Serena Williams wins....but as a Jehovah's Witness will not toast.....New York Daily News Story

Balaamsass

U.S. Open sponsor Moet leads Champagne toast to champion Serena Williams, a Jehovah's Witness who does not drink

Reporters on tight deadline wait for inappropriate-feeling homage before Williams can begin press conference.

By Filip Bondy / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Monday, September 10, 2012, 12:00 AM

Serena Williams is thrilled about winning the U.S. Open, but she will not celebrate with a champagne toast due to her religious beliefs.

Howard Simmons/New York Daily News

Serena Williams is thrilled about winning the U.S. Open, but she will not celebrate with a champagne toast due to her religious beliefs.

There was an awkward interval Sunday night in the press interview room, when the U.S. Open sponsors, Moet, delivered a trolley of small champagne bottles to the assembled media who already had waited an hour to ask post-match questions of Serena Williams.

Before Williams could begin answering questions, USTA CEO Gordon Smith led a toast that basically called Williams’ victory the greatest match in Open history.

The event felt inappropriate for several reasons: First of all, a modicum of neutrality is expected in media venues. No cheering in the press box, and all that. The match was not that stupendous - merely good, and close.

Reporters also were on tight deadline, hardly thrilled to wait even longer to hear Smith’s homage.

Most importantly, however, Williams is a Jehovah’s Witness. The religion greatly discourages drunkenness and self-involved celebration.

A couple of false reports were tweeted suggesting that Williams had ordered the champagne for the press - like golfer “Champagne” Tony Lema.

Serena was gracious about Smith’s toast, but she did remind everyone that she could not share in the toast, because of her beliefs

ShirleyW

She can't share in a a toast of champagne but our dear Publisher (since she's not baptized) has no problem posing nude . . well that certainly makes sense in the wacky world of JDub Land ! ! !

Captain Obvious

I love it! Before long she will be seen a just another crazy person by the general public.

We couldn't have asked for a better outlet to show the world how crazy JWs are!

sir82

Typical strain-out-the-gnat hypocrisy.

Flounce around draped in an American flag at the Olympics? No problem.

Hang out 24-7 with "worldly" athletes in the Olympic village? A-OK.

Wear (and even design) "immodest" clothing? Perfectly acceptable.

Share in a toast? Oh no that's pagan, can't do it.

She's not a JW (was never baptized), but she'd make a good one.

LostGeneration

No toasting, but dropping f-bombs on the line judge is OK!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-2-63IhLtk

Finkelstein

but she will not celebrate with a champagne toast due to her religious beliefs.

Quite laughably hypocritical since she's participating in professional sports , drapes herself with the American flag at times when she wins,

poses nude for pictorials, dates non-jws, wears provocative cloths (see-through dresses) when hitting the town.

But she absolutely wont toast to special events and occasions.

She might actually be doing a good thing exposing the nuttiness of the JW religion toward the public.

Way to go Serena

Theocratic Sedition

There's a side of me that wishes somebody with some authority in the organization or in whatever congregation she attends would tell her to stop referring to herself as a JW. Every now and then I cringe thinking about having to explain some of her actions to nonJWs that I work with or otherwise. Some people mention that because of her money she get's a pass on everything, but I'm not entirely convinced of that. She's been non-baptized for quite some time and I betcha the congregation she's associated with wishes she would simply go away. Her father was a nut, and the way she views herself as a JW has me thinking the apple hasn't strayed too far away from the tree. We've all known those nutty JWs or even non-baptized JWs that wouldn't do this or that and would tell others its because they're a JW. At the same time they would be involved with a ton of other things most JWs wouldn't even consider doing. I can think of a handful in our congregaton now, some of which only show up during the memorial, and they're all nuts.

SophieG

Ahhh…Serena, Serena!!! LOL!

Don't forget, she also dates non-jws (Rapper: Common)

I have always thought she was “out of control” as far as being a pseudo JW. She reminds me of the friends that I’ve had who have one foot in and one foot out. She may be walking that fine line just for her mom. If you notice, you hardly ever see Venus. Is she just more conservative/controlled?

Hmmmm!

OUTLAW

Serena Williams is thrilled about winning the U.S. Open,but..

She will not celebrate with a champagne toast..

Due to her Religious Beliefs.

Reality79

*smh*