A Righteous Loss Leads To A Moral Victory: A Ten Commandments’ Tale

“This is bigger than basketball, these guys

know that and staying disciplined in their faith,

that’s the most important thing”

Calvin Morton

the oscar winning film “chariots of fire” celebrated eric lidell’s refusal to run on the lord’s day in the 1924 olympics. mr. lidell competed in the olympics when a colleague gave him his slot.

it is reported that the alabama high school athletic association was not as gracious as mr. lidell’s teammate was when faced with the issue of competing on the sabbath. the oakwood adventist academy high school varsity boys basketball team was denied their request to move their playoff game three hours so that it would not be held on the sabbath.

with out the accomodation, the team will be forfeiting and taking a 1-0, loss. the school and the team, however, are making a bigger points.

it is reported “we’re not asking to change a venue, we’re not asking to change a date,” oakwood adventist academy athletic director calvin morton said. “we’re just simply asking to change a 4:30 time to a 7:30 time to accommodate our religion and our faith. we’re just pleading on our behalf to make a reasonable accommodation for a simple time switch.” breitbart.com

mr. morton went on to note that “this is bigger than basketball, these guys know that and staying disciplined in their faith, that’s the most important thing,” he added. breitbart.com

on a practical basis, the athletic association must have other schools with religious observances that may present scheduling issues. having some forms of reasonable accommodation should not only be possible but practical. failed leadership and organization created this moral loss. as a result, the association sadly offers the world another lesson of religious intolerance.

on the otherhand, the oakdale adventist academy high school acts present lessons of bravery, courage, and in doing the right thing. the school and the team will be forever remembered as winners in life.

in the end, oakdale adventist scored far more points than the 2 that would have been needed to win based upon the forfeited score of 1-0. they scored a big win for both the ten commandments and the master of the universe.

be well!!

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