All-Star Religion In The Gym

[lakerfantlc]

bahah! good responce im just poking fun.

i did go to private christian school for 10 years and hated it, i did try the whole christian thing but as a young child i knew i liked the same sex and when they told me that was horrible i just quit with it all because well never mind we can pm about all that but i did try and since then i looked at all religions and to me Buddhism is something i like better and some of my family is Buddhist. i just never felt that "spiritual" feeling as some Christians say, i never felt the presence but when i do chants at the temple i feel it all around but maybe thats just me, but back to the original topic i respect all religions in fact i have a bumper sticker that says "coexist" and i love it, because religion is a sacred thing and i think people should respect it.

I am sorry you were judged....its not my place to say what your life should look like..it is my job to love my neighbor...soooo...ILY...:)

 

[canttouchthis]

I am sorry you were judged....its not my place to say what your life should look like..it is my job to love my neighbor...soooo...ILY...:)

haha no one judged me but i just felt that presence that if i wasnt like them i would be judged so i left and ily too :) haha

 

[Aussiekat]

Y'know what? I was really worried this thread was going to explode into something nasty but everyone has approached it calmly and respectfully, and contributed with well-thought out, measured responses. WELL DONE FIERCERS!!!

May you all have a safe and happy competition season, with whichever faith (or not) keeps your peaceful in your heart.

 

[laughAlittle]

i love god <3

 

[canttouchthis]

Y'know what? I was really worried this thread was going to explode into something nasty but everyone has approached it calmly and respectfully, and contributed with well-thought out, measured responses. WELL DONE FIERCERS!!!

May you all have a safe and happy competition season, with whichever faith (or not) keeps your peaceful in your heart.

i was expecting war. like senior elite vs. world cup war but not that bad haha

 

[cheerKT]

i love god <3

I'm down with the J.C.

 

[Mcfierceburger]

I believe in God, personally I think its great to pray before a competition, the team is together everyone is pumped with adrenalin, others are about to pee their pants!
In saying that I agree that everyone in the gym needs to want to pray because if someone doesn't it should not be enforced apon them to join in no matter what.
A Cheerleading Squad is like a family and every family (usually) would not force their loved one to do something they are not interested in.

 

[kristenthegreat]

I'm down with the J.C.

"Are you down with the G-O-D??" Whoever gets that movie quote gets a virtual cookie..

I think faith and spirituality can be a beautiful thing. Even though I don't believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior (I don't believe I inherently need to be saved), I still chat with him on occasion (in a very abstract way, we have very long conversations about religion, ethics, and morality. I'd like to think we have an understand lol). I also speak with other spiritual figures on occasion if I feel the need to chat. I'd like to think there's something else out there..

 

[canttouchthis]

"Are you down with the G-O-D??" Whoever gets that movie quote gets a virtual cookie..

I think faith and spirituality can be a beautiful thing. Even though I don't believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior (I don't believe I inherently need to be saved), I still chat with him on occasion (in a very abstract way, we have very long conversations about religion, ethics, and morality. I'd like to think we have an understand lol). I also speak with other spiritual figures on occasion if I feel the need to chat. I'd like to think there's something else out there..

i love you <3

 

[NJ Coach]

"Are you down with the G-O-D??" Whoever gets that movie quote gets a virtual cookie..
.

Sister Act....I want my cookie :)

On a more related note, there have been several points in this thread that have gotten my blood pressure bubbling, but this is one of the great things about this board. While a discussion on Lg Senior will be an all out war, conversations like this are usually handled well and with respect. I was brought up Catholic. It was forced upon me until my early 20s, when I was finally able to convince my mother that I had to find religion for myself. I would consider myself a spiritual person, not religious. I have a very deep respect for all religions. I have family members who are various types of Christianity, Jewish family members, close friends who are Muslim. I respect all, and their right to practice their religion as they will. I don't handle being force fed anything very well. I was once told by someone, who at the time was a family friend, that my father didn't go to heaven when he passed away because he didn't believe Jesus was his savior. Let me tell you how that went over :mad:

If you join a gym that is faith based, then expect there to be some sort of faith based practices. You don't get to complain about them, you knew going in. If you've joined a gym that isn't, and you have an issue then I suggest talking with the owner/coach. For some, they are very passionate about a prayer circle ect, but there are others that are just as passionate about not having one. As long as everyone has respect for each other, then it shouldn't be a huge problem.

 

[MomOf2ThatsMe]

bahah! good responce im just poking fun.

i did go to private christian school for 10 years and hated it, i did try the whole christian thing but as a young child i knew i liked the same sex and when they told me that was horrible i just quit with it all

(((hugs)))

The same thing happened to my uncle. My mother and he went to a private catholic school, and from what I am told once he got to middle & high school it was pretty obvious he was gay, and it was decided that the catholic school was not the best environment for him. And this was in the 70's so I am sure it was pretty rough for him. This actually had a dramatic effect on my mother and her relationship with God and she hasn't been back to church since the day she graduated high school :oops: Even though these events happened 35 years ago (longer than I have been alive) they affected me because my mother has removed all spirituality from her life. However, she did say that us children were free to make our own decisions about spirituality and religion (I am still confused about my beliefs...) but I do feel "free", if that makes sense. My older daughter is very open minded about religion (she thinks Hinduism is great-my boss is Hindu and has idols of Gods throughout the office). I would never force my kids to believe anything specific, because in my thought processes it is all the same in the end.[/quote]

 

[PghxCheer2]

While I definitely see where you're coming from, let me ask you this: Is it not embarrassing to be the 1 or 2 people that are excluding everyone else from doing something? That could very well end in a team alienating people because they won't sit in a circle and pretend to pray for 30 seconds. IMO, prayers are just words strung together unless you believe in them. Saying an Our Father makes you a Catholic as much as saying you wish somebody was dead makes you a murderer. Reading the bible and saying a prayer doesn't make you Catholic, believing in the bible and believing in the prayers is what makes you a Catholic. Now, if a coach is forcing the religion down the throats of the athletes, that's different. But to me, saying a prayer to God isn't forcing it down someone's throat.

It's a lot like school to me. In Biology I just recently took a test on the theory of evolution. Not to turn this into a "How did the World Come to be" argument, but that's not what Catholics believe in. I didn't sit there and argue with my teacher, or even give my opinion about the theory. I took in the information, learned it, studied it, and then regurgitated it onto a test and got a good grade. That being said, it didn't change my opinion on what I believe in just because I learned about something different. I imagine it is because my parents did a good job reinforcing in me that when faced with a situation like this, you must hold strong to your own beliefs. The parents of the gym are taking away a FANTASTIC life lesson sitting in front of them. Just because somebody else is doing something doesn't mean you have to agree with it, but it also doesn't mean you have to be difficult and go against it. Sometimes you're not always going to agree with what people do, but you have to choose your battles and continue to stand strong in what you believe in. That doesn't necessarily mean ruining something else that others may want to be doing.

I guess it's just all in the opinion of the individual person. I wouldn't feel awkward if I went to a primarily Jewish gym and they had me say a Jewish prayer. To others, that may be extremely awkward. I, personally, love to learn about new things like religion. That doesn't mean I'm going to change my own beliefs on something though.

 

[newcheerdad]

My daughter's gym is pretty open about the role faith and Christianity plays in how their progam is run. I have no problem with it.

If the gym was "secular" and suddenly bombarded kids with prayer circles and mandatory Bible readings, I could certainly see having an issue with it, even if it didn't violate my personal beliefs.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[kristenthegreat]

Sister Act....I want my cookie :)

If you join a gym that is faith based, then expect there to be some sort of faith based practices. You don't get to complain about them, you knew going in. If you've joined a gym that isn't, and you have an issue then I suggest talking with the owner/coach. For some, they are very passionate about a prayer circle ect, but there are others that are just as passionate about not having one. As long as everyone has respect for each other, then it shouldn't be a huge problem.

Actually NOT the one I was going for, but I'll take it *hands you plate of deliciousness* I was going for Saved!

To be honest, Saved! (which I highly recommend to anyone. Funny, witty, and coupled with a bit of thinking) completely redid my outlook of life, religion and spirituality. Your God and My God (or lack there of), might not be the same. I might have a God and Goddess, or 600 of each. Or no Supreme Being, just an ideology of looking at life (Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism/Taoism), we should all just have one big spirituality party of life, love and happiness. Or no spirituality and just life, love and happiness.

 

[kkinsley]

I live in a country were people have spent the last 20 years blowing each other up and shooting each other over religion so we do not and never will have group prayer in the gym. We have a very mixed group of religious and non religious kids and if they want to pray I will never stop them but I haven't seen it happen apart form one or two nervous girls before they step on the mat mumbling something to themselves.
One of our coaches however was given a book this year that talked about everyone having a guardian angel and we joked with one of the acrobatic groups that we coached to have a chat with their angels before they started new moves. It seemed to concentrate them so now our elite acro squad sit down at competition before their section starts and has a chat with their angel after they have visualised their perfect routine. This has given anyone who wishes to have a private prayer before hand the opportunity and it helps calm the others as they confront any worries they have and can put them to the side before they compete. I know some of the other clubs thought they were all sitting praying the first time the saw it but once their coaches saw that I was with them and they know I am not in any way religious they were more curious as to what we were up to and thought if it helped chase that doubt away and calm them it was a great idea.
For kids who can talk themselves out of medaling before they step on the mat taking a few minutes to reflect either through prayer or not is a great way to calm them down. I personally prefer it being a private thing each of them does before they compete rather than as a group.