, like Aesop's Fables, but a lot Scarier.

lastly

"I took offense to a remark referring to "religous zealots" which personally insulted my religous beliefs"

Do you think this matters more than what your comments (See your original Quote in this response) may have made Gay people Feel?? Or do only your feelings matter? Also I find it funny that although I didn't refer to you as a Religious Zealot, You state here that you are. And are somehow offended by it? That is the Religious beliefs you are refering to right - Religious Zealot beliefs?

Personally I Took offense to being LUMPED into your Religious Beliefs. Please from now on make comments based on YOU and YOUR beliefs, don't lump anyone else in and don't speak for others.

[UmpJM]

Ummm,

Uh-oh.

JM

[3appleshigh]

LOL
Coach that was funny.

LOL

[UMP25]

Steve, I'm a Christian, and I don't believe every single word in the Bible. In fact, at a Catholic high school we were taught much of the Bible was told via stories and parables and that not all of it was literal. This doesn't diminish my faith one bit, either.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by BlueLawyer

So is that an appropriate topic for this board? That's what I'm trying to figure out here.

Strikes and outs!

What's the appropriate umpire / official response to the use of the "n word?" -- That's an appropriate topic.

What Ozzie said and how we should respond -- allowed, imo.

Whose religious views are right (or wrong), or most prevalent, or what they "allow" -- not a chance.

Same goes for politics.