Religion versus Spirituality

Sausage, please don't leave us

It has taken me 26 years to rant about this and the time has come. I was once blacklisted from a christian high school for choosing another christian high school. Way back in the wild times of the 1980's, you know before we had the Internet and Facebook and other person to person social killing platforms, yours truly was a hot commodity on the football field. For those of you reading this is the U.S. I am referring to real football aka: the football that actually requires skilled use of feet, and does not stop for zebras to huddle for a decision. (by the way I love American football, just too many commercials).

The Sausage was just a wee link but had acquired an amass of football knowledge from his street coursing days growing up in Dundee. As with most Scottish boys of this era, football was life, period.

By the last semester of my sophomore year of high school, I was scoring goals with ease, the other kids were not used to European football and were easy targets.

I had been approached by another school to play for them the following summer, they happened to be the rival of the school I now attended and the remainder of the school year and summer started a turf over over wee Sausage.

My school was Florida Christian Academy, a private high school funded by a local baptist church. My parents enrolled me in this school as they thought it would be an easier break-in for me, having just moved to the U.S. and being a teenager, I could see what they were trying to do since the other local high school had a major crime problem.

Zion High School was a more progressive school, still funded by a church but not overly militant regarding the length of sideburns or the amount of thigh offered by the cheerleading uniforms. I wanted in, it was the school for me. We decided to move my brother and myself to Zion, the problem started when the principal of FCA refused to release my papers to the new school, citing some kind of issue with me. All was well when I was booting in goal after goal for them, the principal also happened to be the head coach of the soccer team, how convenient.

The local newspapers even got involved and the issue was settled during the summer, my first school actually sent a spy to watch our training at Zion and reported us to the Florida High School Sports Association for holding an illegal practice.

The whole point of this story is that the school/church of FCA held itself in such a virginal light that they did not even have the courage or decency to wish me luck, they battled me over football, yes football before the happiness of a family. I just wish that people who cloak themselves in religion understand that when they falter and they will falter, they must not act like every other man or woman. If you are a representative of God then act like God would want you to act at all times, not when it suits you or your church and its tax free budget. I understand that no man is perfect but this mans conduct as a minister, principal and soccer coach under the guise of Christianity was severely flawed.

How dare you hold me back, I was just a boy who was unhappy with your Puritan-esque rules and needed to move away but you pulled me back in spite.

Who says that spirituality has to be attained in a brick building with a cross mounted on front? Have you ever walked on a beach? have you ever seen the birth of a child? have you ever had compassion for someone or something that would not bring you fortune or gain? That is spirituality my friend. Karma............