Fox News Analyst Wants Tiger to Convert
India is a very diverse country and nowhere is it more apparent than in the wide variety of religions and religious beliefs practiced throughout the country. There is Hinduism (which in itself is a group that includes hundreds of religions), Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism and many other smaller belief systems. Of course there are many Indians who are not believers at all.
In India these religions have influenced each other a lot and there is a unique blend. In many cases the religious practices in India are slightly different from those practiced in other parts of the world where a more “original” version of the religion may still exist (you can have a long debate on which version is original). Many Americans I have met are surprised to learn that church services in India can be in many different languages. They by default associate Christianity with English and think of the religion as a Western religion.
As a nation of immigrants America has a lot of religious diversity also. But the country is overwhelmingly Christian and non-Christians are very few in number and their places of worship are even fewer. Many local townships offer stiff resistance to any proposal that involves building places of worship for non-Christians.
One of the problems of living in society that is predominantly made up of one religion is that people lose perspective and may have an inflated opinion of their religion. Exposure to different religious practices will always makes an individual a little skeptical of ones own faith. Most of the debate in America is confined to Christianity vs. Atheism and conveniently ignores the fact that Christianity itself has numerous subdivisions and there are hundreds of religions and hundreds of thousands of “true” gods.
On the program “Fox News Sunday” Fox News analyst Brit Hume and others were discussing about biggest sports story of 2010. When his turn came Brit Hume mentioned that Tiger Woods will make a comeback in golf. But he also added that “the extent to which he (Tiger Woods) can recover seems to me depends on his faith. He is said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. My message to Tiger Wood, ‘Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world”.
No one actually knows whether Tiger Woods is a Buddhist or not. He is quoted as saying the following by Reuters in March of 2008: “I practice meditation — that is something that I do, that my mum taught me over the years. We also have a thing we do every year, where we go to temple together. In the Buddhist religion you have to work for it yourself, internally, in order to achieve anything in life and set up the next life. It is all about what you do and you get out of it what you put into it”. The last sentence is very true whether you believe in Buddhism or Tiger Woods.
Fox News is a media outlet that has faced accusations in the past of being a pro-Republican and a conservative news outlet. The comment made by Brit Hume, who is married to the Vice President of Fox News, has only added fuel to the fire. Fox News which is not a religious channel should not allow its analysts to use the platform for proselytizing. Brit Hume’s comments violate the sprit and the unwritten rules of news broadcasting which is to keep your personal opinions to yourself. In addition he is completely wrong about Buddhism and has done a severe disservice to many devout Christians.
When it comes to morality human beings for the most part are hypocrites. We always break the rules or at least bend it when it is convenient for us but then hold our heroes and leaders to totally different moral standards. Brit Hume’s marriage to his current wife is his second marriage. But what does the Bible say about divorce? Corinthians 10-11 says the following: “Now, for those who are married I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else go back to him. And the husband must not leave his wife”. So is Brit Hume in any position to point the finger at Tiger Woods or his beliefs?
Tiger Woods does not need redemption or our forgiveness. It is we the public who want him to seek our forgiveness and seek redemption (by asking him to do it we somehow feel powerful). Tiger Woods has reached the pinnacle of his sport and made fortunes the rest of us can only dream of through hard work and dedication. He squandered some good will that he gained over the years in some sections of the society because of his decisions. But it is his right to do so.
We should also not cheapen religion by saying that all you have to do is to convert to a particular religion to get a better shot at forgiveness. What Tiger Woods probably needs now is not forgiveness from the rest of us or redemption. His “indiscretions” has damaged his image and has forced him to take a break from the game of golf. We should extend a hand of friendship and welcome him back from his self imposed isolation. That is what human beings should do to each other during difficult times.
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you” – Lewis B. Smedes (Christian author)
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Category: Culture & Religion
I can not say much on the personalities you have mentioned-but religion does play an important part in any country’s life.
India is a live example.
Should your personal religious belief play a role in how you report news?