New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy is killing it in the postseason with five home runs in seven games, but he may soon be regretting some homophobic comments he made when he was less well-known. During an interview with NJ Advance Media, Murphy had this to say about Major League Baseball Ambassador For Inclusion Billy Bean, who, back in 1999, became the first major league player to come out publicly: “I disagree with his lifestyle. I do disagree with the fact that Billy is a homosexual. That doesn’t mean I can’t still invest in him and get to know him. I don’t think the fact that someone is a homosexual should completely shut the door on investing in them in a relational aspect. Getting to know him. That, I would say, you can still accept them but I do disagree with the lifestyle, 100 percent.”
There’s something to be said for sticking to what you do and- at least in the case of Daniel Murphy- steering clear of social commentary. Unfortunately, Murphy evidently didn’t get the memo, and so decided to open his mouth and promptly insert his baseball cleats. Now the entire world recognizes him for the hypocritical, bigoted, “Christian” homophobe he is. No matter how attempts to explain it or wrap it up in an “I’m just following my Christian faith” package, he’s still a hypocrite and about as capable of living a Christ-like life as Jeffrey Dahmer was a vegetarian.
Murphy’s certainly free to his opinions, and if he “disagrees” with the “lifestyle” and/or sexuality of another human being…well, so be it. When he feels it appropriate to air that judgment in a public forum, though, he can’t claim to be surprised when it blows back on him. Truth is, he doesn’t get a free pass to judge who is or is not “acceptable.” He doesn’t get to hold forth on how he “disagrees” with the way someone lives their life but is a wonderful enough human being that he won’t “completely shut the door on investing in them in a relational aspect.” If that isn’t a thinly-veiled attempt to camouflage his bigotry and self-superiority, I don’t know what would qualify as such.
How genuinely generous and Christian of him, eh? That he believes he has the right to publicly declare his willingness to associate with those whose lifestyle he disapproves of reveals him to be exactly the sort of hypocritical Christian who knows little of the Gospel and whose actions demonstrate he understands even less. Not surprisingly, the Twitterati has had much to say about Murphy’s anti-gay bigotry. When one publicly reveals oneself to be a hypocrite and a bigot, one can’t reasonably claim to be surprised when the public voices their displeasure and disapproval.
Bean took the high road, saying, “I appreciate that Daniel spoke his truth.” I don’t appreciate anything Murphy said. There is nothing wrong with being gay, as he clearly believes, so I don’t respect his views, though he has a right to express them.
If Murphy feels empowered to pass judgment on how someone else chooses to live their life, perhaps he should pay close attention when someone, in this case a member of the LGBT community, turns the tables on him.
One more thing — being gay is not a “lifestyle” and it’s something I did not choose. In Murphy’s case, though, he did choose to be a Christian and has embraced its “lifestyle.” He told the Christian Broadcast Network that he did not become a Christian until he was 14 or 15. “I actually came to the Lord in a youth group trip,” he said. “The Lord’s spirit overcame me so much, you couldn’t resist.”
IF Murphy believes he has the right as a Christian to publicly voice disapproval, he must accept that others have the right to judge him for his decidedly UN-Christian beliefs. Jesus Christ never preached against (or even about) homosexuality; He DID preach about things like love, tolerance, acceptance, and kindness, things that seem inconvenient to his personal theology. Perhaps if Murphy actually cared enough to learn about the teaching of the Lord he claims to revere, he might come to understand that passing judgment may not be the most effective way to live a Christ-like life. Or perhaps, like so many modern Christians, Murphy has chosen to cherry-pick bits and pieces of Christian theology that dovetail with his preconceived notions, fear, and prejudice.
He also said he believes God made him a baseball player for a reason. “He’s put me fortunately on this stage — in the greatest athletic stage in all the world for a reason. I think that reason is to be a light.”
Perhaps Murphy was gifted with just enough talent to be a shaky fielder and a passable hitter who just happened to get hot during the playoffs. If that’s enough to believe that his “reason is to be a light”…well, who am I to deny someone their self-delusion?
He also asked for some divine assistance in Game 5 of the National League Divisional Series when the Mets held a 3-2 lead over the Dodgers heading into the final three innings.
“There was a lot of prayer going on out there, just asking for peace and just talking to Jesus and asking for peace those last three or four innings,” he told AP. As for why he has played so well in the postseason, he said: “I don’t know. Sometimes the blessings come, Jesus is good…”
I did not know Jesus was a Mets fan, which would sorely disappoint Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who is a very vocal Christian. Maybe Jesus has a skybox at Citi Field.
Part of the supreme arrogance of many Christian athletes is their belief that their role provides them with the perfect stage with which to provide witness to their beliefs. Perhaps athletes like Murphy would be better served to keep in mind Matthew 6:5, in which Jesus cautions his disciples to “not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others”. For Murphy, that ship appears to have sailed. The only thing missing was him leading a very public prayer circle at the pitcher’s mound.
Clearly, Murphy and other publicly Christian athletes have already, in the words of their Lord and Savior, “received their reward in full”. Hypocrisy will do that, I suppose. They display their reliogisity in public even as they exhibit beliefs and behaviors that have nothing whatsoever to do with the love, tolerance, acceptance, and kindness that are part and parcel of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Unlike gay people, Murphy chose a lifestyle, and it’s one that preaches that there is something wrong with who I am. I wish he had chosen a lifestyle more inclusive and less judgmental. I certainly couldn’t disagree with that.
Indeed. Though the Lord and Savior he professes to revere preached love, tolerance, acceptance, and kindness, Murphy’s cafeteria Christianity seems to define those things as inconvenient and therefore unworthy of inclusion in the rules that govern his life. Instead of making certain his own house is in order and that’s he’s living a Christ-like life, he’s publicly disapproving of how others choose to live their lives. The likelihood the tables might be turned on him for being a judgemental, intolerant, homophobic “Christian” seems not to have occurred to him.
Murphy’s clearly enjoying his 15 minutes of fame. It’s too bad he’s chosen to spend it being “like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others”. He could be using his time in the spotlight to model what living a Christ-like life means. Instead, he’s chosen to reveal himself as just another cafeteria Christian publicly proclaiming their love of Jesus Christ while simultaneously ignoring His teachings. He could be living a life informed by love, tolerance, acceptance, and kindness, but he’s chose to model ignorance, bigotry, homophobia, and hatred.
How very Christian of him….
