Brazzil

He comes from the European elite that own and run Brazil

Nonsense.

and now he earns millions playing for AC Milan

Because he has talent and worked for this to happen. It is his merit. Who do you think you are to question it?

Say it now or say it later, what difference does it make?

Psalms 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

Psalms 72:8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Philippians 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 AND THAT EVERY TONGUE SHOULD CONFESS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER.

Where do I start? Is the author talking about the '94 final or the '02 final? Does he prefer what we saw in the '06 final from Zidane or the attempted beheading of Marta by the U.S. player in this year's women's World Cup? Since when is a religious statement a political statement? Using the author's logic, I suppose the rocking-the-baby demonstration by Romario and others following the first goal against Holland in '94 is best characterized as an organized neo-fascist threat to the enlightened among us who take no issue with sucking the brains out of babies with vacuum cleaners. What a joke.

You answer yourself why Kaka's behaviour isn't a problem:

Kaká's Christian message is naturally non-threatening and fits in with the current political atmosphere

Don't know why you then think it necessary to present as threatening that which you acknowledge is not threatening.

You said: "Since when is a religious statement a political statement?"

I don't know if you ever heard of "The Inquisition."

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I am not religious, and it does not bother me if people want to believe in anything including UFO's.

If you had lived just a few centuries ago you would believe that our planet earth was the center of the universe, and you also would believe that the earth was flat.

If you had the chance to study history and religious history you would know how much the concept of god, the devil, of hell, and so on changed over time.

Not long ago even simple diseases people thought that it was god's punishment for something that they had done.Today there are simple explanations why people got those diseases.

By the way, Europeans are more secular today than ever before, and most of the churches in Europe are becoming more like tourist tractions than anything else.

.

Superstition is a great helper in keeping religious believes alive.

Superstition and the lack of understanding about a lot of things helps to explain the human need for a religious explanation for the unknown.

By the way, Europeans are more secular today than ever before, and most of the churches in Europe are becoming more like tourist attractions than anything else.
.

Professional athletes get paid huge sums of money to play a sport and entertain people who come and watch the games such as in soccer. Players should refrain from promoting and demonstrating their beliefs or opinions of religion and politics ,especially during these public spectacles that are already highly charged with emotional and passionate supporters. Differences in religious and political beliefs when confronted in this kind of environment will only ignite conflict that most likely will result in violence. There are too many radicals and extremists that do not tolerate differences of religion and politics displayed in public .
This is the sad reality and that is why everything must be done to curb violence and foster an environment of neutrality. We must have people educated to accept soccer as only a game, as passionate and close to the heart the game is to nations, so that all fans young and old can attend stadiums feeling safe.

As a descendant of the original protestants I have learned to embrace and appreciate differences or at least, in all but extreme cases, be silently tolerant. Players showing their pleasure and exuberance with a success or their bond with each other via demonstrations of their own belief system while in public view (and especially in front of the mass media coverage) means something to them and them alone. I can't imagine anyone thinking this is some type of plot or coordinated stratagy to convert, postulate some type of supremacy based on their chosen religeon, denegrate worthy opponents / their fans, insite anger / rioting by those with other beliefs (or none at all), etc., etc.. I suppose those who would have us beleive such BS would ask that at least the playing field should be evened up - say by letting teams made up of principally other backgrounds and beliefs celebrate their scores or proficient defenses with their own methods and full intent to influence others. Maybe something like pulling an infidel from the sidelines and stoning, beheading or blowing them up would be counterbalancing enough of a statement.

I shudder to think what may have happened if Kaka had been part of the '94 World Cup team. Because Marcio Santos, one of the starting center backs, was an animist, Kaka would surely have attempted to
burn him at the stake, and there would not have been a reliable substitute due to injuries.

Why stop with Kaka and his effrontery? A strong parallel argument can also be made that the urinal is an outmoded cultural anachronism that should be banned as an unwelcome symbol of male triumphalism.

"The Inquisition." The security blanket for all you people who attack Christianity. You forgot to mention the Crusades. Putting ancient history aside, I cannot think of any Christian dictatorships in place today, let alone the last 2-3 hundreds years. Let's see, where today can we find a lethal mix of religion and politics?... Islam! Yup. That's where we find folks from different Islamic pursuasions blowing each other up; that's where we find Islamic goverments enjoying their own version of "the Iniquisition".

.....By the way, Europeans are more secular today than ever before, and most of the churches in Europe are becoming more like tourist tractions than anything else.... You are right, and for this reason Europe is turning into an Islamic continent. Because of the post-60's move to secularism, people marry less and reproduce less. The birthrate of Europeans is not enough to further the population. However, the religious Muslisms do exceed the birthrate necessary to grow their population. So your pointing out the securlarism as some form of proof that Christianity is bad merely serves to illustrate the point that in absence of a religious belief of any sort, there are negative results in the society.

.....Superstition is a great helper in keeping religious believes alive..... Yeah, yeah. From the "Inquisition" and "Crusdaes" arguement.

.....Superstition and the lack of understanding about a lot of things helps to explain the human need for a religious explanation for the unknown...... Superstition: NOUN: a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like. Has nothing to do with a religious explanation for the unknown. How many voodoo adherents become Catholics?....

And the part about if a Muslim soccer player made a statement about Islam he'd be in trouble. Are you serious? Europe bends over backwards for Muslims. I do remember a certain muslim dictator's brother, who when his country's team lost a tournament, he killed them all. Now that's a religious statement. But that guy's dead now too, killed by Christian Crusaders, as was his Dad.

p.s. Soccer is played, 95%, in Christian countries. Go Kaka.

Putting ancient history aside, I cannot think of any Christian dictatorships in place today, let alone the last 2-3 hundreds years.

You cannot think, because you yourself "put the ancient (and modern) history aside".You and that Yowser will make a terrific team.

p.s. Soccer is played, 95%, in Christian countries.

What an ignorant f**k you are.

You both better stop wasting your time trying to put some sense into religious zealots who mix Sports with religion.

Was it Lenin who describes religion as the opiate of the masses? At this moment these athletic antics in the goal zone, also practiced by US NFL players, are well within the players choice. If you disagree, go to the game with a poster. Comparing his expression with the neo-Nazi symbolism is a little hypocritical. Freedom is about choices. I respect others choices and expect the same.
Kaká's choice is Jesus Christ. If his off-field behavior also exhibits that choice then at least, he is not a hypocrite. So many devils sit in the front of the church maybe they should wear their true colors. US presidential candidate Ron Paul says, "When fascism come to the US it will be wearing the US flag and carrying a cross". Even in a political sewer such as the US there is some truth to be found!

Express yourself, and respect the expression of others. It is the principle that has saved humanity. Native indigenous peoples seem to be the only ones who still truly understand and practice these principles. Is it no wonder they are under attack throughout the world!(And for the most part, they have never heard of Jesus)

At least he is not wearing a "I Belong to Daniela Ciccarelli" t-shirt.

I respect others choices and expect the same.
Kaká's choice is Jesus Christ. If his off-field behavior also exhibits that choice then at least, he is not a hypocrite.

I am not sure if I agree with ya, Scottie. Kaka will wear a T-shirt promoting any religion if the price is right.It is just like promoting any PRODUCT. Ronaldo was promoting "TIM" and now "Claro" is being promoted by our famous Tennis player Guga (He is from our state). Guga is a nice kid and very wise. He has his principles . Ronaldo has already gone overboard with all the fame and hope Kaka does not follow suit.

Joao,

"You cannot think, because you yourself put the ancient (and modern) history aside". I put ancient history aside to make the point that it was an irrelevant arguement in this instance, and my arguement was that of modern history, which I did not put aside. How you craft that into my not being able to think is interesting. You ever get embarassed at looking the fool?

"What an ignorant f**k you are." Do the math, bitch: The Americas (Christian); Europe/Eastern Europe/Russia (for the moment predominantly Christian); Africa (the countries which play are predominantly Christian, the non-Christians are too busy slughtering one another to play the game); the Arab countries (not Christian, but do you really call what they do playing soccer?); Asia/EurAsia (see Arabs); Oceania (Christian). You get the point.

I'm an ignorant f**k. Congratulations, not many retards can put their phrases together so well.

dear people: I write the kaka article and I seem to have hit a nerve. I am not against religion. I find the cosy smugness of Kaka's antics very annoying and there is no way that a club like milan would tolerate a player displaying a leftist message. Kaka does what he does because he is allowed to...why...because its regarded as safe and it suits the post 9-11 world. Kaka is simply very very smug.

paolo bassi

Do the math, bitch:

Teu Viado, do you really know what Maths is all about?

I'm an ignorant f**k. Congratulations

Thanks for the compliments. May I congratulate you for acknowledging your short comings?

not many retards can put their phrases together so well.

I am the President of the Association of RETARDS (PAT) of my suburb.I must perform well so as to retain my job.

You for real,mccjohn?

I write the kaka article and I seem to have hit a nerve. I am not against religion. I find the cosy smugness of Kaka's antics very annoying and there is no way that a club like milan would tolerate a player displaying a leftist message. Kaka does what he does because he is allowed to...why...because its regarded as safe and it suits the post 9-11 world. Kaka is simply very very smug.

No need to apologize, Paolo. On the contrary , you are to be congratulated for writing this article and coming into this forum to participate. I am sure you would enjoy debating with all the distinguished commentators.

Mccjohn wrote: “"The Inquisition." The security blanket for all you people who attack Christianity. You forgot to mention the Crusades. I cannot think of any Christian dictatorships in place today,”

What do you think the Pope is?

The Catholic Church is the oldest dictatorship that we have around the world.

I did not forget to mention the Crusades, I just thought one example it was enough.

My family is Catholic I am the only one in my family who is not religious and I don’t care which religion you believe in as long as you don’t try to convert me.

You also said: “So your pointing out the securlarism as some form of proof that Christianity is bad merely serves to illustrate the point that in absence of a religious belief of any sort, there are negative results in the society.”

As I said before I believe on religious freedom, and people should be allowed to follow wherever religion they choose. I don’t care if people are Christians, Moslems, Jews, Buddhists, or any other type of religion, it does not bother me, as long they don’t try to impose their religious beliefs system on me.

The concept of the devil and of hell these are not superstition – they are based on reason and knowledge – RIGHT…………

You asked me: “How many voodoo adherents become Catholics?....”
I have no idea how many millions of them there are when you count the Haitians and Africans from various countries – there are even a few thousands of them in Brazil.


..

- I am not sure if I agree with ya, Scottie. Kaka will wear a T-shirt promoting any religion if the price is right. -

I said;
If his off-field behavior also exhibits that choice then at least, he is not a hypocrite. Which does not pertain to a product, fad, or cult. If he is a hypocrite then that is simply what should be said in the article. It will get around, just like many evangelicals in the US, that he supports Jesus for money. These same evangelicals are coming to Brazil every day. They see the mess the Catholics have made. That is why many Brazilians feel the Catholic Church is part of the oppression. I was so happy to see them express this during the Popes visit. At least the evangelicals are not hypocrites; they preach God & Money.

Scott Fouru wrote: “Was it Lenin who describes religion as the opiate of the masses?”

No.

It was Karl Marx (1818 – 1883), the philosopher, social scientist, historian and revolutionary. For Marx, religion was only a tool for oppression.

.

I am not going to beat religion to death, and as a matter of fact religion can be a very profitable business.

I remember reading Alvin Toffler’s book “The Powershift” about 15 years ago – I don’t remember exactly when that book was published – anyway in that book he had an entire chapter about the business of starting a new church. There are companies here in the United States that are in the business of helping people start new churches and they give you all the information that you need to start a new church from the number of letters that you have to send out, to the number of people who show up for the first service and the people who become regular members of your new church – there are companies that figured all that out and they have all the knowledge that they acquired in a nutshell.

About 11 or 12 years ago a Brazilian friend of mine who used to live here in New Jersey – I met on his house another Brazilian who used to live in Manhattan. This fellow who used to live in New York City was not doing too well working as a limousine driver and he was having trouble paying his mortgage on a small co-op that he was living in Manhattan.

He finally was able to pass his co-op to someone else and he moved to Texas with his wife to start his life from scratch, and he did not have a dime to his name at that time.

He went into the church business in Texas, and he did very well – he started a new church and the church was growing rapidly – and in less than five years he was driving a new car and had bought a new house, and he was prospering financially beyond his expectations.

It does not matter which religion in the church business you can build a very profitable niche if you play your cards right.

.

What would happen if Jesus came and joined AC Milan?

Well, you would have to move Kaka then eh? And what would you pay Jesus? Would he work similar miracles to Kaka? I dont think so.

I think that AC Milan would have a lot of trouble trying to work both Alexandre Pato and Jesus into the lineup during the same season - probably would hurt team chemistry and the morale of the veteran players a lot.

not the love of money
in the US i feel they should tax the church property tis not used for teaching the word of god .
all the land used fro rent ,bingo ,day camps for youth ,
all should have to pay tax.

Well spoken, keep Jesus in the Church, the best thing Brazilians could do is ban Evangelical Christianity from your country. Just take a look at the USA and see what happened when the Evangelicals voted in our moron.
You know there is a name for the time when religion ruled the world, it's called "The Dark Ages."

"The Pope as dictator".

Brilliant of you to repeat one of the dumbest arguements ever. Let's not forget that tyrant the Dalai Lama. And Mother Theresa spent a lifetime doing the Pope oppressing. Ghandi was a beast, oppressing the poor British in India.

Brilliant!

It seems most of you have gotten away from the topic. We should respect every opinion, but with reason and common sense dispel those which are somewhat senseless, and when it comes to religion, beliefs and faith, sense seems to be completely blown off the face of the earth. Respect should always come first.
My opinion: I somewhat agree with the author Paolo Bassi. Kaka is allowed to do what he does because his Protestantism is not threatening to anybody else except extremists; on the other hand, if he were to put on a shirt glorifying Islam, he would probably be jobless in the blink of an eye. Now, if Islam is not allowed, why allow Christianity or any other kind of religion to intermingle with other activities? Kaka is imposing his faith on his audience... he is talented and that should be the reason why we appreciate him, not his faith.
Religion has been mixed with everything on this planet, let's hope it won't be mixed with sports more than it already has. One Munich was enough.

I was thrilled to see tonight on the Telly , Kaka presenting a "I belong to Jesus" T-Shirt to our beloved president. From today, our Prez also belongs to Jesus

My opinion: I somewhat agree with the author Paolo Bassi. Kaka is allowed to do what he does because his Protestantism is not threatening to anybody else except extremists; on the other hand, if he were to put on a shirt glorifying Islam, he would probably be jobless in the blink of an eye. Now, if Islam is not allowed, why allow Christianity or any other kind of religion to intermingle with other activities? Kaka is imposing his faith on his audience... he is talented and that should be the reason why we appreciate him, not his faith.

I share your opinion and thanks for speaking out.

http://www.estadao.com.br/econ...1965,0.htm

Brilliant of you to repeat one of the dumbest arguements ever.

Prove why it is one of the dumbest arguments.

Let's not forget that tyrant the Dalai Lama. And Mother Theresa spent a lifetime doing the Pope oppressing. Ghandi was a beast, oppressing the poor British in India.

You are getting better. It is amazing that you brought in the names of Dalai Lama and Gandi, in spite of their not being Evangelical X-tians. I bet Ricardo Amaral has vaguely heard of them!

John, I know that you don't like bright Brazilians like Ricardo, "A Brazilian", myself,etc;, because we are SECULAR in our belief. It does not bother us, because you don't matter

- Kaka is imposing his faith on his audience -

I'm sorry to vehemently disagree. If someone is so unsteady in their faith that a soccer player can influence their beliefs and religious practices, then such a shallow person really must have been an atheist to begin with. In that case, if Kaka brought one person to Jesus it is a good thing. Will he convert any Islamic, Hindu, or other religious people to Christianity; very doubtful.

I really think this is such a non-issue of the religious influence of a soccer player, but I've heard that 'fan' is short for 'fanatic' so I'm just a few cents short on this commentaries appropriateness. It only leads to enforce religious stereotypes and Christians are no less guilty than any other religions in prejudice; look at Northern Ireland and its recent decades of religious intolerance and violence.

Maybe a Crucifix on the players jersey instead of Nike, Adidas, or Reebok would be more acceptable than a Swastika, but if the Vatican fielded a home team would Catholics be persecuted for a losing season?

Ricardo Amaral - Thanks for the correction. I owe you one!

I'm sorry to vehemently disagree.

Scottie, it is your constitutional right to vehemently disagree and I would never ever hold it against you.

I really think this is such a non-issue of the religious influence of a soccer player, but I've heard that 'fan' is short for 'fanatic'

You are right. "Fan"="Fanatic". Needless to compliment you too much for your sharp and analytical mind, lest your ego might get too much inflated (nothing wrong though in it). However, I must humbly request you to reconsider you position. You said:

If someone is so unsteady in their faith that a soccer player can influence their beliefs and religious practices, then such a shallow person really must have been an atheist to begin with.

Keeping in mind that the Soccer is a poor man´s game and the fans pay a lot of money to get into a stadium ,it becomes a big business for the organizers as well as the SPONSORS of the games. The shallow and uneducated persons you mentioned can be easily turned into Sports or Religious Fanatics. In this instance, the Sponsors are the religious zealots,may them be Evangelists,Buddhists, Hindus, Jewish,etc; So the religion becomes a product.

Maybe a Crucifix on the players jersey instead of Nike, Adidas, or Reebok would be more acceptable than a Swastika, but if the Vatican fielded a home team would Catholics be persecuted for a losing season?

Another brilliant observation on your part and I am not even going argue about it.

Ricardo Amaral - Thanks for the correction. I owe you one!

Yes you do one for him. The least you can do is to read his 4 part article he published in this site at least 8 times and come out with your comments.

- The shallow and uneducated persons you mentioned can be easily turned into Sports or Religious Fanatics. -

Then we have destroyed any resemblance of civilization when sports fanatics and religious fanatics are equated. I'm just lost for comment on the validity of this comparison. Let me reconsider though, because I do know that soccer games are notorious for riots and fan murders, so this is a case I must go back to Dr. Freud....probably better to get some insight from Shakespeare. Next you will be telling me that Christian countries will be going to war over a soccer match...wait a minute! That's a good idea for my next book....I'm on it! Thanks - and I look forward to seeing your insightful comments in Ricardo's texts.

Free speech! Need I say more?

.
Mccjohn wrote: "The Pope as dictator".

Brilliant of you to repeat one of the dumbest arguements ever. Let's not forget that tyrant the Dalai Lama. And Mother Theresa spent a lifetime doing the Pope oppressing. Ghandi was a beast, oppressing the poor British in India.

Brilliant!


*********


December 29, 2007

The Papacy is considered to be the oldest continued form of dictatorship. And the Pope commands one of the most powerful and wealth institutions in the world.

As far as I know the Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa, and Mohandas Gandhi all lived a very simple life and they did not have billions of US dollars at their disposal – and these were very pacifist people.

In the other hand, maybe you don’t understand the connection of the Pope with the Crusades, and also with the Inquisition. By the way, The Inquisition it was nothing when compared with the scope of devastation, destruction, and human suffering caused by the crusades.


***


During my college years I did read a number of books by Bertrand Russell among them A History of Western Philosophy (1945), Why I Am Not a Christian, and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects.

I just came across one of his books and after reading one, I read another one and in the end I read at least 10 or 12 of Russell’s books, and it was not homework related reading, I just enjoyed reading his books. Some of you probably never heard of Bertrand Russell.

Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970), was a British philosopher, historian, logician, mathematician, advocate for social reform, pacifist, and prominent rationalist.

A prolific writer, he was also a populariser of philosophy and a commentator on a large variety of topics. Continuing a family tradition in political affairs, he was a prominent anti-war activist, championing free trade between nations and anti-imperialism.
Religion and theology

For most of his adult life Russell maintained that religion is little more than superstition and, despite any positive effects that religion might have, it is largely harmful to people. He believed religion and the religious outlook (he considered communism and other systematic ideologies to be forms of religion) serve to impede knowledge, foster fear and dependency, and are responsible for much of the war, oppression, and misery that have beset the world.
In his 1949 speech, "Am I an Atheist or an Agnostic?", Russell expressed his difficulty over whether to call himself an atheist or an agnostic:

As a young man, Russell had a decidedly religious bent, himself, as is evident in his early Platonism. He longed for eternal truths, as he makes clear in his famous essay, "A Free Man's Worship", widely regarded as a masterpiece of prose, but a work that Russell came to dislike. While he rejected the supernatural, he freely admitted that he yearned for a deeper meaning to life.

Russell's views on religion can be found in his popular book, Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects (ISBN 0-671-20323-1). Its title essay was a talk given on March 6, 1927 at Battersea Town Hall, under the auspices of the South London Branch of the National Secular Society, UK, and published later that year as a pamphlet. The book also contains other essays in which Russell considers a number of logical arguments for the existence of God, including the first cause argument, the natural-law argument, the argument from design, and moral arguments. He also discusses specifics about Christian theology.

His conclusion: “Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear. It is partly the terror of the unknown and partly, as I have said, the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes. […] A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage; it does not need a regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men. – Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects”

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I urge you Kaka to keep up in that good spirit through out your life and see how things shall be.

Some of you probably never heard of Bertrand Russell.

Yes, I have read some of his essays. Though he was considered to be an atheist, his main message was "Never mix religion with governance". It is interesting to note that MANY Brazilian friends of mine have read his books (In English).

The Papacy is considered to be the oldest continued form of dictatorship. And the Pope commands one of the most powerful and wealth institutions in the world.

As far as I know the Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa, and Mohandas Gandhi all lived a very simple life and they did not have billions of US dollars at their disposal – and these were very pacifist people.

In the other hand, maybe you don’t understand the connection of the Pope with the Crusades, and also with the Inquisition. By the way, The Inquisition it was nothing when compared with the scope of devastation, destruction, and human suffering caused by the crusades.

Very correct.May be Rev.Bauman would not agree with your views,but doe he matter?

Need I say more?

Yes, Reverend. Have you ever played soccer in your life?

This article fails in its use of logic. The comparison with a Muslim player who displays a message promoting Sharia law is untenable. This comparison would logically compare to what Kaka is doing if Kaka were in effect promoting a government which forced Christian principles into the enforcement of its laws. To displays one's pride in one's religion is an attempt to promote one's faith by PROPOSING it; if, indeed, this represents an intention of Kaka, besides merely taking such pride in his faith so as to want to let others know that he is Christian and is not afraid of letting others know. This still leaves it up to the hearer of his message to make the decision for him- or herself whether to accept and follow it.

Promoting Sharia law, if the message is accepted and followed, however, would disregard the choice of individuals whether to accept Muslim principles. Government officials would have the initial choice to enact Sharia law, but, once it were enacted, people would not have a choice by law to accept the Muslim principles enforced through it. I do not mean that a Muslim player should not have the right to promote such a belief. But Kaka is doing something different. What Kaka is doing still leaves it up to the choice of the receiver of his message whether to accept and even follow it.

The comparison of what Kaka is doing to a Muslim player's promotion of Sharia law serves as a crux in the logic of the article's author in suggesting that Kaka and other players who promote their Christianity should be ashamed of imposing triumphalistic, Western values on others. It is people such as the author who should be ashamed of using dishonest reasoning in an attempt to make such players afraid of displaying pride in one's faith. It's called freedom of religion. That's a Western principle that has been around since the US signed its Constitution in 1776, and it's a principle which all countries, Western and Eastern, would do well to hold in esteem.

Kaka should have the right to promote his faith, just as any Muslim should. It is likely that some people would not like a Muslim to promote his faith, just as this author dislikes Kaka promoting his. Anyone who whines about the Muslim promoting his faith is no different from this author.

The Author Uses Bad Logic

You are full of horse s**t

Keep your "mouth off" KaKa. He does not promote anything. He is a handsome, rich and famous. People is curious about his life and he is honesty about it. He has done a great favor to the world specially in my country talking about charity, faith, hope and chastity. Soccer could be really violent if it was not for players like him. VIVA KAKA!!

KAKÁ OU COCÔ
MESMA COISA NUM CURTO ELE

First of all I am still shock by the death of the ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan Benanzir Bhutto. However, I am truly glad that the world of football knows no boundary but peace. It is a tool to promote peace and harmony throughout the world. India and Pakistan first of all are trying hard to instill the goodwill of sportsmanship through cricket despite the nuclear war crises. Football has been used in recent years to promote peace just like cricket. As a matter of fact, just like in Iraq, before the war begins, the Iraqis played football in order to share solidarity. Kaka, keep up the good work. I have met some of your ex- coaches by accident and no wonder Brazil has lots of great diplomats and footballers. They simply treat people as equal without prejudice.

Kaka my wish is to see more Brazilian to become diplomats. I hope you will tell all of your team mates year 2002 about it.

Soccer could be really violent if it was not for players like him. VIVA KAKA!!

The mere reason why the British decided to form football clubs at the first place is because of the great revenues and great returns. However, the latest news about the English Football Club is truly amazing. We have the guy from "Russia with love" and the great "Tomyam Soup Tycoon" as additional recipe for success.........

First of all I am still shock by the death of the ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan Benanzir Bhutto.

I was shocked, but not surprised. Though I am very very sorry for all the human losses in your continent in the name of religion, stimulated by the landed gentry to remain in power eternally,by keeping the mass ignorant and thus poor.

Just to reinforce my theory, look at who took over Bhuto´s party. Her 19 year old son and the puppeteer is his father (a.k.a Mr.10%). Do you think that this team is going to last long? Remember about Nehro dynasty in your continent? or Peronistas in Argentina?

You being in the Diplomatic Service, should be more rational and less emotional.

Happy New year for you and your family, full of joy,health and wealth. You take care.

keep your Jesus to yourself.....

news about the English Football Club is truly amazing. We have the guy from "Russia with love" and the great "Tomyam Soup Tycoon" as additional recipe for success.......

Find one team in England that has 100% British players. I am a Chelsea supporter and have to say that most of the names we can't even pronounce it. Football in Europe has become a business, it has always been, but I remember the days when foreigners on a team were unusual.

Prefiro UMBANDA.
Evangelismo é importação alemã.

Prefiro UMBANDA.
Evangelismo é importação alemã.

I find many of the above comments naive. Perhaps Evangelicals are well served if all their opponents think they are stupid.

Consider the possibility that they are not all stupid. Maybe they have already factored in the assumption that a small percentage of those who see their t-shirts or whatever will react positively to the message, the majority will be ambivalent (nem aí), and a few will foam at the mouth and [achar ruim]. And write stuff.

Maybe they have that all figured out from the beginning, faz parte, and you are just confirming what they already know will happen.

Umbanda is just as imported as anything else and it is too primitive for normal humans.

Kaká resembles Tom Cruise, in both looks and religious extremism.

Good for him, I applaude what he is doing and say, "keep it up". If a muslim were to lay his mat out on the field to pray to Allah, there wouldn't be a write up about it, except maybe to defend his "religious freedoms". If someone wants to flip someone off, there isn't a write up about it. Let him alone to express himself. If he wants to give credit to God and stand for Jesus, he has that right.....

p.o.box as 103
Ghana
Accra
w/a
00233
pls send me the magazines
Thanks.

Kaka is allowed to do what he does because his Protestantism is not threatening to anybody else except extremists; on the other hand, if he were to put on a shirt glorifying Islam, he would probably be jobless in the blink of an eye. Now, if Islam is not allowed, why allow Christianity or any other kind of religion to intermingle with other activities?

And if he were to put on a shirt glorifying Hinduism or Buddhism, would that be 'allowed'? Maybe, just maybe, this allowing or not allowing is down to what values the given religion/ideology is deemed to promote? Which would explain Di Canio getting in trouble for his Fascist salutes... exactly what dangerous/bad ideas would having an "I belong to Jesus" t-shirt be promoting?

Sponsors have their logos on the shirts of players, and they have the right to do so. Symbols are concentrated language and some companies use words even. People attending a match can decide for themselves if they wanted to attend the match in the first place. Companies have principles and their logos represent who they are, what they do and what they are trying to achieve. Most people see that and many respond. Coke wouldn't have advertised if this was not the case. The companies are advertising their own "beliefs" so to speak, even if its a belief in thier own product and what it can do for their clients. People like Roger Federer and Tiger Woods can be associated with Nike - they are individually sponsored and paid to associate themselves with those companies. I can personally associate a specific adidas model soccer boot with Beckham alone.
So in essence, to ban any person for their right of "freedom of speech" to what they "support", would mean companies shouldn't be allowed to be represented by anyone on the field either, even if its for the sake of making money.

Banning Kaka's freedom of speech, would mean any human beings rights would be

form the begining up to now there are many gods and many Lovers
I want my God Bless him.....