According to the Southern Voice, The Atlanta Braves have asked that anti-gay Focus on the Family not be included in future Faith Days events. “We do not feel it is an appropriate connection for Focus on the Family to be part of this event,” said Braves spokesperson Beth Marshal. She declined to comment further.
Faith Days, a new event the Braves call primarily a business decision, is an effort to boost attendance by reaching out to the 5000 churches within 75 miles of Turner Field. The first such event was held on July 27, with two more scheduled this year – sans Focus on the Family. A centerpiece of the first night was the testimony of devout Christian and Braves pitcher John Smoltz. You may remember Smoltz from his comments in 2004 when he compared gay marriage to bestiality.
Starting well before Faith Days, this is the third year the Braves’ marketing team has reached out to gay friendly First MCC of Atlanta with discount tickets and a special night when the First MCC logo is displayed on the Braves’ giant video screen. While the logo is the extent of First MCC’s exposure during their night, Focus representatives handed out materials listing websites containing anti-gay propaganda and ex-gay themes on Faith Days.
It’s interesting that just over a week ago, Third Coast Sports, the promoter of these events, praised the participation of Focus on the Family.
To have the opportunity to help Focus on the Family expand their reach is very rewarding. We hope this is just the beginning of a much larger cooperative effort.
On August 1, only a few days later, they had no comment on the subject. One wonders what happened in the interim.
What do you think about Focus using a major league baseball game for outreach? How about First MCC night? Would you be offended by being exposed to a particular ideology after paying for your ticket?
Source: sovo.com
(Hat Tip to Patrick)
First of all, I wouldn’t knowingly buy tickets for “faith-day” events. If I unknowingly bought a ticket for something that turned out to be a “faith-day” event, then it would depend. If it’s just a matter of sponsorship, with ads on a video screen or printed program for some church or religious organisation (other than a known anti-gay lobbying group such as Focus on Family), I probably wouldn’t be offended, though it would depend on the content of the ads. Churches have as much right to advertise as anyone else. and I don’t mind being exposed to their advertising, any more than I mind being exposed to some rain.
If, however, I found myself in the middle of some organized religious program that was woven into the fabric of the main event, then it’s no longer mere exposure, it’s immersion in a deluge. I don’t know if I’d necessarily be offended — again, that would depend on the program content — so much as annoyed that I’m not seeing what I paid and expected to see.
If the content included denigration of any group, such as gays or non-Christians, I would find it offensive irrespective of any other consideration. In fact, that would be grounds for walking out and demanding a refund.
Ah focus in the family got told by the Braves not to come back. I get a feeling that focus was just happy to pass out their literature then rooting for the home team. Spreading their anti-gay agenda. It’s a shame that Third Coast Sports praised them. Plenty of homophobia going on in sports it seems.
When will Christians in this country wake up and realize that the GOP and the hard-right neoconservatives have taken their faith and turned it into a marketing opportunity and a political fundraising drive? “Faith” has become the new target for all sorts of promotions, and this baseball nonsense is just the latest example.
“Religious” Americans are being led around by the nose, directed to spend their money with certain companies and not others, directed to vote for certain candidates and not others, etc. Is their “faith” that cheap?
There is a difference between speaking on how good it is to be in a faith community (whatever the denomination) and demonizing a group (who can also be a part of a faith community.)
FOTF and many other religious people are spending a lot of time and money on anti gay programs and advertising, rather than committing their resources to ANTI VIOLENCE or ANTI DRUG programs.
Or PRO GOD information.
Especially where those programs affect a family.
Drugs and violence are the demons that plague all our lives, not homosexuality.
I wouldn’t mind spending a day, and usually spend a day or two already going to faith sponsored events that are all about having fun and appreciating the freedoms and health and families we DO have.
Once you start pointing a finger in anger and judgement at someone, it takes all the fun out of family oriented events.
Especially a day at the baseball park.
I don’t object to the use of religion in sports–if I did, I couldn’t watch NASCAR, with its benedictions, anymore. But I’m still glad Focus isn’t allowed to be an official part of this. They care more about politics and spreading propaganda about gays than faith or family. It’s come back to bite them.