NFL athlete keeps the faith in battle between good and evil

'Athletes are in a position where others think they shouldn't weigh in on certain social topics.'

Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson refuses to remain silent while a war on race and religion takes place in the US.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Speaking to radio personality Glenn Beck, Watson revealed he is not only a proud member of the NFL team the Ravens, but he is the author of the new book "Under Our Skin: Getting Real about Race. Getting Free from Fears and Frustrations that Divide us."

"Under Our Skin" is about the racial divide that began with Ferguson, the Confederate flag, national law and the question, "Can it ever get better?"

Glenn Beck radio recorded Watson stating: "You see us go into our separate corners and point fingers and call each other awful names and not really be concerned about opening our hearts, opening our minds to hearing what someone else has to say, even it it's not really your experience, or even if you don't even think that it's real.

"We're not having that honest dialogue, and I'm hoping that we can have that so that we can bridge the gap and find solutions."

Glenn replied,  "It's connecting with your humanity and seeing the human in all of us."

The majority of the interview involved Watson explaining the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement and opening a dialogue to find a peaceful solution.

Watson stated: "And it does no one any good to simply say, you know, racism is gone. It was a long time ago. That's not true, obviously."

After a bit of back-and-forth on BLM and communication, Co-Host Pat Gray says: "Benjamin, I've seen some really strong stands...Do you get a lot of pushback from fellow athletes?"

Watson said professional athletes don't give him any trouble for expressing his views.

"Amazingly, I think that a lot of times athletes are - are kind of in a position where other think they shouldn't weigh in on certain social topics," he admitted.

"Overwhelmingly, I would say I've had really good support from many of my teammates and guys that I've played with. We want to be able to express our views. You know, we're part of this country too.

"We pay taxes and we vote and all f those things. And so it's important for us to be able to talk about these things. I have received a little bit of pushback from other people. But, you know, the great thing is that people are entitled to their opinions."

Watson revealed his father is a pastor in Rock Hill, South Carolina, prompting Beck to ask:"How hard is it to keep your faith in the world that you live in?"

The first thing Watson stated was, 'I would say that we all - in whatever world we're in, whatever your occupation is, we all have a path to walk. We all have struggles."

He explained the NFL presents "unique challenges" but shared: "When you pass from death into life, you become a new person, and so everything you do flows from that.

"When you go to work, you are a Christian at your workplace. You're not a broadcaster who happens to be Christian. You're a Christian. You've dealt with broadcasting and rights and those sorts of things.

"Same for me as an athlete. And so everything I do - you know, that's just who I am. And so whatever the trials are and the temptations in any job, it's not anything that is not uncommon. We all face certain things."

Beck accepted Watson's answer and posed one more question.

"You know, I feel like we're living in the world where we're choosing between Jesus and Barabbas...But the crowd is cheering for the anarchist and the guy who was going to light the world on fire. And the guy who's saying, 'Loved one another,' is not being listened to. In fact, he's going to be crucified.

"How do we get past this rage and the mob mentality of screaming for Barabbas because it makes us feel good?"

Watson explained it's simple. Throughout history the world has traversed the wider, easier, road while believers have balanced themselves along the narrow road.

He explained: "when we live in the world, we can't be surprised when the world acts like the world. And we also can't be surprised when those who are believers act like believers, but we also understand that we are a world who is going contrary or going against what the Word of God says.

"And that's normal. And that's what we should expect.

"However, we know how the outcome happens. We know who triumphs in the end. And we're called to live and to love other people. Even if they don't agree with us, we're called to love other people, we're called to respect other people, we're called to be a light to the world."

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