My second published article
Sep. 20th, 2004 09:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greybetaIn last week's issue of my college newspaper, the opinion section had three liberal articles and one moderate one. The liberal articles were rife with commentary on faith and religion. In fact, the most liberal one used the phrase "emotionally masturbate" to describe the religious practices of America's right. I can understand not agreeing the rhetoric and actions of the American right, and I understand the opinion editor is writing to get a response. Well, he got one.
Today, I will preview how I want my article to be read, and I'll follow up with a link to the pdf version of my college newspaper later.
Focused on Faith
by Daniel Tu
Even if economic and foreign policy concerns dominate the news headlines, faith and religion play as large if not larger role in the selection of the next American president. The American left accuses the American right of using religious rhetoric to galvanize our nation. In response, the American right charges the American left with creating a godless nation. There’s truth in both of their claims.
Three years ago, after another day of infamy, both liberals and conservatives stood together on the steps of Capitol Hill to sing “God Bless America”. Was it “Man Blesses America”? No, it was “God Bless America”. Because deep down inside, no matter how atheistic someone claims to be, the magnificence of our world leads one to believe that there must be something greater than specks of dust interacting on a blue-white marble. That force transcends all wars, all ideologies. And we pray to God that we’re on the right side.
As time passes, it is only natural for people to forget about all that junk. It’s foolish to believe that some big guy out there is watching you. I mean, it’s like Santa Claus and his naughty list. Eventually, you realize that he can’t be watching you all the time. Think about it. If somebody hovered over your life all the time, wouldn’t he or she be a really perverted person?
This makes me wonder about all those people who claim to be “Christians”. After all, the world considers America to be a Christian nation. Yet, you’ll hear in the pulpit of your average Baptist church that today’s society has become so immoral that our nation dooms itself to the fiery pits of Satan. Save yourself now by committing to Jesus Christ. Then, the choir starts singing to calm everyone’s nerves and to capitalize on the emotional impact of the pastor’s words. And so, I suspect a good majority of Americans who call themselves Christians actually mean they just attend church.
I’ve heard once that Jesus Christ answered a pharisee’s question as to what the greatest commandment was. In Matthew 22:37-38, the Christ said, “Thou shalt love thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” He continued on in the next two verses, “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Hmmm, sounds mostly like Confucianism to me.
I’ll take up the other argument to be fair. A fine friend of mine explained to me once that he chose to become a disciple of Christ, someone who has made Christ the Lord of his or her life. In the old days, servants owed their loyalty and lives to their lord. Someone who has made that decision has decided to deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Christ. That includes giving up your time and money.
I’m not too sure about that money thing. When I first stepped onto this campus, my purpose was to train to be the best electrical engineer that I could be. I certainly wouldn’t be doing so if I didn’t have monetary concerns. However, after a discussion with my first honors professor, I mysteriously became a dual major in both engineering and history. I can now say with confidence that I would have dropped the engineering side totally if the job market for history majors wasn’t so unstable.
So Jesus Christ said in Mark 10:25, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” He said this after a wealthy man went away grieved upon hearing the answer to his question, which had been on the subject of how to obtain eternal life. The rich man could quote every commandment on the books and happily said he had observed them all. But, the insightful son of God said in Mark 10:21, “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross and follow me.”
I believe a pair of glasses most aptly describes the role of faith in this election. One candidate wears glasses that are too thin, blurring his hazy vision. The other candidate wears glasses that are too thick, hiding the forest from the trees. In this matter, one could say that America will choose between a candidate unsure of his beliefs and a candidate too sure of his beliefs.
Today, I will preview how I want my article to be read, and I'll follow up with a link to the pdf version of my college newspaper later.
Focused on Faith
by Daniel Tu
Even if economic and foreign policy concerns dominate the news headlines, faith and religion play as large if not larger role in the selection of the next American president. The American left accuses the American right of using religious rhetoric to galvanize our nation. In response, the American right charges the American left with creating a godless nation. There’s truth in both of their claims.
Three years ago, after another day of infamy, both liberals and conservatives stood together on the steps of Capitol Hill to sing “God Bless America”. Was it “Man Blesses America”? No, it was “God Bless America”. Because deep down inside, no matter how atheistic someone claims to be, the magnificence of our world leads one to believe that there must be something greater than specks of dust interacting on a blue-white marble. That force transcends all wars, all ideologies. And we pray to God that we’re on the right side.
As time passes, it is only natural for people to forget about all that junk. It’s foolish to believe that some big guy out there is watching you. I mean, it’s like Santa Claus and his naughty list. Eventually, you realize that he can’t be watching you all the time. Think about it. If somebody hovered over your life all the time, wouldn’t he or she be a really perverted person?
This makes me wonder about all those people who claim to be “Christians”. After all, the world considers America to be a Christian nation. Yet, you’ll hear in the pulpit of your average Baptist church that today’s society has become so immoral that our nation dooms itself to the fiery pits of Satan. Save yourself now by committing to Jesus Christ. Then, the choir starts singing to calm everyone’s nerves and to capitalize on the emotional impact of the pastor’s words. And so, I suspect a good majority of Americans who call themselves Christians actually mean they just attend church.
I’ve heard once that Jesus Christ answered a pharisee’s question as to what the greatest commandment was. In Matthew 22:37-38, the Christ said, “Thou shalt love thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” He continued on in the next two verses, “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Hmmm, sounds mostly like Confucianism to me.
I’ll take up the other argument to be fair. A fine friend of mine explained to me once that he chose to become a disciple of Christ, someone who has made Christ the Lord of his or her life. In the old days, servants owed their loyalty and lives to their lord. Someone who has made that decision has decided to deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Christ. That includes giving up your time and money.
I’m not too sure about that money thing. When I first stepped onto this campus, my purpose was to train to be the best electrical engineer that I could be. I certainly wouldn’t be doing so if I didn’t have monetary concerns. However, after a discussion with my first honors professor, I mysteriously became a dual major in both engineering and history. I can now say with confidence that I would have dropped the engineering side totally if the job market for history majors wasn’t so unstable.
So Jesus Christ said in Mark 10:25, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” He said this after a wealthy man went away grieved upon hearing the answer to his question, which had been on the subject of how to obtain eternal life. The rich man could quote every commandment on the books and happily said he had observed them all. But, the insightful son of God said in Mark 10:21, “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross and follow me.”
I believe a pair of glasses most aptly describes the role of faith in this election. One candidate wears glasses that are too thin, blurring his hazy vision. The other candidate wears glasses that are too thick, hiding the forest from the trees. In this matter, one could say that America will choose between a candidate unsure of his beliefs and a candidate too sure of his beliefs.
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no subject
Date: 2004-09-20 10:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-20 11:35 am (UTC)By the way, I would love to see an opinion article in the Collegian from you some time. I'm too moderate to let loose a good conservative whuppin'.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-20 12:19 pm (UTC)I beg to differ. The motivation for that particular photo-op was two-fold:
When I saw this touching display of national unity on the steps, I wondered aloud if it would last long enough to get something useful done. It did not. However, one party did manage to capitalize on the tragedy to hammer the other into meek submission. Oh well.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-20 12:27 pm (UTC)By the way, I could always use criticisms of my writing, so I hope you don't mind me friending you.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-20 01:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-20 02:20 pm (UTC)A few Q's/Comments (w/ addendum)
Date: 2004-09-24 11:30 pm (UTC)1.) I was surprised how the article covering the two presidential candidates and their matters of faith quickly turned to a "Christ says dump your money or you can't follow him," direction. I'm not saying those were your exact words at all, but it was the impression you gave through quoting two verses out of context. Yes, the man was rich. Yes, Christ told him to give his things up. Was Christ speaking directly to all of us? Perhaps, but only if you struggle with the same things the rich young ruler did. He struggled with pride, and association of meaning with riches and deeds (keeping the law perfectly). Otherwise, it is totally out of context to tell someone to dump all their possessions if things mean nothing to them. Christ was trying to prune the sin out of his life. You wouldn't tell a hobo to drop his shopping cart in order to have a saving faith in Christ.
2.) God doesn't require time and money. He requires your life. You can't break down your existence into two things, and then say you can't give up one for Christ. I mean, you can say that, but it really doesn't show others where the core of Christianity lies. Giving of one's time and money to the church (or any activity) has no bearing on one's actual relationship with God. It doesn't take money to draw close to God.
3.) Are you saying that Bush is too religious to be a good president? I mean, I would rather take (and I'm not saying anything about either candidate with this example, so take this without any association with our election this year) a complete fool who relied on God every step of the way as opposed to the wisest man in the world. In my opinion, if God is the one guiding, there will be no error. God's Will will be done, and I'd rather that happen than anything else.
4.) Referencing God as likened to a pervert for being able to see every aspect of your life is like trying to compare a sadistic authority and a loving parent when the time comes for chastising. I really don't know where to start with that all... I've never heard that association made with God, and I do find it rather disturbing.
5. Are you trying to say that the Son of God's teachings were derived from Confucius' teachings? I don't think the two could hardly compare at all. Christ had his teachings from God, and was perfect Himself. Confucius is known for fortune cookies and "Quote of the Day" books. He was a good teacher, but no God.
Overall, I'm really confused. I mean, I know you are involved with the BSU, but I'm confused with the message you are sending out to our fellow students. Any clarification would definitely be appreciated. I promise I'm not trying to make any attacks on your character, writing style, or choice of topic. I just want to know where you are coming from.
In Christ's Love,
Ryan Dunlap
Re: A few Q's/Comments (w/ addendum)
Date: 2004-09-25 08:42 am (UTC)1)Good point.
2)I agree with that.
3)Yes, I'd rather have a complete fool than a wise man.
4)That analogy was meant to grab your attention.
5)We know that, but there are many people out there who would say differently.
Well, I see why you're confused. I purposely write to muddle my political and religious beliefs. For one thing, as you've read, we've got a very liberal opinion editor. I'm also tired of so many opinion articles that are written to evoke an emotional response. I want people to think when they read me.
If I had introduced myself as a co chair for international ministry for the BSU, then people would automatically be prejudiced by their stereotypes. You may not agree with me on this, but I don't think the Collegian is the proper medium for sharing my faith. Face to face, I'm more than willing to proclaim the Christ is my Lord and Savior.
The good Lord, however, seems to want use my writing abilities for a different purpose.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-27 09:05 pm (UTC)Newdow is this guy who challenged the "under god" part of the pledge of allegiance, which was only inserted there during the McCarthy era. It was eventually upheld by the Supreme Court on a technicality. Anyway, Chief Justice William Rehnquist began to badger Newdow (who said that adding "under God" was a divisive issue). Rehnquist stated that Congress unanomously approved the addition of "under god" to the pledge of allegiance, much like your example of congressmen singing "God bless america."
Rehnquist told Newdow, "That doesn't sound divisive to me."
Newdow replied with this zinger: "That's only because an atheist can't be elected to Congress."
The people in the courtroom laughed and began applauding. Rehnquist then banged the gavel and threatened to clear the courtroom if there was "any more clapping."
Not only is an admitted atheist unelectable (not in over 200 years has a single admitted atheist been elected to Congress), it is illegal in many places for an atheist to hold public office, such as Texas.
If you want to be elected in the United States you must profess your belief in god.
American right charges the American left with creating a godless nation.
This charge by the right is not true. Every single elected democrat is strongly religious. In fact in order to be elected president, democrats must be much more outward in showing their devotion because of these attacks by the republicans.
Both Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were Southern Baptists, one of the most fundamental and least rational faiths in America. It's sort of like when you have a black and white cop on patrol, the black cop is always gonna be beating up more of the brothers in the hood because he has something to prove.
Don't believe the hype the republican spin machine spits out, every single person in congress, democrat, republican, independent, they all profess a strong and unwavering belief in god, every single one of them.
This whole religion vs secularism thing in politics is moot. Politicans don't try to get rid of god or the bible. They are all too busy trying to find a way to be more religious than the other guy so they can get reelected.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-27 11:08 pm (UTC)This whole religion vs secularism thing in politics is moot. Politicans don't try to get rid of god or the bible. They are all too busy trying to find a way to be more religious than the other guy so they can get reelected.
This is why I loved reading your magic articles. You were always able to write the truth and preemptively beat down stupid responses at the same time.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-28 06:41 am (UTC)President James Buchanan, served as president 1857-1861, lifelong bachelor
President Gover Cleveland, served as president 1885-1889 and 1893-1897, got elected as a bachelor, in 1886 at the age of 50 he married 21 year old Frances Folsom, screwed her until she got pregnant and she had a baby.
I'm not real up on why and how Buchanan and Cleveland got elected, but you can see that it's far better for a politician to be either a lifelong bachelor and closeted gay or a male playboy who screws whores all his life than to ever say: "God doesn't exist."