Arian Foster, 28, has spent his entire public football career — in college at Tennessee, in the NFL with the Texans — in the Bible Belt. Playing in the sport that most closely aligns itself with religion, in which God and country are both industry and packaging, in which the pregame flyover blends with the postgame prayer, Foster does not believe in God…. “Everybody always says the same thing: You have to have faith,” he says. “That’s my whole thing: Faith isn’t enough fo r me. For people who are struggling with that, they’re nervous about telling their families or afraid of the backlash … man, don’t be afraid to be you. I was, for years.”
It’s not exactly breaking news to say that we live in a country with a deeply-held collective religious faith. America was founded by people who wished only to be allowed to practice their religion as they saw fit. Almost 250 years later, the script appears to have flipped; those demanding religious freedom are now the ones sowing religiously-based oppression and discrimination. To these folks, the worst thing a person can be is “good without God.” The idea that a person could go through life without swearing fealty to what they consider an imaginary friend is something too many Americans find objectionable and morally reprehensible. Despite the 1st Amendment’s Exclusion Clause, there are still states which bar atheists from running for and/or holding public office. There have been surveys showing Americans trust rapists and child molesters more than atheists. The idea that someone could seriously think they could go through life without praying to God is enough to fry the synapses of many Americans. In many ways, discriminating against those of us who don’t believe in God is the last acceptable form of discrimination in this country.
Being an atheist, or “coming out” as one, need not be a big deal. In a country built on freedom, one’s religious/philosophical take on life- like one’s sexuality- shouldn’t matter…yet it does to so many. Americans don’t think those who prefer reason to faith to be trustworthy. The idea that a person could make their own decision and choose to believe in the visible and demonstrable over the invisible and faith-based should in no way be deemed offensive. My lack of belief in an unseen superior being is reflective only of my evaluation of the world around me. It’s not a commentary on my personal worth, nor should it be taken as a sign of a lack of moral fitness. It’s my own personal choice, made in what still purports to be a free society.
The “radical” idea that someone could be openly secular and still be a good person seems incomprehensible to many Americans. The fact that Arian Foster can be held by those who call themselves “Christians” to be somehow “less than” because he chooses to rely on reason over faith is indicative of the truth that so many fall so short when it comes to living a Christ-like life. Christianity, a faith tradition steeped in love, acceptance, tolerance, and inclusion, is home to many who seem to have forgotten that…if they ever recognized and acknowledged it at all. One shouldn’t have to “go public” with their belief that they’re good without God, that they prefer to live a life based on reason rather than faith. Not believing in the majority flavor of God isn’t a crime, nor is it reflective of a moral failure. It’s a personal decision…and that’s all it is.
Foster’s religious beliefs- or lack of same- is a personal matter and should be of concern only to himself. Sadly, there are still far too many “Christians” who believe, as former Texas Governor/Pastor Rick Perry does, that “freedom OF religion doesn’t mean freedom FROM religion.” Foster grew up in the Bible Belt and plays a sport steeped in religiosity; it’s easy to understand how it took tremendous strength of intellect and character for him to buck an overwhelming societal expectation and think for himself.
Not believing in the Christian flavor- or ANY flavor- of God isn’t proof of moral failure or lack of humanity. It’s a personal decision that shouldn’t be anyone’s g——-n business. No one has the right to judge someone who chooses to swim against the theological tide. It’s a personal decision. There’s no requirement that it be universally well-received…but that doesn’t matter, does it? It’s no one else’s decision to make.
Why Arian Foster’s lack of belief in God even has to be newsworthy is a sad statement on our collective intolerance of those who choose to chart their own path and think for themselves. If this truly was a Christian nation; Foster’s beliefs (or lack of same) wouldn’t matter…because Christians, if they’re honestly living their beliefs, would love him without reservation or judgment.
Like that’s going to happen.
