Deeply embedded in the Christian psyche is the obligation to avoid the mark of the beast. Most English bibles render the mark as 666. While I personally believe that John was using the Greek number to communicate what that mark looked like, the number itself is given a wide berth by believers.
This story then is of little surprise. I wonder if she would have been given a different number had it been say 13 and she claimed to be superstitious instead of a Christian?
WHITLEY COUNTY, Tenn. (WLEX) — A Kentucky student athlete says it would have gone against her religious beliefs to run with the race number 666.
“I’ve trained since June for this race,” Codie Thacker said.
If she won the regional, it would have been her first time competing for the state championship.
Cross country coach Gina Croley knows her students, so when she pulled the number assigned to Thacker, she knew there might be a problem.
“I saw it and I was like, ‘Whoa,'” she said. “I don’t think she will wear that number.”
“666” is, according the the bible, the mark of the beast. Thacker couldn’t bring herself to run while wearing “666” because of her faith. So, she and her coach tried to get a different number. They asked three different officials. They were told no three different times.
Read more: WLEX