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.”

The response from more liberal media and the blogosphere is fascinating — ranging from outrage to disgust. While I don’t know that anyone needs Jesus, or any other particular faith including my own in order to get their lives straight, this should not be such a big deal. Sadly though, I think I know why it is and it doesn’t speak well of people who think of themselves as open-minded even as they critique Fox for being less so.
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.

Let’s face it, many people fear faith and even more genuinely resent it being discussed in public. While there is no question about the damage which religious faith can do, there should also be no question as to the good things it accomplishes in terms of both creating personal meaning and also motivating humanitarian action. So it should be a wash. Instead though, because Hume suggested Jesus instead of rehab, both he and those who support him are attacked as Jesus Freaks and fanatics. That’s not right.
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.