Protestants led the modern attitudes toward sport... ~ Praxis Habitus - On Race Religion & Culture

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Protestants led the modern attitudes toward sport...


Playing with God: Religion and Modern Sport

For all sports (and fantasy sports) fans out there. From the publisher:

Playing with God traces this dynamic relationship from the Puritan condemnation of games as sinful in the seventeenth century to the near deification of athletic contests in our own day. Early religious opposition to competitive sport focused on the immoderate enthusiasm of players and spectators, the betting on scores, and the preference for playing field over church on Sunday. Disapproval gradually gave way to acceptance when "wholesome recreation" for young men in crowded cities and soldiers in faraway fields became a national priority. Protestants led in the readjustment of attitudes toward sport; Catholics, Jews, Mormons, and Muslims followed.

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