Do you “Tebow”? That is, do you get down on one knee and bow your head in thanks as an open expression of your faith?
Think about it. You get an A on a paper you worked on for countless hours to write? Then you might Tebow. You’re hungry, out of cash and some campus group is passing out free popcorn? Tebow. You nab a frontline parking space on a day you’re running late for class? Tebow.
Not everyone is a high-profile athlete like Tim Tebow, who in case you didn’t know is the quarterback for the Denver Broncos. His team went on a winning streak that seized the attention of America, and every time they won, the cameras rolled as Tebow did his thing. He kneeled.
It seems like kneeling is a fairly innocuous gesture, but he was criticized for his expression of faith by the non-religious.
Late night comedians and others from a variety of media outlets heckled him so much that even people who shared his beliefs seemed to be embarrassed about it.
It seemed that just because he openly acknowledged his faith, he and his faith were fair game to vicious ridicule.
The thing is both “Tebowing” and the disdain of it are First Amendment rights.
What the First Amendment does not cover is good manners. It does not say that people who have different religious beliefs are not allowed to make fun of each other.
So “Tebowing” may not be your thing. Maybe you quietly genuflect before taking an exam. Or perhaps you wear a hijab. You might bow your head and say a prayer before eating your lunch. You might be a person of religious faith without doing anything to publicly distinguish yourself. You may have a Darwin bumper sticker on your car and wear a monkey T-shirt. Your expression is covered.
The cameras aren’t rolling on campus waiting to single you out the next time you sneeze and some one says “Bless you.”
However, in the event you do find yourself being openly ridiculed for your personal convictions, “Tebow” anyway.
