Brit Hume, commentator on Fox News, told America that Tiger Woods needs Jesus in order to turn his life around, and that has got lots of folks pretty steamed. Hume told viewers of Fox News Sunday that, “The extent to which he (Woods) can recover seems to me depends on his faith,” Hume said. “He is said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So, my message to Tiger is, ‘Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”
I fear that the response to Mr. Hume reminds us that when it comes to faith, there is anger, fear and suspicion on all sides, from the most conservative to the most liberal. Based on the shrill objections to Hume’s comments, one can say that the only thing as profound as the contempt which some Christians have for all other belief systems, is the contempt which many others have for Christians and their willingness to speak their faith.
Let’s leave aside the issue of why Tiger continues to be a topic for serious conversation. Once he is, there is no reason that turning to Christ is any less worthy as a suggestion than telling him to head to Betty Ford or any of the other celebrity-filled clinics specializing in rehabilitating not only people’s ailments but their reputations as well.
I am especially sensitive to Jewish pundits, journalists and bloggers who decry Hume’s advice as one more example of the Christian Right taking over our culture. There are plenty examples of that occurring, or at least attempts in that direction, but this is not one of them. In fact, this is a moment to see if those of us who think of ourselves as genuinely open people to see if we can open ourselves to others being open about their faith.
The old adage about not discussing religion or politics was lousy advice based on our inability to remain civil when we disagreed in the midst of conversations about the most important issues in the world. So instead of developing an ethic of conversation that allowed us to discuss these things, we buried them. Playing ostrich is never a good idea, often not even for the ostrich!
I welcome Mr. Hume’s remarks even if I think his analyses of Buddhism is shallow, and his claim that it is only through Jesus that Tiger will find a better life, bordering on ridiculous. So why welcome his comments? Because I know that he meant well and because faith matters to people and it should not be banished from public conversation. Not if we are as committed to openness in the way so many of us claim to be. Now we will find out if we really are.