The Ron Brown Religion & Persecution Thread

[Hercules]

I may not fully agree with Ron Brown's position on homosexuality or his choice to apparently speak so frequently on the subject but, I have nothing but respect for him and for his right to express his opinion on the issue. My only hope is that he remains extremely clear about these being his opinions and that he is not representing the University in any way, shape, or form.

I don't think anybody is stupid enough to think that Ron Brown isn't representing the University of Nebraska every time he speaks in public. Case in point: The article is on the front page of ESPN right now, and it's titled, "Huskers Aide: Faith Demands Anti-Gay Stance." The first three words of the article are "Nebraska assistant coach..."

 

That is bad press. It's bad for the football program, for the University, and for the state as a whole. It's embarrassing on a national level.

 

As far as the people arguing that Ron Brown is correct in arguing against the anti-discrimination ordinance because we shouldn't need it - there's nothing wrong with that idea - we do already have the 14th amendment which basically covers it. However, we keep making laws like this to be more specific in order to address the people who DON'T follow the 14th amendment the way they should. Besides, opposition to big government and redundant lawmaking is not why Ron Brown protested this. He protested because he doesn't like homosexuals. He apparently does not believe that they deserve the same protection from the law as heterosexuals.

 

First off and most importantly, that's just wrong, but from a heartless business standpoint - it's embarrassing. Especially coming from a teacher who is obligated to work with students of all kinds. Imagine being a closeted homosexual trying to play for Ron Brown, trying to deal with a personal issue like that while your coach is off protesting a bill that would give you equal protection from the law. That's not what we want the University of Nebraska to be like. Seriously, where are all of the posters who want Bo fired for yelling at the refs too much? This is way worse.

[Blackshirts007]

This reminds me a lot of the Westboro baptist church, man i hate those people

[308_Husker]

How to get people on this board fired up:

 

Say something related to Christian faith.

 

60% of the time, it works every time.

 

This isn't just a Huskerboard issue. ESPN, Washington Post, etc. are all picking up on the story.

[bhamHusker]

From the article:

Pelini said he knows Brown injects religion into his relationships with his players and none has complained.

Complaints or not, this is the thing that I've had the biggest issue with for as long as I've been aware of Brown's hyper religiosity. Really, who's going to complain when they're understandably afraid that doing so would jeopardize their standing on the team. All of this bad press is going to negatively impact the university, and Brown doesn't care at all about that because he's got a man crush for Zombie Josh of Nazareth. If I was an 18 year old being recruited by NU, Brown would definitely be a deal breaker whether he would be my position coach or not.

[ladyhawke]

Coach Brown asked this question and no one ever answered it: "If I had come to this meeting and agreed with this law, would we be having this conversation?

 

Nobody answered it because it's a red herring. It's not that Citizen Ron Brown disagreed with the law. It's that UNL Coach Ron Brown Who Lives At One Memorial Stadium Drive disagreed with the law. And we know UNL Coach Ron Brown Who Lives At One Memorial Stadium Drive was the person who disagreed with the law because Ron Brown told us that.

 

That is why we're having this conversation.

I disagree. If he had come there and supported that law there is no way he would be getting the press he's getting now.

[knapplc]

Coach Brown asked this question and no one ever answered it: "If I had come to this meeting and agreed with this law, would we be having this conversation?

 

Nobody answered it because it's a red herring. It's not that Citizen Ron Brown disagreed with the law. It's that UNL Coach Ron Brown Who Lives At One Memorial Stadium Drive disagreed with the law. And we know UNL Coach Ron Brown Who Lives At One Memorial Stadium Drive was the person who disagreed with the law because Ron Brown told us that.

 

That is why we're having this conversation.

I disagree. If he had come there and supported that law there is no way he would be getting the press he's getting now.

 

That's belied by the fact that many people went to that meeting and spoke against the law. We don't know their names. Why? Because they didn't announce themselves as residing at Memorial Stadium while being employees of UNL.

[ladyhawke]

Coach Brown asked this question and no one ever answered it: "If I had come to this meeting and agreed with this law, would we be having this conversation?

 

Nobody answered it because it's a red herring. It's not that Citizen Ron Brown disagreed with the law. It's that UNL Coach Ron Brown Who Lives At One Memorial Stadium Drive disagreed with the law. And we know UNL Coach Ron Brown Who Lives At One Memorial Stadium Drive was the person who disagreed with the law because Ron Brown told us that.

 

That is why we're having this conversation.

I disagree. If he had come there and supported that law there is no way he would be getting the press he's getting now.

 

That's belied by the fact that many people went to that meeting and spoke against the law. We don't know their names. Why? Because they didn't announce themselves as residing at Memorial Stadium while being employees of UNL.

No, we don't know their names because they are not in the public eye. Whether he would've said where he lived or not, he would still get negative press. I agree that he shouldn't have said that he lived at Memorial Stadium because he doesn't-(although as much time as he spends there he probably feels like he lives there. lol I feel like I live at my job sometimes. )

I think what's interesting to me is that after he prayed at Penn State last year everyone was singing his praises. He was expressing his beliefs then and he was actually representing UNL then-he was at work. So why is this different?

[HuskerShark]

From the article:

Pelini said he knows Brown injects religion into his relationships with his players and none has complained.

Complaints or not, this is the thing that I've had the biggest issue with for as long as I've been aware of Brown's hyper religiosity. Really, who's going to complain when they're understandably afraid that doing so would jeopardize their standing on the team. All of this bad press is going to negatively impact the university, and Brown doesn't care at all about that because he's got a man crush for Zombie Josh of Nazareth. If I was an 18 year old being recruited by NU, Brown would definitely be a deal breaker whether he would be my position coach or not.

 

Waaaa. Bo's quote says all you need to know. Issue closed.

[knapplc]

I think what's interesting to me is that after he prayed at Penn State last year everyone was singing his praises. He was expressing his beliefs then and he was actually representing UNL then-he was at work. So why is this different?

 

Offhand I'd say it's different because he wasn't advocating the hatred of a group of people while at Penn State. I sung his praises for his role in that Penn State game, and I'm the one who started this thread. I have no agenda against Coach Brown or against religion. I have an agenda against discrimination, which I would think Coach Brown, a Christian, would also have. But sadly, that is not the case.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

From the article:

Pelini said he knows Brown injects religion into his relationships with his players and none has complained.

Complaints or not, this is the thing that I've had the biggest issue with for as long as I've been aware of Brown's hyper religiosity. Really, who's going to complain when they're understandably afraid that doing so would jeopardize their standing on the team. All of this bad press is going to negatively impact the university, and Brown doesn't care at all about that because he's got a man crush for Zombie Josh of Nazareth. If I was an 18 year old being recruited by NU, Brown would definitely be a deal breaker whether he would be my position coach or not.

 

Waaaa. Bo's quote says all you need to know. Issue closed.

 

Does it? Perhaps, sometimes things are just what people say they are. Tendencies based upon prior research indicate that there is probably more than meets the eye with this quote.

[knapplc]

Complaints or not, this is the thing that I've had the biggest issue with for as long as I've been aware of Brown's hyper religiosity. Really, who's going to complain when they're understandably afraid that doing so would jeopardize their standing on the team. All of this bad press is going to negatively impact the university, and Brown doesn't care at all about that because he's got a man crush for Zombie Josh of Nazareth. If I was an 18 year old being recruited by NU, Brown would definitely be a deal breaker whether he would be my position coach or not.

 

This is a very interesting post. On one hand you decry Coach Brown's bigotry against gays. Yet in the same breath you express hatred toward Christians.

 

Why would the two be different to you?

[strigori]

His detractors say he crossed it last month when he attended an Omaha City Council hearing and testified against an anti-discrimination ordinance that extended protections to gay and transgender people. In Brown's three-minute appearance, he challenged ordinance sponsor Ben Gray and other members to remember that the Bible does not condone homosexuality.

 

He said gays and lesbians do not deserve the same protections as groups that historically have been discriminated against, such as blacks and women.

 

Brown said his words should not be interpreted as an attack on homosexuals. ''I have simply said that based on the Bible, homosexuality, the lifestyle of homosexuality, is a sin,'' he said. ''That has created a flame within itself. But I've decided I'm not going to be afraid of people calling me a bigot or a homophobic or narrow-minded out of a simple, gentle, compassionate expression of the truth of God's word. I'm not going to be bought off by that.''

 

I agree with Brown about this bill. We don't need a law affording gays and transgenders the same protections as blacks and women. I don't have anything against gays, or even transgenders for that matter (although I don't know any transgenders). I just don't think sexual preference/gender identity falls into the same category as race and actual gender.

 

As for homosexuality being a sin, I don't agree with Brown about this. But I do believe Ron Brown is telling the truth when he said this wasn't an attack against gays. I suspect his belief that homosexuality is a sin is just one of many beliefs he holds. And I doubt if Ron Brown is going back down on this or change his beliefs over what people think or say--or even if it costs him his job. Which is unfortunate since Ron Brown is a great coach and a great man. Count me as one of those who doesn't want to see him move on.

I'm going to have to disagree with you. It does need to be listed as a protected status in Nebraska. Nebraska is a 'right to work' state (should be labeled 'right to fire' but anyway) and a gay employee could be outright fired if a superior had an issue with it. They could then also use the answer 'would not rehire' when that person is applying for a new job.

 

And at this point Brown is becoming a distraction. Him and his viewpoint are taking center stage, this story is on the front page of ESPN. Its an embarrassment, and could cause recruits for sports, as well as students for other fields to write Nebraska off their list of schools. Pearlman had to made a statement to the media after he appeared in front of the Omaha City Council (which was ridiculous anyway as he is not a resident of the City of Omaha)

[knapplc]

This is an off-topic post about At-Will/Right To Work. Don't read it if you're not interested in the subject.

 

Nebraska is a 'right to work' state

 

Nebraska is an At-Will employment state. There are no states that are "Right To Work" states. I'm not sure how this phrase entered the modern lexicon, but it is pervasive, and it says exactly the opposite of what our law does.

 

We work (in Nebraska, and 47 of the other 49 states) at the will of our employer. They can hire/fire, promote/demote us at their will. They set our hours, they set our wages, and they can change any of them at their will. They can fire us at any time, for no reason at all. The position we hold is theirs, not ours, and they can do with it what they want within the confines of a few laws.

 

There are some protections for workers after their termination, but we cannot say to our (now former) employer that we want our job back, and get it back. It's their job, not ours.

 

[Hercules]

I think what's interesting to me is that after he prayed at Penn State last year everyone was singing his praises. He was expressing his beliefs then and he was actually representing UNL then-he was at work. So why is this different?

 

Offhand I'd say it's different because he wasn't advocating the hatred of a group of people while at Penn State. I sung his praises for his role in that Penn State game, and I'm the one who started this thread. I have no agenda against Coach Brown or against religion. I have an agenda against discrimination, which I would think Coach Brown, a Christian, would also have. But sadly, that is not the case.

 

I agree with knapplc here (again). Brown's message at Penn State was one of unity - it was two opponents coming together to share in a moment of reflection before a game where the goal is to beat the crap out of the other team. It wasn't about religion, it was about manhood, it was about doing things the right way.

 

Brown's message to the city council was one of division, not unity. He stated clearly that he believes that a specific group of people deserves unequal protection from the law.

 

Those are two entirely different messages. One is worthy of praise. The other one is the sort of message that causes public entities to "distance" themselves from the situation.

[bhamHusker]

Complaints or not, this is the thing that I've had the biggest issue with for as long as I've been aware of Brown's hyper religiosity. Really, who's going to complain when they're understandably afraid that doing so would jeopardize their standing on the team. All of this bad press is going to negatively impact the university, and Brown doesn't care at all about that because he's got a man crush for Zombie Josh of Nazareth. If I was an 18 year old being recruited by NU, Brown would definitely be a deal breaker whether he would be my position coach or not.

 

This is a very interesting post. On one hand you decry Coach Brown's bigotry against gays. Yet in the same breath you express hatred toward Christians.

 

Why would the two be different to you?

I think you're overstating things when you say that I expressed hatred towards Christians. I don't hate Christians. I admittedly have a certain disdain for religion - all religion not just Christianity - that involves belief in supernatural fables and superstition over the natural world we can see, feel, smell, taste and hear. Regardless of my feelings about religion, I fully support everyone's right to believe as they wish and to practice their religion as they see fit, so long as that practice doesn't infringe on the rights of others. I do, however, have an extreme intolerance for those who use their religious beliefs to justify bigotry and oppression. There you'll find the difference. Brown is actively advocating for the discrimination against and marginalization of a group of people, and he's using his position of authority over the players he coaches to push his mythology. I am not. As for my use of a nickname for a mythological figure, a little healthy sacrilege doesn't rise to the level of hatred.

 

If we're going to worry that Brown might offend a closeted gay player (or player with gay friends or family members) with his anti-gay rhetoric, why wouldn't we be concerned that he'd offend those who don't share his views on religion. Particularly when some of those players might be too intimidated by fear of reprisals to speak up?