# Olympics- Should we watch?



## Walkthecalling (Jul 23, 2008)

Greetings all!
I had a general question that I have discussed with a few friends and wanted some input on. Basically, should we watch the olympics? Not in general, just in Beijing or if they were in Iran, etc. Does watching the olympics signify support for China, and therefore a support of the killing/torturing/imprisonment of fellow Christians in China? I am even told that the visiting athletes have to be searched for extra bibles or literature, so as to not give them away while there. I usually love the games and watch sports I normally don't care about because of the height of the games. I will enjoy some input from strong Christian brothers and sisters.
Thanks in advance!


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## Seb (Jul 23, 2008)

Since my TV (and half the other stuff in my house) was probably made in China - I'm thinking - I might as well watch the Chinese Olympics.


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## TimV (Jul 23, 2008)

Palestine was occupied by a foreign army at the time of the writing of the NT, and we know from several places in Scripture that watching Greco-Roman athletic events was common, taken for granted and never disapproved of.

Besides, people who have those sorts of questions typically don't have any idea how godless our own government is acting, so they single out other countries either out of ignorance or misplaced nationalism. To say it would be wrong to support China (yeah, right. There are dozens of Chinese products in ALL your friend's houses, things which they paid money for) but right to support some other country means that there is some sort of line you can draw between moral countries and immoral countries. Who's going to make the list up of what countries you can buy things from and which you can't?


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## turmeric (Jul 23, 2008)

I wouldn't watch it.


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## Zenas (Jul 23, 2008)

I think the notion of a boycott is more of a symbolic thing, rather than a practical one.


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Jul 23, 2008)

TimV said:


> Palestine was occupied by a foreign army at the time of the writing of the NT, and we know from several places in Scripture that watching Greco-Roman athletic events was common, taken for granted and never disapproved of.
> 
> Besides, people who have those sorts of questions typically don't have any idea how godless our own government is acting, so they single out other countries either out of ignorance or misplaced nationalism. To say it would be wrong to support China (yeah, right. There are dozens of Chinese products in ALL your friend's houses, things which they paid money for) but right to support some other country means that there is some sort of line you can draw between moral countries and immoral countries. Who's going to make the list up of what countries you can buy things from and which you can't?


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## Walkthecalling (Jul 23, 2008)

I wasn't really getting into the good government/bad government type thing. I basically meant because of their animosity toward the Christian cause. Which I know some would say is good because it reminds us of our lackadaisical lives here. I guess it is even half-hearted if it is on a Chinese T.V. anyway. But does that fact change the fact I am further supporting it? I guess it boils down to, if you could avoid any Chinese products because of their current take on Christianity, should you?


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## TimV (Jul 23, 2008)

> I think the notion of a boycott is more of a symbolic thing, rather than a practical one.



True. Those of you my age and older remember my disappointment when Carter boycotted the Olympics over Russia invading Afghanistan. At the time, I thought it foolish and inconsistant and hypocritical.

You see, Russia was worried about a movement called "Islamic extremism". Afghanistan shares a border with them, and they were afraid these Pushtoon tribesmen we call the Taliban would be a force of social disruption, so they threw their weight in behind a coalition of groups led by ethnic Iranians called the Northern Alliance.

Carter thought that this was very evil, and we started helping those Pushtoon tribesmen, as well as funding their allies, namely al-Qaeda.

One could almost wish we'd stayed out of other people's business.


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## BobVigneault (Jul 23, 2008)

I'm with Seb. If you shop at Walmart then not watching Chinese Olympics for political reasons is silly.

My answer would be, 'Yes, you should watch the Olympics..... if you can't sleep.' BORING!!!!!


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## Seb (Jul 23, 2008)

TimV said:


> One could almost wish we'd stayed out of other people's business.



 

Man, I've been wishing that for a LONG time.

Dave, It seems like your friends are against China hosting the games. Would they be content to have China cut off from the world and just continue down the same totalitarian road that they've been on for so long? 

Just by preparing to host the games the Chinese have had to open up more than what they were before. They've still got a long way to go, but Chinese isolationism would be a huge move in the wrong direction.


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## Zenas (Jul 23, 2008)

I was not espousing a boycott, but rather conveying the probable intention of those who do.

Boycotting is probably hurtful to our bretheren. The more worldwide attention there is on China, the more they are apt to behave. As China becomes more and more accepted in the Western world, the more they are going to have to learn to persecute Christians with political moves and shifty laws, rather then outright outlawing and imprisonment.


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## Contra_Mundum (Jul 23, 2008)

I won't be watching, because I watch hardly any TV, and I don't worship sports.

All the nationalistic hubris of the olympics nauseates me. The "medal count" thing is especially annoying. Who cares if we're beating our chests and saying "we're No1, over the world in sports! We have more golds, more combined, more playing of the 'Star Spangled Banner' than the rest of you guys's crummy anthems, Yeaaa!"

For cryin--... we're not trying to prove the "free world" is better than the soviet one anymore.

And since we aren't, the old "amateur" essence of the modern games has been removed. Used to be, paid athletes couldn't participate, so the playing field was "level". Now, we have the best team money can buy. They ought to give ole' Jim Thorpe his medals back, and apologize.

{ending my silly rant right here}


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## ChristopherPaul (Jul 23, 2008)

Contra_Mundum said:


> They ought to give ole' Jim Thorpe his medals back, and apologize.



They did give him is medals back.


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## TimV (Jul 23, 2008)

> They ought to give ole' Jim Thorpe his medals back, and apologize.



They did, in 1982 ;-)


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## Walkthecalling (Jul 23, 2008)

Good input. I see the light! Just kidding. I understand both sides. I don't consider this a huge issue, but an interesting one. Since it's my thread I can jump a little. How about boycotts of products from companies not upholding certain values? I don't like the all companies are bad thought process for this one. My examples are Ford (now over) and currently McDonalds being boycotted by the AFA. Boycott McDonald's - A Project of American Family Association 
What about this kind of boycott?


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## TimV (Jul 23, 2008)

When it's a case of Christian liberty you apply other principles, like counting the cost. As Christ said, if an army is marching toward you, then you need to decide whether to fight or sue for surrender.

Up in Calaveras county we had three video stores. One started renting ****, and some churches got together to boycott the store until they took the garbage down. It was a very "churched" area, and the churches got along pretty well. Chalcedon went along with it, and the boycott was successful. But there usually isn't much staying power with these things, as they're emotionally driven, and If I recall correctly the ended up stocking the stuff again some months later.


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## Contra_Mundum (Jul 23, 2008)

ChristopherPaul said:


> Contra_Mundum said:
> 
> 
> > They ought to give ole' Jim Thorpe his medals back, and apologize.
> ...





TimV said:


> > They ought to give ole' Jim Thorpe his medals back, and apologize.
> 
> 
> 
> They did, in 1982 ;-)



Good for them. Still a bunch of silly, neo-pagan self/state deification.


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## Stomata leontôn (Jul 23, 2008)

The address of the house I grew up in was 8808. So every time I see one of those ads that says *8808*, I feel personally involved.

Of course there is a chance that only my TV has my old address on it, delivered by a high-tech micro-transponder mounted with a hidden web-cam running facial-expression interpretation software to monitor my reaction and relay that back to our shadowy puppet-masters at the underground facility in Colorado.

Or maybe not.


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## Davidius (Jul 23, 2008)

Zenas said:


> I was not espousing a boycott, but rather conveying the probable intention of those who do.
> 
> Boycotting is probably hurtful to our bretheren. The more worldwide attention there is on China, the more they are apt to behave. As China becomes more and more accepted in the Western world, the more they are going to have to learn to persecute Christians with political moves and shifty laws, rather then outright outlawing and imprisonment.



Good point!


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Jul 23, 2008)

Peter H said:


> The address of the house I grew up in was 8808. So every time I see one of those ads that says *8808*, I feel personally involved.
> 
> Of course there is a chance that only my TV has my old address on it, delivered by a high-tech micro-transponder mounted with a hidden web-cam running facial-expression interpretation software to monitor my reaction and relay that back to our shadowy puppet-masters at the underground facility in Colorado.
> 
> Or maybe not.


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## Walkthecalling (Jul 23, 2008)

I'm moving the McDonald's one to another thread.


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## Abd_Yesua_alMasih (Jul 23, 2008)

Wow shows how numbed I have been by it. I have long since accepted those sorts of regulations a fact of life. They don't stop much, they just mean you have to work harder. I am not saying it is easy, it was sometimes a nightmare, but I am somewhat nostalgic for being back in that great country in the midst of it all. Even pain can invoke good memories.


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## py3ak (Jul 23, 2008)

Peter H said:


> The address of the house I grew up in was 8808. So every time I see one of those ads that says *8808*, I feel personally involved.
> 
> Of course there is a chance that only my TV has my old address on it, delivered by a high-tech micro-transponder mounted with a hidden web-cam running facial-expression interpretation software to monitor my reaction and relay that back to our shadowy puppet-masters at the underground facility in Colorado.
> 
> Or maybe not.



I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but the underground facility is actually in Nebraska.


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## Abd_Yesua_alMasih (Jul 26, 2008)

Does anyone actually think that boycotting the olympics will make China change or do you think it will just annoy them?


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## Jared (Jul 26, 2008)

I know that what China has done to Christians has been really bad and we are to show kindness to those of the household of faith first. But they have also murdered buddhists in Tibet. I'm not advocating buddhism, but those people in Tibet who are being persecuted are created in the image of God.

As for boycotting the games, I probably won't.


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## Jared (Jul 26, 2008)

BTW: Did anyone hear about Franklin Graham telling people not to share the gospel during the games since it's against their laws? That's ridiculous.


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## Mushroom (Jul 26, 2008)

> Mat 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.





> Act 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.


Guess Franklin missed those scriptures.


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## ColdSilverMoon (Jul 26, 2008)

Contra_Mundum said:


> All the nationalistic hubris of the olympics nauseates me. The "medal count" thing is especially annoying. Who cares if we're beating our chests and saying "we're No1, over the world in sports! We have more golds, more combined, more playing of the 'Star Spangled Banner' than the rest of you guys's crummy anthems, Yeaaa!"
> 
> For cryin--... we're not trying to prove the "free world" is better than the soviet one anymore.



Interesting, in my opinion all the Olympics are good for is the medal count! I just keep up with the medal count on-line and hardly ever watch the actual events, which are usually terribly boring (with a few exceptions). I want the US to excel in whatever we do, sports included. So I definitely take pride in the fact that we do so well in both the Winter and Summer games, which only a handful of other countries can say. 

For what it's worth, no one is catching us anytime soon in the all-time medal count, though I do worry that China may edge us on total medals in this year's games, breaking our summer Olympic winning streak for the past 3 games...

All-time Olympic Games medal count - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jul 26, 2008)

py3ak said:


> Peter H said:
> 
> 
> > The address of the house I grew up in was 8808. So every time I see one of those ads that says *8808*, I feel personally involved.
> ...



I know that USSTRATCOM is located at Offutt AFB now, but I still remember the X-Men saga at NORAD in Cheyenne Mountain like it was yesterday.


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## Sonoftheday (Jul 26, 2008)

I will be boycotting these Olympics as I do every year until they hold them in my home state of Oklahoma. Why? Because they bore me to tears but if they were in my home state then I could go to them and that would be kinda cool.


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## kvanlaan (Jul 27, 2008)

I am still waiting to see the first 'local' athlete during this thing get busted for banned substances. Oh the fireworks!

(As for not watching them, China is trying to black them out anyway, so...)


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## toddpedlar (Jul 27, 2008)

Jared104 said:


> BTW: Did anyone hear about Franklin Graham telling people not to share the gospel during the games since it's against their laws? That's ridiculous.



He also is promoting the official Church of China as a good and faithful church, and one with whom we in the west should work in order to promote the gospel in China. Naive to the highest degree, and his decision to promote the non-propagation of the gospel is abhorrent...


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## jwithnell (Jul 27, 2008)

What bothers me about the Olympics is the way China is trying to cover over its very real persecution of dissenters. It appears that the persecution of the church has intensified over the last six months to a year so China can show the world: "what dissenters? Everyone is just happy here. Where's the problem?" I've been frustrated for years about the way the US has embraced China, not just this year with the Olympics. It actually links to a bigger question about who our neighbor is ... something I'll pursue on another thread when I know I'll be around for awhile.


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## Grymir (Jul 27, 2008)

Not until NASCAR racing becomes an olympic sport.......

......to boring otherwise.


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## wmc1982 (Jul 27, 2008)

I doub't I'll watch much if any of it. I enjoyed the 1996 gymnastics, that was the last I really cared for the Olympics.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jul 27, 2008)

China Olympic Evangelism - Reformation21 Blog


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Jul 27, 2008)

Until we recognize our human rights violations against the unborn. We should boycott ourselves.


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## wmc1982 (Jul 27, 2008)

Backwoods Presbyterian said:


> Until we recognize our human rights violations against the unborn. We should boycott ourselves.



AMEN! 

I went to an ARP conference at Bonclarken, NC last week. Sinclair Ferguson was one of the speakers, and he talked about subjects that might offend certain people. He made the point that whatever offends us most are the things we hold most high. 

Some Christian's in America may rightfully have pride in the American flag, but don't you dare keep that flag spotless and waving in the air while your Bible is covered with dust on your bookshelf.


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## TimV (Jul 27, 2008)

> I doub't I'll watch much if any of it. I enjoyed the 1996 gymnastics, that was the last I really cared for the Olympics.



I just thought of a loaded question. Did you enjoy the women's or the men's the most 



> I will be boycotting these Olympics as I do every year until they hold them in my home state of Oklahoma. Why? Because they bore me to tears



That's because you haven't seen curling yet. That will get your blood racing.


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## wmc1982 (Jul 27, 2008)

TimV said:


> > I doub't I'll watch much if any of it. I enjoyed the 1996 gymnastics, that was the last I really cared for the Olympics.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





The women's but keep in mind in 1996 I was 14 years old  .


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