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                                    SPORTS, GAMES AND THEIR
INFLUENCE

                                                  ON THE
CHRISTIAN LIFE



Of what if any value are sports and games to a genuine
Christian? Are organized, competitive sports a proper form of
entertainment, recreation, or livelihood? What about the
"WINNING ATTITUDE" so much demanded by coaches? Is it really a
"SINNING ATTITUDE"? Where did spectator sports and games
originate? What should a Christian do about them?



                                                     William F.
Dankenbring



    The Tyndale Bible Encyclopedia admits that in ancient Israel,
the Hebrews had little time or inclination for physical sports.
Sports, so highly touted in the world today, is nowhere
mentioned in either the Old or New Testaments of the Bible as a
truly desirable form of activity for God's people -- believe it
or not!



    Search high and low in the Bible, and you will find very little
that could be interpreted as God's recommendation or approval of
sports and athletic contests!



    There is no indication that sports were practiced by Abraham or
his sons, the patriarchs. There is no indication in the
Scriptures that Jesus Christ, our example and Messiah, ever
participated in organized sports and games, or such contests as
boxing, ball games, track and field events, or the like.



    Let us face it: Have sports been far too highly touted in
modern times and credited with things they can never achieve? If
sports are really so valuable in forming true Christian
character, then why is the Bible silent about them? Why did
Jesus never mention them?



    Have you ever wondered about that?



    What does God's word say about physical sports and their proper
place in life?



    Notice this shocking fact: "When introduced by Hellenizing Jews
in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes and patronized by Jason the
high priest, the Greek love of sport was considered IRRELIGIOUS"
(vol. 1, page 541 ).



    The Jewish historian Josephus, who lived during the first
century after Christ, gives us more insight into what was
occurring in Israel during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes.



    Josephus writes: "...Menelaus and the sons of Tobias were
distressed, and retired to Antiochus, and informed him, that
they were desirous to leave the laws of their country, and the
Jewish way of living according to them, and to follow the king's
laws, and the Grecian way of living: wherefore they desired his
permission to build them a GYMNASIUM AT JERUSALEM. And when he
had given them leave, they also hid the circumcision of their
genitals, that even when they were naked they might appear to be
Greeks. Accordingly, they left off all the customs that belonged
to their own country, and IMITATED the practices of other
nations" (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, book XII, chapter
V, 1).



    These Jewish apostates were forsaking the truth and laws of
God. They were embracing paganism wholeheartedly. They eagerly
desired to follow the customs of the Greeks, with their emphasis
on athletics, and their virtual worship of the "body beautiful"!
They were apostatizing from the revealed truth of God and
jettisoning the laws of God, in order that they might be
respected and accepted by their pagan, Gentile neighbors!



    Accordingly, they even tried to hide the fact that they were
circumcised. These Jewish renegades from the truth of God
endeavored to appear uncircumcised when they performed in the
Greek athletic contests, by means of a surgical operation. The
laws of God had become an embarrassment to them!



    But this was just the beginning -- the introduction, as it
were. Soon the ways of the Gentiles were replacing God's truth
at every level of society. Antiochus Epiphanes, once he had made
these inroads among the more liberal elements of the Jews, began
to repeal all the Mosaic laws, and simply replaced them with
Grecian laws and customs. He banned the Law of Moses, and all
the holy books were burned that he could find. He abolished the
Temple sacrifices, and even installed a statue in the Temple of
God dedicated to Zeus-Yahveh. The Temple was profaned, swine was
sacrificed on the altar, and all copies of the Jewish Scriptures
were ordered to be destroyed! Circumcision was forbidden. God's
dietary laws were abolished. And any who were found clinging to
the laws of God, and obeying Him, were executed. Many gave their
lives in martyrdom, rather than compromise with the laws of God
and their holy faith!



    But notice! All these diabolical, Satanic schemes began ever so
innocently, at least on surface appearance! At first it was
merely a matter of athletics!



    Of course, The New Bible Dictionary points out, "there can be
little doubt that, despite the absence of specific references,
running, throwing and hunting were undertaken on occasions when
they were not a necessity" (p. 451).



    Jacob's wrestling match with the One who became Christ shows
that wrestling was done by young men as a sport and test of
strength (Genesis 32:24-26). Nevertheless, there is a huge
difference between local, personal sports contests, held in fun,
and huge gymnasium sports held in giant arenas as a test of
skill in front of thousands of spectators.



    Sports, as a paid profession, was unknown among the people of
God. Even amateur athletics, on a grand scale, with huge arenas,
were foreign to the way of life of the ancient people of God.
Such contests were introduced into ancient Israel by the Greeks,
after the conquest of Palestine by Alexander the Great, and
subsequently by Antiochus Epiphanes, and later by the Romans.



    But the real advent of public games and spectator sports, in
Israel, first began during the days of Antiochus Epiphanes,
approximately 169 years before Christ.



    We read in the book of I Maccabees, "There sprang from them a
sinful shoot named Antiochus Epiphanes, the son of King
Antiochus; he had been a hostage in Rome and he became king in
the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the Greek kingdom. In
those days there arose out of Israel lawless men who persuaded
many, saying, 'Let us go and make a treaty with the heathen
around us, for ever since the time we became separated from
them, many misfortunes have overtaken us.'



    "The plan seemed good in their eyes, and some of the people
went eagerly to the king and he authorized them to introduce the
practices of the heathen. And they built a GYMNASIUM in
Jerusalem, in the heathen fashion, and submitted to
uncircumcision, and disowned the holy agreement; they allied
themselves with the heathen and became the slaves of wrongdoing"
(I Macc. 1:10-15).



    Notice! Among the "practices of the heathen" were spectator
sports events held in huge edifices called arenas or gymnasiums!



    The word "gymnasium" itself is very interesting. The World Book
Encyclopedia points out that "The word gymnasium comes from a
Greek word meaning to exercise naked. In ancient Greece, the
word was used to mean public places set aside for athletic
sports. Greek boys and young men wore no clothes when taking
part in games, in order to have freedom of bodily movement."



    Isaac Asimov in his Guide to the Bible, relates that "Alexander
the Great, in conquering the Persian Empire, did more than
merely make himself king over vast tracts of land. He introduced
Greek culture to the east. This culture has always been a very
attractive one and it was widely adopted. All of Asia Minor
became Greek in culture if not in race...



    "The Jews were not immune to the attractiveness of Greek
culture, any more than they were immune to Canaanite culture in
the days of the judges and the kings, or to American culture
today. In the time of the Seleucids, there were many among them
who wanted to 'assimilate,' and to establish gymnasia after the
Greek fashion ... " (p. 49, vol. II).



    At the gymnasia, the Greeks were accustomed to exercise in the
nude. "This in itself was horrifying to those Jews who clung to
the old ways," writes Asimov. "Worse still, Jews who exercised
in the nude could clearly be seen to be circumcised; to avoid
this embarrassment, the custom arose of wearing false foreskins,
thus making them 'uncircum- cised.'"



    Thus Antiochus Epiphanes did all in his power to "Hellenize"
the Jews and to spread Greek culture in Israel. The Seleucid
rulers like all the Macedonian rulers were seriously intent on
spreading Greek culture everywhere they went, since they felt it
was superior by far to all other cultures.



    But what does God say in His holy word about adopting the ways
and practices and customs of the heathen?



    God told Israel in the days of Moses, through whom He gave His
law: "When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from
before thee, where thou goest to possess them, and thou
succeedest them, and dwellest in their land, take heed to
thyself that thou BE NOT SNARED BY FOLLOWING THEM, after they
are destroyed from before thee, and that thou inquire not: after
their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? Even
so will I do likewise.



    "THOU SHALT NOT DO SO UNTO THE LORD THY GOD, for every
abomlnation to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto
their gods" (Deut. 12:29-31).



    "But surely," some will scoff, "athletics is just athletics,
sports. It was not done in honor of any pagan deity or idol god.
So what's wrong with it?"



    What are the facts?



    One of the most common sins is that people assume something to
be true, when it isn't. They merely assume; then they proceed
according to their own human reason, and do what is right in
their own eyes!



    God said through Moses, "Ye shall not do after all the things
that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his
own eyes" (Deut.12:8).



    As true Christians, we are commanded to live by "every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). What,
then, is the origin of spectator sports, team athletics
performed in huge arenas and stadiums? Is it a godly custom
which God introduced to His people in Israel?



    The truth may shock and surprise you! The origin of human
athletic contests is not so innocent as the devil would have you
believe!



                                     The Shocking Origin of
Competitive Sports



    Now I have already shown that there is nothing in the Bible to
condemn such personal sports as hunting, fishing, canoeing,
running, wrestling, archery, or merely fun games where boys and
girls, men and women choose up teams and play some game -- for
the fun of it, and for the fellowship and exercise!



    But notice carefully! I said, "FOR THE FUN OF IT" -- not to
strive to show oneself the "best," or the "winner," or better
than somebody else! That is distinctly not God's way!



    God intended sports and athletics merely to serve as a means to
discipline, tone up, and strengthen the body, so that it may
serve us better. He never intended sports to become an end in
itself, or for professional sports to become a modern day idol
or form of idolatry! (How many more people cheer at some
football game on Saturday or Sunday than go to Church to hear
the Word of God preached?!!!)



    God never intended young people to become so serious about a
mere "game" that they struggle and strive and fight in order to
"BEAT" some other team or individual! What the world calls
"combative" sports -- which can include any sport where you have
a human opponent -- seems to very quickly get out of hand,
leading to wrong attitudes, pride and feelings of animosity,
hard feelings, intense dislike, because people take such games
far too seriously! Riots and murder have occurred at the sites
of professional sports, particularly soccer or football games in
Europe or South America!



    In ancient times in central America, the Mayans held ball
games-- vigorous athletic contests -- where the team that lost
the game were all put to death! They literally "played for their
life"!



    But before we discuss the origin of athletic contests and
spectator sports, as such, notice a revealing account of the
introduction of the pagan Greek athletic contests during the
time of Antiochus Maccabbees. This account is from eye witness
sources, and is known as II Maccabbees. The author relates: "But
when Seleucus departed this life and Antiochus, who was called
Epiphanes, succeeded to the kingdom, Onias' brother Jason
obtained the high priesthood by corruption, promising the king
in his petition three hundred and sixty talents of silver, and
eighty talents from other revenues. Besides this he promised to
pay a hundred and fifty more, if he was given authority to set
up a gymnasium and a training place for youth there and to
enroll the people of Jerusalem as citizens of Antioch. When the
king had consented, and he had taken office, he immediately
brought his countrymen over to the Greek way of living. He set
aside the royal ordinances especially favoring the Jews...and
abrogating the lawful ways of living he introduced new customs
contrary to the Law. For he willingly established a GYMNASIUM
right under the citadel, and he made the finest of the young men
wear the Greek hat. And to such a pitch did the cultivation of
Greek fashions and the coming-in of foreign customs rise,
because of the excessive wickedness of this godless Jason, who
was no high priest at all, that the priests were no longer
earnest about the services of the altar, but disdaining the
sanctuary and neglecting the sacrifices, they hurried to take
part in the unlawful exercises in the wrestling school, after
the summons to the discus-throwing, regarding as worthless the
things their forefathers valued, and thinking Greek standards
the finest."



    This eye witness account of the invasion of ancient Judah by
pagan customs, including the Greek games, as they were called,
is found in the book of II Maccabbees (4:17).



    Notice that these "useless," foolish games and contests
included such things as "discus-throwing," and wrestling bouts.
Other games included chariot races, and even gladiatorial bouts.
The Roman Coliseum was to become famous the world over as a site
for cruel and wicked games to entertain the masses. Some of
these games later included feeding Christians to wild beasts and
lions!



    But now -- what of their origin? Where did spectator sports
contests begin?



    Notice the astounding truth!



    The World Book Encyclopedia says, "Early societies used sports
to train people for survival and for war. Then, as people
learned to live together more peacefully, sports festivals
developed. The first recorded Olympic Games took place in Greece
in 776 B.C." (Article "Sports").



    This same authority declares, "Athletics played an important
part in the religious festivals of the ancient Greeks. The
people believed such competition pleased the spirits of the
dead. The religious festivals honored the gods, and many Greek
tribes and cities held one every four years. These festivals
probably began before 1400 B.C.



    "In time, four national festivals developed -- the Isthmian,
Nemean, Olympic, and Pythian games. The Olympic Games, which
ranked as the most important, honored Zeus, the king of the
gods" ("Olympic Games," vol. 14, p. 570).



    Thus the pagan nature and origin of international sports
festivals, such as the Olympic Games, is plainly revealed and is
thoroughly documented. Any encyclopedia will tell you the same
thing. Such sports festivals are PAGAN. They were originally
created to honor pagan gods, and were an important part of pagan
religious exercises to honor their gods!



    What does God say about His people allowing themselves to
become part of this world's pagan religious festivals, which
have their pagan origin written right in their foreheads?



    What does God say about such competitive sports and athletic
contests, witnessed by millions?



    Oh, of course they can be exciting, thrilling, and cause one's
blood to race. But are they of any value? Do they really train
young men to become better men? Do they really develop
righteous, godly character?



    The apostle Paul knew better. He was inspired by God to write
very plainly, for all to see: "But refuse profane and old wives'
fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily
exercise profiteth little, but GODLINESS IS PROFITABLE UNTO ALL
THINGS, having promise of the life that now is, and of that
which is to come" (I Tim. 4:7-8).



    Notice how the apostle Paul "put down" the exaggerated emphasis
on sports and athletics. Under God's divine inspiration he wrote
that bodily exercise is of LITTLE value -- of little worth! It
does not build righteous or godly character. All too often, it
does the exact opposite, teaching young men combative instincts,
and developing a COMPETITIVE spirit -- just like the diabolical
spirit and attitude of Satan the devil!



    Do you see and comprehend the danger?



    Little by little, Satan attempts to make inroads to subvert
God's people. He begins with what seems like a "little thing."
Something which looks innocuous of itself, such as the concept
of sports or athletics. But then it becomes overemphasized,
exaggerated in importance. A competitive spirit is nurtured, and
encouraged, and fed -- a spirit of fierce aggressiveness (within
the laws of the game, of course) -- a spirit of reckless abandon
to win, a spirit of "win at all costs."



    This attitude is taught to small children playing baseball,
soccer, and basketball. Cheerleaders only cheer for their own
team, and in high school sports contests the attitude is all too
often reflected in the cheers -- "Stomp 'Em!" "Beat 'Em!"
"Thrash 'Em!" "Murder 'Em!" It is the exact same spirit as that
of Satan the Devil.



    The spirit of competition is wrong! It is evilish!



                                                    The Spirit
of Competition



    Vince Lombardi, famed coach of the Minnesota Vikings, a
professional football team which he coached from obscurity to
several championships, had the philosophy that is emphasized
today in modern sports. He is reputed to have said, "Winning
Isn't Everything, Winning is the ONLY Thing!" It is so sad, so
sorry, so ridiculous! People exalt sports to the level of LIFE
ITSELF! But playing "games" will not build you the kind of
righteous, holy CHARACTER to enter into the Kingdom of God! If
games were valuable to do that, Jesus Christ would have said
so-- and He didn't!



    Rather, from God's point of view the purpose of games is only
to relax, have fun, and fellowship with others of like minds. It
should not be to develop competitiveness, or to show "who is
best," or "who is the best team"! What difference does that
make, anyhow? Who remembers the scores of yesteryear's ball
games? Only some foolish fanatic when it comes to sports -- and
sadly, there are sports fanatics, just as there are other kinds
of fanatics! There are "true believers" in SPORTS, who put their
ideas of sports ahead of the plain Word of God!



    The plain truth is that character is not built by playing
sports, or football, or basketball; simply put, character is
built by overcoming obstacles, overcoming human nature,
disciplining your mind and body. Of course the way one plays at
sports does reflect his character to some degree; and some men
have overcome great odds to even be able to play certain games;
and in overcoming those personal odds and handicaps, they may
well have built character. But it was not the game that did it.
It was the fighting against self, against temptation to let up,
to give up, to quit when things got tough!



    However, the lesson God wants us to learn is that greatest
enemy is not some other person in a game -- it is ourself! It is
our own human nature!



    One can build more character by developing such skills as
running, hunting, fishing, swimming, hiking, and various
individual activities, than engaging in team sports, although
team sports in themselves are not necessarily wrong -- as long
as the right attitude of love and compassion on the weak is
never for one moment forgotten or ignored or neglected!



    Paul on occasion used physical sports as an analogy to teach a
lesson in spiritual overcoming. But he never did so in order to
encourage physical athletics themselves. He wrote to the
Corinthians, in the best known passage dealing with this
subject, "Know ye not that they (athletes in the world) who run
in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run (in the
Christian race to overcome sin), that ye may obtain (eternal
life).



    "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in
all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but
we, an incorruptible.



    "I, therefore, so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as
one that beateth the air; but I keep under my body, and bring it
into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to
others, I myself should be a castaway" (I Cor. 9:24-27).



    Does this passage encourage participlation in team sports or
athletics? Not at all. Rather, it uses an analogy of what an
athlete does to train with what we as Christians should be doing
to master ourselves, spiritually, so we can inherit eternal life!



    But as for the pagan athletic festivals of this world, what
does God say?



    Some people think a little compromise is all right; a little
sin is okay. They seem to have the attitude of Naaman the Syrian
general who was cleansed by Elishah the prophet of God of his
leprosy by bathing seven times in the Jordan River. Upon
acknowledging the miracle performed by the God of Israel,
nevertheless, Naaman said to the prophet, "For thy servant will
henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other
gods, but unto the Lord. In this thing the Lord pardon thy
servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to
worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in
the house of Rimmon; when I bow down myself in the house of
Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing" (II Kings
5:17-18).



    God doesn't want partial love or obedience. He wants our
wholehearted obedience and worship and love! He wants our
worship unmixed and undiluted and unadulterated with heathen,
pagan customs and practices!



    God says, "Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all
mine ordinances, and do them; that the land, whither I bring you
to dwell therein, spew you not out. And ye shall not walk in the
manners of the nations, which I cast out before you; for they
committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. But I
have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give
it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and
honey: I am the Lord your God, who have SEPARATED YOU from other
people. Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts
and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean; and ye shall
not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any
manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have
separated from you as unclean.



    "And ye shall be holy unto me; for I, the Lord, am holy, and
have separated you from other people, that ye should be mine"
(Lev.20:22-26).



    God wants His people to be DIFFERENT! We are not to be like the
world around us, in fashions, in food, in sexual practices, in
following pagan customs and ceremonies, or by joining with them
in worshipping the idol of modern athletics, sports contests,
and spectator games. It is the way of Rome! It is the way of
ancient pagan Greece! For these customs the peoples of those
lands were defiled in the eyes of God!



    God says, instead, to His people, "Be ye not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath
light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial?
Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?



    "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye
are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell
in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people.



    "Wherefore, come out from among them, and BE YE SEPARATE, saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive
you" (II Cor. 6:14-17).



    Sports contests today do not honor God. They are a distraction
of the world away from the things of God. The international
Olympic Games are not held in honor of God, but derive from
ancient paganism.



    God says, "NOW therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes
and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them, that ye
may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of
your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I
command you, neither shall ye diminish anything from it, that ye
may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command
you....Keep, therefore, and do them; for this is your wisdom and
your understanding in the sight of the nations, who shall hear
all these statutes and say, Surely this great nation is a wise
and understanding people" (Deut. 4:l6).



    God does not enjoy truth mixed with paganism; His laws mixed
with pagan relics and superstitions; His Word mixed up with
Gentile, heathen customs and practices!



    God calls this modern world "Babylon the Great." Its customs
and festivals are all pagan in origin. It is the society and
world of Satan the devil (Rev. 12:4, 9). Should Christians look
upon modern athletics the way the world does? Should Christians
participate, and get wrapped up in sports? Should Christian
youth programs stress team sports, which emphasize by their very
nature competition, the competitive spirit, and aggressiveness?



    God Almighty, our Heavenly Father, says, in answer to these
direct questions: "COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not
partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues"
(Rev. 18:4).



    Have we completely come out of this world yet?



    What about you?







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