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Good morning. Nike has unveiled a new ad campaign that features Colin Kaepernick, a US football player famous for protesting racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem. Some Americans are furious; a few have threatened to destroy their sports products. For myself, I was less surprised by the choice of Kaepernick than by the slogan that went with the ad: 鈥淏elieve in something, even if it means sacrificing everything鈥�.

A friend said this was 鈥淟iterally the worst possible piece of advice to give to disenfranchised young men in 2018.鈥� It鈥檚 meant to read like Oprah Winfrey: 鈥渋f you believe in it, you go for it!鈥� It could sound like a recruiting sergeant for political or religious radicalism. That was obviously absolutely not Nike鈥檚 intention, but, cheekily, I decided to tweet the ad with a very British qualification: 鈥淏elieve in something, even if it means sacrificing everything鈥� Within reason.鈥�

But by saying that, aren鈥檛 I in danger of contradicting my own Catholic faith? Didn鈥檛 the Christian martyrs give up everything 鈥� even their own lives 鈥� out of belief in something? It鈥檚 a human experience that extends well beyond religion. Countless men and women have, say, defended their country, advanced science or completed a great piece of art - and lost money, health, happiness in the process. I鈥檓 sure that Kaepernick has not only sacrificed to advance in athletics but has risked all that hard work by taking his heartfelt political stance.

I guess what I should鈥檝e said was 鈥渟acrifice everything鈥� WITH reason.鈥� It is the view of most religions that faith and reason are not in contradiction but in fact are in synch, that God never asks for something unreasonable 鈥� that is, anything that contradicts logic or morality.

Martyrs are the products of extraordinary persecution: they are witnesses to a faith who, under great pressure, refuse to recant. Theirs is an act of conscience and free will. It is very, very different from acts of religious terror. There is a sort of 鈥渟niff鈥� test that applies well to any ideology: if it compels you by force to do something that your head says is futile or immoral, go with your head. God, say the faithful, gave you a head for a reason. And if anyone demands that you hurt someone else, just call the police.

We are free as individuals to sacrifice ourselves if we believe it is our calling, but never should we think of sacrificing other people. On the contrary, the best philosophies teach us that the greatest joy and fulfilment is found not in honours or prizes 鈥� but in the wellbeing of strangers, friends and family.

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