Knowing this will help you understand the warming climate between America and Islam (not to be confused with Christianity vs. Islam). One could reference the seeds that date back to September 11, 2001, as well as those that are less frequently mentioned - such as American influence in the Iran-Iraq War, but this situation is much bigger than that. It's even bigger than Christianity vs. Islam. This is all about the promotion of the previously referenced "god of America" over everything.
When Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah intercepted a pass from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and scurried to the end zone for a touchdown, like countless other football players he decided to give thanks to God; who he recognizes through Islamic faith. He quickly received a penalty for excessive celebration. Granted that there is language in the NFL policies that prohibits celebrations that involve the ground, that's not the deal here. After all, every single celebration involves the ground to some degree...clearly, the game is on the ground. But aside from that, other Christian-related celebrations have been tolerated, while other Christian-related actions have been discouraged. Now, Islamic-related celebrations are unacceptable...or maybe just some are. Is the NFL confused about religious expression? Or is it that certain religious can be expressed while others...not so much.
It could be argued that the referee who threw the flag was an over-zealous patriot who saw something that looked "too Muslim" and immediately thought ISIS. I think the NFL should look into that, but that's just speculation. The real issue, at least from an NFL perspective, is the backlash and whether the NFL wants to deal with it. I would guess they are very, very tired of PR blunders. So they've confirmed that the ref made the wrong call, but you have to know they are thinking about the next call and the next celebration prayer. To that end, my thought is the NFL will follow the path of our broken public school system and remove religious-related celebrations all together. Why? Because it fits the pattern of America's definition of religious freedom.
See, American religious freedom is not freedom at all. It's actually religious restriction (free to believe what you believe, but the expression of that comes with state sanctioned limits) and I believe will soon be religious absence. It may be a little conspiracy theorist-like, but it's easy to see how America's Game can start such a trend. It's not that the NFL will tell you what to believe, they'll just restrict how you can express it...similar to how public schools and many companies do. This will cut down on all the public and media attention to religion in professional football; as well as promote patriotism and American pride. I can see the headlines now, "we're not Christians, we're not Muslims, we're Americans." It'll some problems, but over time...just like with public schooling...God-fearing people will let it ride and in 5 years no one will bat an eye.
Am I saying that the National Football League is designed to eliminate the presence of God in America? Get real. But the fact can't be denied that the evil forces in this country daily promote ideals, philosophies, and laws that seek to reduce and do away with anything that exalts God...not Christianity, Islam, or Judaism....but God. We are in an age of progressive religious removal, and we are being entertained of its occurrence because it's growing along with the things we love. Be honest, can you really say you'll stop watching football because players can no longer pray in thanks after a touchdown? And being that most of us will continue to watch Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays...how would you feel knowing you are financially contributing to an entity that has prohibited people recognized God? I'm willing to bet that it might hurt at first, but it'll soon wear off.
At some point, we all have to ask ourselves what God we really serve.
Peace
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