In a magazine article, the WTS has warned the R&F Dubs that going to the football this New Year is "pagan" and is engaging in a "false religious festival".
To support this teaching, the WTS quotes from the Encyclopedia Britannica:
"Football games in the U.S. have all the external trappings of religious festivals . . . one side representing evil and the other good, depending upon the viewpoint of the members of the audience. Leading the congregation are the priestesses (cheerleaders) . . . Operating on the principle of sympathetic magic, the priestesses attempt to transfer the enthusiasm of the crowd to the appropriate combatants."
Then the WTS heirarchy make a small admission:
Of course, the ancient Babylonians did not have a football game on New Years Day. But for their celebration, all the gods of the towns surrounding Babylon were brought into the city and joined in an impressive parade, to help Marduk win his battle with Tiamat. The great battle itself was relived through a public reading of the Enuma elish, the creation epic that told the story.
Still, the connection is made and the R&F are left in no doubt as to a "true" christians position. But to protect themselves from looking too stupid, they state:
Whether it descended from an ancient ritual or not, it has taken on a religious significance for some fans.
So there you have it, if you go to the football, I guess you're on your way to being DA!!
In case you want to read this drivel, it's in the Awake! magazine of December 22, 1980, page 22.
Cheers, Ozzie