I hate Tim Tebow.

OK, hate is a strong word. Despise. Vehemently dislike. Whatever. I hate that guy. And I hate him more after his win over the New York Jets on Thursday. Let me be clear: I hate the Jets. Despise, dislike, whatever. I hate the Jets. I'm thrilled the Jets lost. I'm always thrilled when the Jets lose. Big, brash, lots of talking. I hate them. It wasn't the outcome of the game that made him my most hated athlete in the world. It was what he did after the game.

First and foremost I gotta thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ.

I hate Tim Tebow.

OK, hate is a strong word. Despise. Vehemently dislike. Whatever. I hate that guy. And I hate him more after his win over the New York Jets on Thursday. Let me be clear: I hate the Jets. Despise, dislike, whatever. I hate the Jets. I'm thrilled the Jets lost. I'm always thrilled when the Jets lose. Big, brash, lots of talking. I hate them. It wasn't the outcome of the game that made him my most hated athlete in the world. It was what he did after the game.

First and foremost I gotta thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ.

No. Stop it. I hate him. And this is why so many other people hate him. And why they love him. Why he’s the most hated and most loved athlete in the country. Because he knows religion is a touchy subject in this country, he knows people have been hurt by religion, and he doesn’t care. He’s going to take his religion and ram it down your throat no matter what you or anyone else thinks of him.

He told Deion Sanders after the game that he can't worry about what other people think because he can't control it. Yes he can. He can shut up about his religion. There are many wonderful Christians and Muslims and Jews who practice their religion the way it was meant to be practiced: Privately. Religious beliefs are very personal and powerful. And there are many famous religious people who respect differences and keep their religious practices to themselves, their friends, their congregation and their family.

Not Tebow. Whenever he gets the chance he plasters it across the airwaves like a big flowery float with ear-splitting dance music in a Pride parade.

We hear people say they don't have a problem with gays as long as they're not flaunting it. Well guess what: I'm OK with Tim Tebow as long as he's not flaunting his religion. But he can't help it. He appears in national TV commercials to promote his religion. He makes a spectacle of prayer before, during and after the games. He thanks Jesus Christ after a win, as though a guy who died 2,000 years ago is magically deciding whether the Broncos or Jets win, or that god would take time out of his busy day (see: poverty, war, natural disasters) to even care.

I think generally Christians get a really bad rap from the gay community. Christianity is not bad. While I'm not Christian, I think it's (when not bastardized like it is so often) a beautiful religion. But many gay people are totally close-minded when it comes to Christianity. You can understand why. After decades of persecution in the name of Jesus Christ, the gay community would collectively rather see Christianity sink into the deepest corners of our society. It's not how I feel, but I can understand why so many who have suffered at the hands of Christians feel that way.

Christianity isn't bad. Tim Tebow is.

So when he gets on national television and thanks his lord and savior Jesus Christ…I hate him. He's giving a big, fat middle finger to everyone who isn't religious; To the people who have been kicked out of their church for being gay; To the kids who have been evicted by their families in the name of Christ; And to the kids who've killed themselves because they couldn't reconcile their feelings with the teachings of close-minded religious zealots.

Thankfully his career will be a short one in the NFL. His brand of football simply won't last. People say he just knows how to win. Hardly. These chump teams he's played in recently weeks have simply found a way to lose. Maybe he'll kick around for another two to three years, but he'll be gone before long. Thank the lord Jesus Christ for that.

For now, it's not enough for him to win a football game and hold a prayer circle after the game: He has to get on TV and make the first words out of his mouth be about religion. He can't make his religion a private matter, he has to plaster it on every TV in America.

And I hate him for it.

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