Bender said:
OrangeBlack said:
In regards to Pride Night, I think it's important to respect the fact that players shouldn't be forced to wear the jersey if they have strong religious beliefs. We shouldn't judge the validity of their beliefs. Religion is a personal thing, & the strength & type of worship/beliefs vary from person to person.
Hockey players as a whole are the most down to earth, real people out of the 4 major sports. That should be embraced, whether you agree or disagree with them.
Religious belief is a smokescreen and you know it. This is about inclusivity and saying "You're accepted here" and nothing to do with anything else. You could go down any logical rabbit hole as soon as you say you need to respect my religious belief. We shouldn't be celebrating women in hockey because women are property, the Bible says so!
As an aside, I find it hilarious that there's some religious objection to being welcoming. I wonder what Christians (or any religious denomination) who are gay (and there are a lot of them) think about this.
There is no reason for the gay community to think they are not welcome at hockey games. In fact, some of the players who didn't wear the jersey said they welcome all fans. On another subject, it's a shame that many people these days trivialize religion.
Rather than the player saying they aren't going to wear the jersey for religious reasons, would it be better for them to make up another excuse & miss the pre-game skate.....such as a lengthy bathroom visit, extra tape or muscle therapy in the training room, etc?