“Jesus loves me, but he can’t stand you.” — The Austin Lounge Lizards

People who wonder why American politics has gotten so mean and nasty should look no further than sports and religion for an explanation.

These two popular and sacred pastimes, by their very nature, are divisive. They divide so much into back and white, good and evil.

I reached this unpleasant conclusion again Friday night while sitting next to a Hastings couple during the girls’ varsity basketball game between their Saxons and Wayland. Their behavior was consistent with what I can see and hear at just about any ballgame.

I am certain they both customarily are nice people, but they are obnoxious and dreadful during an athletic contest in which they have “a dog in the hunt.” They bring over-the-top personal bias and competitive spirit to the gym.

The two constantly were complaining to referees about real and imagined crimes being committed by the Lady Wildcats virtually any time they touched the basketball. They would assert Wayland was traveling, fouling or was guilty of just about anything possible on almost every play. Meanwhile, when players on their team were doing the same things, they would assert it was the fault of the opponents.

This is not unusual. Too many fans who show up to root, root, root for the home team tend to regard the opponent as the evil enemy while their own guys or gals are angels. Objectivity and fairness is thrown out the window, and such behavior has become normal, despite those perfunctory game-opening statements that “good sports are winners.”

Religion too often provides the fuel. The local pastor of an evangelical and fundamentalist church vilifies those different than congregation members who look and think alike. They like to divide the world into good vs. evil, God vs. Satan, believers vs. non-believers.

Such attitudes are alarming. Demonizing athletic opponents based on what geographical area they come from has consequences.

As I posted some time ago, my son Robby’s most frequent opponent on high school and junior high cross-country courses and running tracks was Mark VanderMeer of Wyoming Park, or “Mark from Park.” But rather than dislike one another and promise to humiliate each other, they formed mutual respect. Though they tried to beat the other in the race, they saw each other as vehicles through which they could strive for even greater excellence.

Robby and Mark both wound up as teammates at Grand Valley State University and became roommates, close friends and eventually even stood up for one another at their weddings.

Think what they would have missed if they had taken the common route of hating your adversary, much like what is done between Michigan and Ohio State.

Our behavior in churches and athletic arenas spills over into political debates and elections. Politicians, borrowing from marketers and advertisers, exploit our emotional weaknesses and use them for their own gain at the ballot box. And we take the bait.

We are told often these days that we are a house divided that cannot stand. It shouldn’t be difficult to understand why.