The fact that the NFL isn’t ready for openly gay players continues to be proven by the words and actions of men who currently occupy, who previously inhabited NFL, and who will be joining NFL locker rooms.
From 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver’s over-the-top rant against gay teammates to Notre Dame Manti Te’o’s bizarre “farrrrrrr from it” response to Katie Courtic’s,” Are you gay?” to Colorado tight end Nick Kasa’s nonchalant reaction on The Dan Patrick Show to the inherently inappropriate “Do you like girls?” question he faced at the Scouting Combine, it’s obvious that football and homophobia go hand in hand.
Now, a former player who I know and like has joined the fray with an argument that simply doesn’t hold water. Former NFL quarterback Jim Miller recently told WSCR in Chicago that intolerance is justified by religious beliefs.
“There are some religions that are just not going to accept a gay individual in the locker room,” Miller said. “So now, are you as an organization going to bring that element into your locker room and think everything is going to be OK?
“Last time I checked, whether it’s Christianity or Muslims or other religions that are out there, they’re just not going to accept it. They’re just not. It’s just not realistic for Mike Florio or any progressive or liberal to think that everything is going to be OK in the locker room and we should all just wise up and accept it.”
Miller separately said he “could care less” about a teammate’s sexual orientation. Still, if his position is accurate, then gay coworkers would be rejected in every American workplace. After all, every American workplace consists of Christians or Muslims or people who practice other religions that, according to Jim Miller, aggressively object to the mere presence of homosexuals on the same payroll.
The problem with most religions is that the relevant scriptures have enough passages that can be isolated and spun to justify pretty much any position someone wants to adopt. For example, the Old Testament is rife with outdated and confusing rules and regulations. In contrast, the New Testament is founded on principles like loving one’s neighbor.
For those who believe sexuality is a choice (I don’t), the concept of free will makes matters that occur behind closed doors the business only of the participants and their maker. For those who believe that sexual orientation is no different than hair color or nose shape (I do), how would Jesus treat such people? Would He drive out with stones the perverse sexual demons that were hard-wired into their DNA? Or would He love them and accept them?
But, hey, maybe I’m just taking specific Biblical passages out of context. I mean, maybe God wants us to reject His creatures for the way He created them.