By popular demand, and in hopes of even better comments than it recieved on the Daily Tar Heel’s website here, I give you the most commented, the most read letter to the editor in recent weeks:
TO THE EDITOR:
The Young Democrats sponsored a “Prop 8 Musical” that debuted in the Pit on Wednesday.
In doing so, the Young Democrats have shown their antagonism toward religion and have made it very uncomfortable for Christians to affiliate with their organization.
The play mocks Christianity and the Lord Jesus Christ in a way that is inappropriate and does not further productive discussion or thinking. For example, in their infinite wisdom, the Young Democrats have sponsored a play that compared the Mosaic Law regarding whether Jews should eat shell fish to the sins of fornication and sodomy as they relate to Christian morality.
Christians are accused of “picking and choosing” what biblical passages they believe. Brilliant!
Here’s the thing, about 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ came and abolished the law through the cross and now the righteousness of God is manifested by way of faith in Jesus Christ, not in what you eat. And just, oh, by the way, fornication and homosexuality are considered to be morally wrong according to the New Testament writers; eating shell fish is not.
If this play had treated any other religion the way it treated Christianity, there would be riots by the same arrogant bunch that put on this moronic musical.
Before the Young Democrats argue against a tradition central to a coherent society, perhaps they ought to first understand what they are talking about.
Having said that, it is necessary the Young Democrats repudiate religious folk, seeing as heaven ain’t big enough for both Chairman Obama and God.
Justin L. Crowder
To be clear, and to ease the minds of my editors and fellow staff writers, the last line is meant as a joke with reference to the idea that Obama is treated as a messiah or a savior.
Pardon rational people for condemning the condemnations of your centuries old book of fairy tales, you’ll have to forgive us foolish human beings that chose to think for ourselves, we can’t really help but make fun of your religion that does, in fact, pick and choose. One of Jesus’ followers was a hooker, you do know that right? “Oh but she repented and lived a good life” you might say, a good number of gay people and fornicators are good people, but they’re morally corrupt to you because of the title that you treat as negative. In short, I don’t much care for religious people thumping their books of contradictions and claiming to be so much better than people because they follow the rules therein, but since you’re so terrified of retribution from your spook invisible Poppa, allow me to pose a question. If there were no God, would you still follow those rules?
Morality was given to us because it works to maintain a functional society. Therefore, if there was no God the Christian system of morality would still be the most functional.
M: “One of Jesus’ followers was a hooker, you do know that right?”
To M: Before you start teaching Christians about who the followers of Jesus were
I just want to make a side note because I hate it when people who know nothing about the Bible start quoting it.
Nowhere in the NT does it say that Mary Magdalene- whom I’m assuming you speak of when you say the “hooker” follower of Jesus, was a prostitute.
Just a recent tidbit I’ve learned from Bart Ehrman in NT.
Don’t believe Bart?
Believe Wikipedia… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalene
and please stop teaching Christians what Christianity is about. I think we have enough debate about that amongst ourselves…
The difference between those “sinful people” that Jesus hung out with and today’s “good people” was that at least they knew they were screwed up and sought to change themselves because Jesus made living in obedience to God appealing and desirable. Because of the good life that came out of a clean conscious and right (blameless) standing before God.
What is wrong with that?
Christianity is not debilitating or rule-ridden or a pain to follow, for Christians. People do use it to their own ends, just as they do with everything else because what is at fault here is the nature of man- that he turns his circumstances to his own benefit- and not the ideology itself.
Our post-modernist, pluralistic culture today parades around with their pride stamped on their foreheads and not only see nothing wrong with the blatant sins they commit, but push this acceptance and tolerance on everyone who does not conform to their “liberal”, free thinking ideology.
Also, I am a Christian, I am rational. I do not thump my Bible. I don’t follow the teachings “rules” of the Bible because I’m scared of retribution. As I mentioned earlier, Christianity is not a religion about abiding to rules but about having a relationship with Christ and therefore, living a lifestyle, behaving in ways that he has specifically called out to be hurtful to him would obviously not put me into a good relationship with him, and that hurts me and my relationships with others.
As to your last question:
Well, by my “non-rational” Christian understanding…Without God, there would be no rules TO follow because morality stems from the nature of God.
I’ve heard the athiest answer to this, “Well what about natural selection? Society would just hem out their own rules in time. We’d obviously see that killing people does no good. etc…”
Natural selection does not imbue morality into the human mind. It is survival of the fittest and the need to selfishly cover your own back. I’m reminded of an episode of House where he says, “No one is naturally altruistic”
Its because altruism, morality… isn’t natural. it is supernatural. Supa straight from old Poppa in the sky.
Thank you but I’ll stick to my centuries old book of fairy tales.
Not all Christians are of the “Pit Preacher” variety; I have encountered more ferocious vegetarians on the UNC campus who attack those who eat meat than I have Bible-thumpers who condemn others to eternal damnation. Those Christians do exist, but I have found most UNC Christian organizations to be about love and hope. (not to steal the message of hope from someone else.)
Also, not all those who profess to be Christian oppose gay marriage. It is obviously a divisive issue within many churches. So isn’t portraying all Christians as anti-gay one of those stereotypes that the Young Democrats are so passionate about exterminating?
If the Young Democrats truly believe in respecting diversity and encouraging civil behavior, then would it not be reasonable for them to respect Christian traditions as well as those of religious minorities?
I think it is entirely too broad and entirely unfair to accuse the Prop 8 musical of condemning “Christians.” They are condemning those who would use a religion based on love and forgiveness (and one that believes that everyone is a sinner and all sins are the same) to alienate and oppress a group of people based on personal identity and self-contained behavior. The point is that, although some morality is helpful when applied universally, some morality is just pure preference and can be applied on an individual level. Feel homosexuality is a sin? Don’t commit acts of homosexuality. But, if you have ever committed a sin (perhaps you’ve cursed, or had sex outside of marriage, or disobeyed your parents, or, shockingly, cast judgment upon someone) you should probably start cleansing yourself first, so when you begin informing people on how to live, they can take you as a bit more of a credible source of guidance.
By the way, just a little tidbit – the ten commandments aren’t laid out in the New Testament, either, but I’ll venture a guess that you believe they are still to be followed. Some are mentioned, sure, but some are not. Also mentioned are Jewish feasts and committing animal sacrifices. Hate to go back to the pick and choose accusation you seem so against, but…that sure seems to be what’s happening.
I may not be a Christian, but I have read the Bible. Faith is not a prerequisite for understanding theology, doctrine, or religious law.