>>>>>>>>>http://www.uniformvelocity.com/2009/02/as-atheist-i-prefer-hockey.html
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Not very tolerant is he? If a player prays, that is his personal choice and his right. If the entire team chose to pray together, that is their choice. It is not the football league supporting one religion (or no religion) over another or forcing religion down anyone's throat. It is free expression. His post seems extremely intolerant to me.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On the other side, here is an interesting post from a hockey player's perspective:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/prayingfields/2008/12/what_does_god_think_about_hock.html
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>If it was just personal choice I wouldn't have a problem with it. I do have a problem with players ostentatiously praying for the cameras. That's proselytizing. And you can't say it doesn't effect the team. Some teams, notably the Jacksonville Jaguars, have been riven by schisms between the Jesus freaks and their teammates.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I have absolutely no problem with anyone's religious beliefs. It's when they want to wave them like a flag that I begin to have a problem.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Mike, with all due respect, I think you are way off base. If I'm religious, do you expect me to keep it to myself? I think you are biased, but to be fair you did say "you have a problem" with it, not that it's wrong.
>>>>>
>>>>>With all due respect right back, I don't think I'm off base. No, I do not expect you to keep your religious beliefs to yourself. It's when those beliefs are pushed on another that I become offended.
>>>>
>>>>I keep wondering, when athiests hear someone else pray or see a religious symbol, what happens? Do they think they'll go nowhere in particular after they die (rather than, um, ??) because they were corrupted or unduly influenced?
>>>>
>>>
>>>I think when you die the party's over. A morbid thought, I know.
>>>
>>>I would love to have religious beliefs. I was raised with them, and sit among believers every day at AA meetings. It just doesn't stick to me.
>>
>>I'm sort of with you. I think that as developers we all sort of rely on the details/nitty gritty/proven truth and are not always good with blind faith. I struggle with my religion but keep working at it as I know it's important to my wife.
>
>Now that surprised me.
>
>I applaud you for being committed enough to her to want to share her beliefs. Does she know you have doubts?
>
>It was kind of interesting when my wife and I got married. We were married in a Catholic wedding. It was somewhat important to her because it was very important to her mom. She was OK that I am not a believer, although she flipped out when I told her. Her mom, though, another story, and she sure wasn't going to antagonize her on her oldest daughter's wedding day. We met with the priest. I told him frankly that I was not Catholic at all. He said that's OK, we get all kinds of marriages here. (Campus ministry). But we get the kids. He was not unclear about that. Tricia had to sign a statement that any fruit of our union would be raised in the Catholic faith.

Sometimes I get to the point where I'm ready to give up and consider myself an atheist, but when I find myself in troubled times I always pray, as if it's an unconcious act. I went through a nasty nasty bout of depression a few years back (I still get flare-ups every now and then), had two close friends pass away (one from a car wreck, the other suicide), and I have never really been the same person after that. I figure some day I'll have the inspiration or the gumption to pull myself back together and my faith will be one of those things.