4a
Opinion
Tuesday, April 17, 2001
For comments, contact Chris Borniger or Nathan Willis at 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Perspective
Some Christians interpret 'truth' too narrowly
What do Aristole, Confucius, Mark Twain, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein all have in common? All were skeptics; all doubted the existence of a divinely inspired revelation that contained the absolute truth. Some of the greatest thinkers of all time have developed systems of morality and ethics independent of any belief in a higher power.
Yet some people still argue that the source of human ethics can only be a higher power. One Kansan columnist recently wrote that moral absolutes exist and that we can sense them intuitively, that they prove the existence of God, and that Christianity is the divinely warranted word of this God.
revealed word of this God.
Moral absolutes may or may not exist.
Philosophers have debated that for thousands of years, and it is far too complex a topic for a column.
What is clear, however,
is that the idea of being
able to intuitively grasp
moral absolutes is questionable. Today we all agree that slavery is
wrong and fundamentally
evil, but for thousands of
years people of all races
years past. And religions kept slaves. Did they intuitively sense this was wrong and just do it anyway? Probably not.
Thousands of Americans were willing to fight for their "right" to keep slaves. The revulsion we feel when we read about people being tortured or killed arise from learning since birth that this is type of behavior is wrong, not because of some ambiguous intuition.
If no other human philosophy existed other than Christianity, we could definitely say that moral absolutes come from God. But so many great thinkers — from Socrates to Kant to Bertrand Russell — have created systems of ethics relying solely on human reason. The contributions of so many great yet non-religious people prove that it is possible to lead a meaningful life without the need to accept any religion as the absolute truth.
The scariest contention is that Christianity is the absolute truth. That is the type of belief that led to the Crusades and the Inquisition. It's the type of belief that we see in action when Fred Phelps' followers ticket AIDS funerals.
It's also a weak argument. Any close reading of the Old and New Testaments will show the multiple contradictions in the texts. For example, Luke 23:46 records the dying Jesus saying, "Father into your hands I commit my spirit." But John 19:30 reports his last words as being, "It is finished."
Other passages in the New Testament refer to demons causing sickness and illness (Mathew 9:32, 12:27, 17:4). Should Christians not see doctors? Actually, James 5:14-15 says that prayer can heal, but most Christians I know rely on modern medicine to cure their illnesses.
Which is right? How do we know? If the Bible can't even accurately report what Jesus' last words were, how can we trust that other things are correct?
Obviously the Bible is not infallible. The contradictions within it make it hard for me to accept it as the only true and untainted philosophy.
When people say that Christianity is the absolute truth, I wonder what type of Christianity they mean. If the Protestant version is, then the Catholic version can't be — or maybe Greek Orthodox Christians have the real "absolute" truth.
Forgive me if I seem unnecessarily harsh in this writing. My intention is not to condemn Christianity — it has much value. But the types of beliefs some Christians advocate are dangerous to our democracy.
We live in a society full of people who maintain different beliefs and one that is founded on the values of freedom of thought and expression. When someone believes he or she knows the absolute truth, it isn't much longer before that person tries to force others to see the light. History has shown this time and again.
Perhaps author Salman Rushdie said it best: "I distrust people who claim to know the whole truth and who seek to orchestrate the world in line with that one true truth. I think that's a very dangerous position in the world. It needs to be challenged. It needs to be challenged constantly in all sorts of ways, and that's what I tried to do."
Klein is a Roeland Park senior in political science and history.
By the Numbers
John Trever/TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
Percent increase since 1980 in church contributions made per member to 29 major Protestant denominations.
10 Percent increase since then in the average amount per member these churches allocated to
charitable work.
Number of blocks separating Kenneth Star's New York University Law School office from Monica Lewinsky's apartment
135 Number of blocks separating Lewinsky's apartment from Bill Clinton's Harlem office.
Rank of Adolf Hitler among public figures most reviled by Britons.
Source: Harper's Index
Perspective
3 Rank of Oasis lead singer Liam Gallagher.
Students must search to find spiritual truth
I've said it before. I am not shocked that Christianity is widely scrutinized.
Christianity is widely scrutinized. Some call Christians ignorant, brainwashed and weaklings in need of a crutch. People who use these terms to describe Christians obviously don't understand the faith. These same people probably learned some so-called "contradictions" from single-minded professors along the way.
So today, I am going to correct a few of the many major misconceptions about Christianity.
1. "The Bible has been rewritten over the years to fit man's desires."
If that's true, man is stupid. The Christian life isn't exactly easy. Why would man create a guide in which the followers are persecuted verbally and physically? Just a sick experiment? Dream on.
2. "Many churches interpret the Bible differently. Therefore, it's archaic."
Matt Cox columnist opinion@kansan.com
Not really. There are small superficial differences in how some denominations operate. But you can't blame the Bible for some church sects getting carried away with legalism, tradition and hierarchy that are not outlined by the Bible at all. Some sects that claim to be Christian are clueless.
People search endlessly for contradictions in the Bible so that they have excuses not to believe in its mastery. In fact, all of these "contradictions" are mostly because of the reader's ignorance, misunderstanding of contexts and the lack of knowledge of the original Greek and Hebrew texts.
Don't use the King James Version, either; it's the most inaccurate translation. Use either the New International Version or the New American Standard.
3. "There are so many contradictions in the Bible."
Actually, I encourage Christians and non-
Christians to search out these texts that claim
to have Biblical contradictions and read them thoroughly. But also remember, there are other texts you must read along with it that respond to and dispel these assertions.
And even when all of the contradictions are dispelled, some will most likely still find themselves unwilling to believe in Christ simply because they don't want to.
4. "Statistics show Christians are just as likely to murder and rape than anyone else."
Accepting Jesus as Lord and following Him daily makes you a Christian. Murder and rape are evils that don't entitle true followers of Christ.
likely to murder and rape than anyone else. Just because you check "Christian" on the religious preference part of a survey doesn't make you a Christian. Neither does being born in America or in a so-called Christian home. Going to church and having a Bible doesn't make you one either.
To conclude this general overview, if you desire to argue against true Christianity, learn about it. Don't base your opinions on collegiate hearsay and please don't base it on how most of the media portrays it.
Here's something you should learn quickly: Just because some professors act as if they know what they are talking about doesn't necessarily mean they do.
That's why many great philosophers and scientists get ignored in this liberal curriculum simply because they are Christians. Sure, we do learn about some (Martin Luther King Jr., Dostoevsky), but most of the time their arguments are either misrepresented or de-emphasized.
Most professors, especially in science-oriented departments, are hesitant to use verifiable Biblical fact based on archaeology and observation because it would make them seem "religious."
Don't be a robot and nod at every bit of information handed down to you here at the University of Kansas. That would defeat the purpose of open-mindedness and free will. If you want the truth, search for it, because it will find you.
Cox is a Lansing senior in journalism.
Editorial
Team cuts set a poor trend for conference
Athletic departments shouldn't slash teams to solve budget problems.
When the University of Kansas cut the men's swimming program, it might have started a disastrous trend among Big 12 schools.
The University of Nebraska cut its men's swimming program March 25, and Iowa State University did away with the program on April 2. As a result, the only Big 12 schools remaining with men's swimming teams are Missouri, Texas and Texas A&M.
Money is at the root of the cuts. For example, Iowa State will save $300,000 next year by cutting its team
With only three teams left in the Big 12, competition in the conference is virtually dead. That's unfortunate for schools such as Texas, which just won the NCAA men's swimming title for the second consecutive year.
university community in general.
Athletic programs attract out-of-state students that might not have necessarily chosen the university if it did not have a men's swimming program. Some students will need to relocate to other schools if they wish to continue swimming.
Bob Groseth, who coached men's swimming from 1979 to 1988 at Iowa State said, "I think the fact that decisions are being made from an economic, rather than an educational, aspect is worrisonse, not only for the Iowa State community, but for the university community in general."
Kansas will continue to give the former swimmers' their scholarships until they graduate, but if they transfer, they might not receive a scholarship of an equal — or greater
— value at the new university. The whole situation poses many problems to the Big 12.
Although Kansas was not alone in canceling its men's swimming program, it may have contributed to a domino effect ending in the downfall of men's swimming in the Big 12.
Team slashes such as these aren't the solution; they should only be a last resort. Athletics departments needing more money should first consider reducing the number of scholarships they award — especially to fill large football squads. Perhaps they could also cut corners elsewhere, such as in administrators' salaries.
Molly Mueller for the editorial board
free for all 864-0500 864-0500
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So, Ben Walker; first the newspapers, now the bat and ball? At the end of the day, someone better make sure the Campanile is still there.
Let's put the animosity between the Student Senate coalitions behind us. Come on, our constituents expect more a lot of us than this. Let's get on with this and do our jobs and do what we were elected to do — serve the students.
.
I'm glad that Walker is taking his ball and going home 'cause nobody wants to play with him anyway.
B
To some, it's just a pack of cigarettes. But for me, it's a 20-person support group.
Happy Pride Week, everyone at the University of Kansas. Join us at our events. Celebrate unity through community.
跳
I'd just like to say that because parking is so inadequate around the library, oftentimes students like myself are forced to park behind Blake Hall, and the lighting behind Blake Hall is not just insufficient but nonexistent, which compromises the safety of library patrons like myself. And I think the University should do something about this. I'm very upset with the University. Thank you.
So my roommate and I just got back from Jimmy John's, and now she's sawing her big pickle in half. But when we were walking in, we both had them in our pockets. So we said we had big pickles in our pockets.
例
Who paid for Walker and Marshall's limousine? Was it their own money or was it University money?
The fall of the greeks, the rise of the Delta. Bye.
A couple weeks ago my parents took away my car and told me they sold it. But then last week a friend of mine said he saw my dad driving it around town. Is there something wrong with that?
If any of you watched the XFL playoffs, you should be shot.
直
This is for my TA, and I was hoping you would publish it. He is probably the cutest, nicest guy who has ever walked the halls of Lindley ever, and I was wondering if perhaps after the semester ended if we could, you know, get together. I think that would be nice. Thank you. Goodbye.
Dang it. KU Info's closed, and this is just the time I need to know what happens when you put the wrong blood type in your body.
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