Sorry, Clemens is in the AL now zing! I keed I keed. He's wearing my teams stripes right now, but the man is a mercenary, nothing more nothing less.
I understand. For me, I just can not compartmentalize like that. Just because I have loved the Astros since I was five - i wore a silver anniversary batting helmet to school everyday in 10th grade, so i dont want ANYONE questioning my credentials or fashion sense - does not mean they are immune to coporate responsibility, and they are a big deal in terms of Houstons collective spirit. And by the way, the Astros themselves have no problem appealing to community spirit when it suits their needs - they made such a big deal about the stadium, how sports transcends so many lines in the city, what a glorious benefit it is to the city... I just think Faith and Family night is a cheap and backhanded way of capitalizing on something divisive, rather than communal. I understand your point though, I dont expect this to bother everyone. And hotbolla, you are right in that I do have a problem with religions - the point Max and I are going to discuss someday in a new thread - that basically, second to my primary issue that an all powerful creator is scientifically contrainidicated on every single level, I am aggravated that they can not exist without hating on each other. And because Christianity happens to be what is most popular in TX, it gets the brunt of it, but its no more or less than others to me. BUT. I honestly am more concerned with the commercialization and cross pollination of sports (secular and communal) and religious (sacred and segmented) in this instance. I am so so so fine with everyone believing what they want to believe - it is healthy for people to differ, I really am all good. It really is about couching "Faith and Family Night" as a benign marketing tool. I dont think it is benign. I think it is "Christianity Day" at the ballpark, and I think it is divisive, and I think it sends an inappropriate and unwelcoming signal to people of different faiths, or of no faiths. Especially ones who financed the frigging ballpark. Is it explicit enough for rrj_gamz to understand? No, but what's new. Just because something is not explicit and does not bother some people, it does not mean it is not bull****. PS. And (insert expletive which would most likely take the lords name in vain here), I am so sick of "Family" and "Faith" being lumped together. What a gravy train - can someone cite some research on this? Do religious families really have measurably better outcomes than secular ones? Is going to church a predictor of happy marriage? Does belief in a all powerful diety correlate to healthy and happy children? Marital fidelity? Psychological health in kids? That assumption makes me totally insane. The VegiTales too. That is such coarse brainwashing to defenseless children. Not to derail.
^^^NERD ALERT kidding dude. i'm not quite as hopping mad as you, but i empathyse. if i lived in houston i'd probably be more pissed and even think about going to live somewhere where people, hotballa excepted , had more tolerance. <<<< oh wait, i did that.
I'm sure they would let me in the door if I bought a ticket. I'm pretty sure that isn't the point, though. The point is that the Astros/Drayton McLane have decided to call an event "Faith Night", which to an intelligent person, would mean all "faiths". Instead, it's a good old fashion revival. All they're missing is the tent. Yes, the Astros are a privately run business. However, their place of business was built with taxpayer money...many of whom are not Christian. My choice is to not attend either the revival or the game. My opinion, however, is that this is an exclusive event and that is not right.
nods, you know, I'm not a fan of the commercialization of Christianity by certain unscrupulous characters. I'd call them charlatans but I don't wnana sound that old yet. It's why you can't really follow the examples of other humans when it comes to looking at Christianity. If you're not happy with the Astros being associated with this, then I think you should continue to speak your mind to their PR department or whoever is handling this. I do suggest being uh less passionate with your words though, they might not be D&D baptized As for the rest of the post, I dont wanna derail either, but I will say that nothing is guaranteed in terms of human interactions as long as the human factor is involved. If I say anymore, we'll need NTSB to fix this.
that's cuz I'm smart enough to know that I'm as screwed up as everyone else lol EDIT: I really need to work on my reading comprehension. Apparently you tweaked me. jerk
Christian singer Jeremy Camp will perform in a pre-game concert Aug. 11 at Minute Maid Park. Special ticket packages include admission to both the concert and the game. Fans who already have game tickets can buy a concert voucher for $10 at the box office. THIRD COAST SPORTS PEANUTS AND THEOLOGY A doubleheader at the ball park Faith and Family Night combines Astros baseball and Christian music By EILEEN MCCLELLAND Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Baseball may inspire fervor akin to worship in some fans of America's pastime, but that's not what Faith and Family Night at Minute Maid Park is all about. Brent High, president of Third Coast Sports, said the nondenominational Christian event encourages worship of God in a relaxed public setting. If it attracts curious baseball fans who may have an unacknowledged spiritual hunger, so much the better. The Nashville, Tenn.-based company was formed to promote Christian programs in conjunction with sporting events. It's been successful at boosting attendance at baseball games around the country by 10 percent to 60 percent since Faith Night was launched at Triple-A Nashville Sounds games in 2004, he said. This summer Faith Night has been called up to the major leagues, including the Astros on Aug. 11. Sharing the pre-game spotlight will be Christian singer Jeremy Camp, two-time Dove Award winner for male vocalist of the year, and Astros first baseman Lance Berkman. Camp is touring in support of his latest CD, Beyond Measure. Berkman, the four-time All Star, will give his testimony about his connection to God. "When you're a Christian, it permeates every aspect of your life," Berkman told the Houston Chronicle last year. "It's who I am, and it comes out in every arena." High said Third Coast's mission is "to create an opportunity for outreach for people who do not have a church home." "People who are intimidated by organized religion would much more readily accept an invitation to Minute Maid Park than to a church building," he said. "There have been lots of stories of conversion. That's our role, to be part of a culturally relevant ministry event in cities all around the country with music, testimony and something for the kids." The children's portion of next weekend's event will be an appearance by Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato. The VeggieTales characters will pose for pictures with fans. High said non-Christians usually attend Faith Night only if they have been invited by Christian friends. "People that come to our events have made a concerted effort to do so. We are not ambushing the general fan base with our events or messages," he said. "We feel we have done everything within our power and then some to insulate our events from the regular game experience so as not to offend anyone." Local Jewish leaders said they are not offended because the event takes place separately from the game. "It's hard for me to see that as offensive, if it's not part of the regular game experience and if they make a clear distinc-tion. But it's not inclusive of everyone, and some people will feel left out," said Dena Marks, associate director of the Anti-Defamation League's Southwest Regional Office. However, she did point out that the event's name is misleading. "Not everybody shares that faith, nor does everyone have a faith. The name ... implies it is inclusive of everyone who has a faith, but it's not." Rabbi Roy A. Walter, senior rabbi at Congregation Emanu El, also had no objection, saying, "There is no reason not to do it." But he noted "it's not an attraction for other faiths." Other faith-related events at Minute Maid Park this season include Jewish night on Tuesday, Catholic Family Day on Sept. 15 and game days designated for various Protestant denominations. "We are constantly trying to reach new demographics of people that wouldn't typically be coming to Astros games and make them Astros fans," said Jay Lucas, Astros senior vice president of communications. "This is just a group sale with a concert. There are thousands of churches within miles of the ball park and to ignore that would be foolish." Faith and Family Night will take place in the afternoon, and the concert will end before the gates open for the Astros game against the Milwaukee Brewers. "The normal game experience will be the same as any other game this season," Lucas said. High was a pitcher for Lipscomb University before an injury ended his sports career. He joined the staff of the minor league Nashville Sounds in 2004, where he introduced the Faith Night concept. The games turned out to be the Sounds' most popular, sometimes doubling the usual attendance. "Teams from all over the country started calling," he said. "The company was born as a way to offer Faith Night around the country. It was a natural progression." This year, Third Coast Sports is coordinating events for 44 baseball teams, including eight major league and 36 minor league teams. For the first major league event in June with the St. Louis Cardinals, more than 15,000 fans lingered after the game to hear first baseman Albert Pujols give his testimony and Mercy Me perform. "That was a great start for our major league events," High said. He said that no team he has approached has rejected the event as exclusionary. "We would not have grown to 46 markets in three years by offending or excluding people," he said. "There is a little bit of a learning curve for some sports executives but once they understand our model and just how far we go to make sure we don't offend or exclude, they are always on board." Camp, who has scored 10 No. 1 hits, believes "faith and baseball very much go well together." "Baseball is a great all-American sport that a family can go out to and be exactly that, a family," the singer said. "Faith is all about being part of a family, we are God's family and he wants us to enjoy each other and enjoy things as much as possible while we live here." Chronicle reporter Barbara Karkabi contributed to this report. eileen.mcclelland@chron.com http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/5026067.html
He did not say that. It is more pleasant and inspiring to be around open minded people, maybe that is what he meant.
By this logic, I take it you do not attend Rockets games in February when they celebrate Black History Month or Texans Games on Hispanic Heritage Day. It's just a marketing ploy. The game is played the same way, they just have a few perks to get out a few extra fans. And lets face it, with the sub par product they are putting on the field, they need gimecks to put fans in the seats.
"Black History Month" & "Hispanic Heritage Day" are pretty clear about what they are celebrating. "Faith Day" is not. I'm not not going because it's a Christian celebration. I'm not going because they use the word "faith" as meaning Christians only.
In my country there is problem, and that problem is baseball, they cant get any hit, and their pitching is so bad. Throw the stros down the well, so my country can be free, we must make baseball easy, and then we throw a big party. In my country there is problem, and that problem is the jew, they take everybody's money, and they don't give it back. Throw the jew down the well, so my country can be free, We throw Christian Concert, it will be a jew-free party.
Baseball making a buck off religion. Just when you think the game has sunk to a new low, they trot this crap out. I'm glad I live in Austin, because this isn't the Astros I grew up with. D&D. Impeach Dildo and His Battery.
