Friday, August 09, 2013

Fasting, Fives, & Football

Here's a snippet of a conversation between three guys after football last week:

 J: "So you're telling me you don't believe in God?"

A: "That's a stupid question, stop being so cheeky! Of course I believe in God!  I just don't feel like fasting, that's all."

S: "So if you are Muslim, is it not important to do what God tells you to do then?"

A: "Yes, but... well, I just believe everything is true.  And that means I don't have to fast.  I am not really Muslim, but I am okay with Islam.  I am okay with Christians. Okay with anybody.  You okay with that?"

J: "If everything is true, then what do you think when you read Christian scriptures that say one thing about Jesus and the Koran which makes different claims about Jesus?"

A: "Come on, we can all just be friends, right?"

S: "We are all friends!  But 'J' and I don't believe the same thing about Jesus that I do.  But we have made a choice about who we believe Jesus is.  But we are friends!  This disagreement doesn't change that."

A: "This is hurting my head.  I just think everything is, you know, fine.  'Take it easy' is my religion.  Anyway, the fasting should be more about what's in your heart than what you do..."



...and the conversation goes on and on, around in circles.  Ramadan is an interesting time for our conversations after football.  A couple of the Muslim guys try to continue to fast while playing football.  This means that they won't even take a drink of water until the sun goes down.  I honestly don't know how they do it, some look like they're about to pass out once we come to the end.  Some others, who would still identify themselves as Muslim, don't take such a strict line on fasting during Ramadan.   They're happy to drink a bit of water after playing.  This creates some interesting conversations between them all, as the ones who are fasting often try to make a real point of showing that they're not breaking the fast (e.g. pouring water over their faces to cool down, while loudly blowing through their mouths so they don't accidentally take in a single drop).

It's one of those times where the rubber hits the road.  The guys make a decision to mark themselves out as devout, or explain why they might identify as 'Muslim', but have a more laid-back approach to some of the rules.

It's also an opportunity for the Christian guys to learn more about what their Muslim friends believe and why.  Of course, there is also a good chance to share about what Christians believe and why we might fast: for lent, or maybe as a spiritual discipline at another time during the year.

Sometimes these conversations start slightly tentatively.  Speaking about one's core beliefs can seem a rather serious diversion after a lot of the silliness that happens during our football games; often the guys who first broach these topics speak as if they're stepping out on a ledge.  The group of footballers is a diverse group: from devout Muslims, to  Afircan Catholics, to Scottish atheists -- some might assume this would spell out conflict.  Yet the relationships that have been built through football means there is a foundation from which we are able to share about the things that are most important to us.  It is in this space that the guys have been most open to hearing about and responding to the gospel.
Relationship forms the context for our respectful discussion about faith, and I'm happy that football has been able to foster to this.  However, it has taken years of consistently 'being there' to get the group to this point.

Something to remember when plugging away at the drop-in at St Rollox seems fraught and fruitless, or trying to be a faithful witness while living in our community is hard going!


Posted by Paul and Emma at 1:29 am |  

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