Author

Is watching sporting events idolatry?

Discussion

37 comments

  1. Michael Womack says:

    You can make it idolatry by placing it before God, but it is not idolatry just because you watch/enjoy it

  2. Drew Parish says:

    No

  3. Mike Faulkner says:

    I’d like to say no as a baseball fan. But it absolutely is.

  4. Kian Smith says:

    Only if it means more to you than God.

  5. Robert Patterson says:

    Do you worship this team?

  6. Caleb John says:

    Watching is not. But when it becomes a god in your life, for sure. In New Zealand, a lot of people say that rugby is our nation’s religion and I agree.

  7. Kieran McAlister says:

    If it takes the place of God as #1 in your life, yes

  8. Randy Emmons says:

    Absolutely! Both Jesus and Paul spoke at great length about the sin of soccer.
    A case can be made that Americanized football was practiced in the Old Testament but that might just be figurative language.
    ???

  9. Michael Howell says:

    No. Is watching a sunset, sun worship?

  10. Alan Corado says:

    Would watching your kids play sports be idolatry also?

  11. Billy Myers says:

    No, Idolizing sports figures however is.

  12. Leon Reggie Gayle says:

    No

  13. Jennifer Figueroa says:

    No haha!!! Is watching tv idolatry?

  14. Forest George says:

    Depends. Seriously depends. You can worship a sports idol as a god; or you might just respect a sport. It’s a fine line.

  15. Argentino PowtotheChow Escuyos says:

    Would you allow your children to play sports

  16. Mark Fonner says:

    Depends who you root for! LOL!!

  17. Vic Cooper says:

    Nope,
    remember where it says in Scripture about running in such a way, but only one gets the prize?
    Sports, nor watching sports is idolatry.

    https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/9-24.htm

  18. Ty Blake says:

    Of course not but it can become idolatry if it consumes us and comes before Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul used sports as illustrations many times. The Judgment Seat of Christ is likened to the Olympic type games that were popular in that time.

  19. Jared Gabrielse Morris says:

    No

  20. Thomas W. Van Antwerp says:

    No

  21. John Thoele says:

    Watching and having a good time, no. Worshipping a sports team or sport, yes.

  22. Michael B Reimann says:

    Only if you skip church to watch or attend

  23. Ji Sun Enriquez says:

    how does one worship their sports team? it may be that one is ready to fight other people and die for their sports team, that they feel its blasphemy that you speak against their team, that theyre “occultic” in revering and celebrating their team. so common right for football, baseball, soccer, hockey and basketball.

  24. Chris Krumlauf says:

    It can be. If sports takes up most of your time and you know more sports stats than Bible verses, you may want to evaluate your priorities.

  25. Bob Jones says:

    It can be if you make them more important than God. God must always come first

  26. Jabememej Makby says:

    Different from the world.the Bible says about that.

  27. Walter Mortley says:

    No the question is what is idolatry. Idolatry is anything that you put in place of God or worship instead of God . If go watch a game on Sunday instead of being in church when I am supposed to be in church that’s idolatry.

  28. Adam Morsch says:

    Anything can be idolatry if you put it before God but no one says someone can’t have hobbies.

  29. Glenn Buchanan says:

    Do you worship the sport or sports team?.. if not then no.. it’s just entertainment ..if you do worship them then yes.. you might want to check who your God really is

  30. John M Soulliere says:

    It may be for you! How do you react when your team loses?

  31. MLu Undette says:

    Anything that takes our attention and focus away from God is an idol.

  32. Duane Minchin says:

    Sports in the sense of the gladiator were not something first Christians took part in,, which was the sports entertainment (as football is today) in ancient times, and Christian have been killed for not participating in the specticle…

  33. Paul B. Na says:

    can be

  34. Bruce Butler says:

    Not necessarily but you can make it one. Whatever you put above God, or use to ignore God or spiritual growth.

  35. Mike Cresswell says:

    Depends on what it means to you … for done it is worship. For others it isn’t …

  36. Achilles Imson Jesuitas says:

    Only if you find it more important than God.

    Anything that takes the place of God in your life is an idol.

  37. Steve Davies says:

    I used to follow F1 avidly. My parents and my brother are into golf but since I became a Christian, I have discovered I no longer have an appetite or any interest, other than a cursory one, for these sports. I don’t miss them either. The things of the world go strangely dim.