Seahawks QB Russell Wilson: ‘Jesus Came To Me In A Dream’

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson claims that Jesus came to him in a dream when he was 14 years old, an experience that helped him overcome adversity on the field and off.

Wilson talked about his faith in a video called The Making of a Champion, in which he and several other Seahawks players and coaches discuss the importance of Christianity in their lives.

After defeating the San Francisco 49ers 23-17 in the NFC Championship Game yesterday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Wilson, 25, and the Seahawks are on their way to the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos. The Super Bowl is February 2 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Wilson had less than a stellar performance last night, fumbling on the first play and being held to just zero yards rushing on five carries. He went 16 for 25 in the air, for total of 215 yards.

In the video, Wilson admitted that he was a bad kid growing up who bullied other kids and was otherwise preoccupied with sports. But that changed because of a dream that seemed to foreshadow future events.

I had a dream one night … I was at UVA football camp. It was Saturday. My parents were supposed to pick me up on Sunday to go to church. I had a dream that my dad passed away and that Jesus came into the room and he was just basically knocking on my door saying, ‘Hey you need to find out more about me.’ So that Sunday morning, I ended going to church and that’s where I got saved. It was either June or July, and I was 14 years old. I think it was that moment when I realized that the dreams were really real because my dad ended up passing away six years later.”

Added Wilson about his life-changing dream in which he found God:

I think that got me through a lot of adversity … like I say, was kind of a bad kid … but I realized that God had given me so many talents that I wanted to give him all the glory … God has given me this amazing talent to throw the football even though I’m five foot eleven, and people said I couldn’t do it. Nobody can stop what God has for you.”

Wilson’s presentation seems inspirational regardless of one’s faith. Mike Florio of ProFootball Talk expressed some reservations about the content of the video, however:

“… Non-Christians ultimately may not feel welcome if the team is perceived as promoting Christianity. If, for example, a Christian were working for an organization that overtly promoted a different religion, the Christian would eventually feel uncomfortable, and potentially unwanted. So while we (or at least I) don’t disagree with the video’s overriding message, we’re not sure it’s the right message to be expressed by an NFL team that, under state and federal law, should be accepting of all religions — and of those who choose to believe in no religion.”

Do you think Russell Wilson and his friends are unreasonably pushing a particular religious agenda? Watch the video and decide for yourself.

[top image credit: Larry Maurer]