Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, October 9, 1985
Opinion
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Mail-order miracles exploit
religion for sake of a buck
Some motif's in
ancient literature
are timeless. Reli
gion is one of
them.
Certain el
ements of every
civilization, such as
government, sex
and religion, are
the basis of con
troversy, and thus
Camille
Brown
addressed in the literature of that age.
One problem that is documented in
literature through the ages is corruption
within the church. Geoffrey Chaucer, in
the 14th century, used religious vice as
a theme in his Canterbury Tales, and it
continues to plague us today. The prob
lem, of course, has new tw'ists, but the
bottom line is still misuse of religion’s in
herent power.
A major religious problem today is
centered in the religious propaganda
that is mailed out by enterprising “mi
nisters.”
These elaborate brochures claim to
deliver Godly blessings for a small price.
I somehow ended up on their religious
propaganda mailing list, and so twice
weekly I am blessed with the opportu
nity to buy mail-order miracles.
When I find one of these letters in my
mailbox, I make a straight line for the
dumpster. But the last one I got looked
like a sweepstakes contest, so I opened
it, hoping not to find what I found.
There was Rev. Ewing and his “Bible
Study In The Home By Mail” brochure.
With outstretched hands he urged me
to buy a special book, which, he prom
ised, would bring me happiness and am
azing financial rewards. Hallelujah.
But I must send money NOW, he
said.
Just to prove he wasn’t lying, he in
cluded these and other unbelievable —
but true — testimonials:
“1 believe God has blessed me because
of the Gold Book Plan and Rev. Ewing’s
teachings and prayers. God has blessed
me with a home, several rent houses,
two warehouses, four cars, three trucks
and a mobile home. (Three Cadillacs
and one Buick.) — E.E.R., Houston."
Mrs. H.S. from Little Rock wrote, “I
requested a financial blessing . . . the
Lord blessed me in an unexpected way
with $ 1,800,000. I never have received
that much at once before. Here is my
Gold Book Payment.”
An image of Rev. Ewing flashed into
my head: a gold-chain covered, Mer
cedes-driving entrepreneur who had
found a golden opportunity to make a
few extra bucks. .
This type of scandal in an institution
that is supposed to be holy is a sure way
to ruin its reputation. Again, the prob
lem is not new. Chaucer wrote about re
ligious fraud in his Canterbury Tales.
He describes his character, the Par
doner, as a hypocrit who exploits Chris-
tian principles to enrich himself .
The Pardoner: “Thus can I preche
again that same vice, Which that I use,
and that is avarice.”
Rev. Ewing has just modernized the
game, revised the rules. The spirit of
the Pardoner lives on.
So people will continue to receive Ew
ing’s pamplets. and mail-order miracles
will continue to give hope to gullible
mailbox owners throughout the nation.
Meanwhile, others like Ewing soon
will catch on: invest in a four-color bro
chure, make a few r intangible promises,
back them up with Bible quotes and a
few lines of “God loves you” and watch
the cash roll in.
If we watch this happen, then we can
watch the principles of a dignified insti
tution get shot to hell.
Religion, by definition, is the spiritual
and emotional attitude of one who rec
ognizes the existence of a superhuman
power. Ewing’s type of propaganda is
the stuff that reduces the dignity of peo
ples’ attitude toward religion.
It’s unlikely the problem will ever be
solved. It has been around for centuries
because there is always someone around
finding ways to cheat to get ahead.
But societies in the past didn’t have
consumer protection agencies. I pro
pose an all-out attack by consumers on
this degradation of religion. We must
end this practice of using the power of
religion as a tool in the rat race for
profit.
Amen.
Camille Brown is a senior journalism
major and a columnist for The Battal
ion.
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Rhonda Snider, Editor
Michelle Powe, Managing Editor
Loren Stef fy, Opinion Page Editor
Karen Bloch, City Editor
John Hallett, Kay Mallett, News Editors
Travis Tingle, Sports Editor
The Battalion Staff
Assistant City Editors Kirsten Dietz,
Jerry Oslin
Assistant News Editors
Cathie Anderson, Jan Perry
Assistant Sports Editor ....CAvarean Williams
Entertainment Editors
Cathy Reily, Walter Smith
Art Director Wayne Grabein
Make-np Editor Ed Cassavoy
Cojiy Editors Rebecca Adair,
Mike Davis, Sarah Oates,
Brad Whitten
Editorial Policy
The 11.million is n non-prolit. sell-supportinir newspa
per operated as a comnniniiv service to Texas A&\t and
lit \ an-C '.oUctrc Station.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the
Editorial Board or the author, and (lo not necessarily rep-
resent tin
* opinioi
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list, se,
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students
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editing and photographs classes
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Slouch
By Jim Earle
“I feel morally obligated to write a letter in rebuttal to your letter to the editor
that you ’re working on. Would you tell me which side of the issue you ’re tak
ing so I can start mine?”
Mail Call
Letters to the Editor should not exceed SOU woids in length. The editorialstafa
right to edit letters Lor style and length hut will make evei i ellort to nwiniaimi
intent. Each lettet must lx- signed and must include the address and telephonti,
the writer.
El. I’
vesfgau
Campus Police de
serve no respect
EDITOR:
Robert E. Wiatt never mentions
the impression that most students
have toward the University Police.
Well, I can’t blame him — I’d be
embarrassed too!
Apart from the obvious lack of
parking, excessive ticketing, and
excessive towing problems on cam
pus, the police have yet to show us
how effective they are with real po
lice work: solving the other great
problems on campus —theft of stu
dent’s bicycles and backpacks.
Every time that the column “Po
lice Beat” appears in The Battalion,
about ten bikes and three back
packs have been stolen. The onlv
time I have ever seen a case solved
was when some students (not offi
cers with their big guns and speed-
loaders) caught him red-handed.
It is this that has given the Gam-
pus Police names such as “KK and
"Rent-a-pig,” and a reputation that
varies from ineffective and useless
to dow’nright embarrassing! I am
impressed with how well College
Station police officers do their job
— yet they are not despised one-
hundredth as much as our depart
ment. How does Wiatt expect am
respect if the University Police
haven’t earned it?
Benito Flores-Meath ’83
Views on ‘evil’differ
EDITOR:
This is in reference to David
Ross’ sermon from the Sept. 27 is
sue of The Battalion, concerning
the “evils of rock and roll.” First, let
it be said that no one in the Senate
has, or will, attempt to draff a bill
towards rating records, regardless
of their wives’ grievances, due to its
ridiculous connotation.
Next, quoting Ross, he seems to
have trouble believing that songs
concerning “lust, war, rape-mur
ders, drugs, immorality and sex”
are artistic expressions.
Songs concerning war? Bruce
Springsteen’s title song and concert
opener, “Born in the USA" is con
sidered patriotic by the majority of
music lovers, who don’t listen to the
words anyway. Actually, it deals
with the Vietnam War.
Then what about those songs
concerning drugs? Huey Lewis and
the News sings a hit pop song titled
“I Want A New Drug.” For that
majority who doesn’t listen to the
words, probably three-fourths of
them do know the title. I found it
hard to believe that either
Springsteen or Lewis is engaging in
any business with the devil, as Da
vid has implied with his article, due
to the subject material in their
songs.
Fitially, how many songs deal
with the topic of lust or sex? Maybe
if we made those songs a little
harder to get to, the birth rate may
decrease.(HA!)
In conclusion, I think it’s fair to
say that Loren Steffy, Ross, the sen
ators’ wives, myself and everyone
else have their own opinions. Fur
thermore, I hold nothing against
any of you for speaking your mind,
as I hope you hold nothing against
me.
However, I have trouble justify
ing you or any board distinguishing
between the different lyrical inter
pretations and determining which
“artistic expressions” are beneficial
and which are detrimental to my
well-being.
So, let’s leave the trust in the in
dividual or parent and just pray
that those rock stars that may be
drinking from the devil’s cup real
ize what destructive ideals they’re
provoking and maybe grow to earn
your respect as real artists some
day.
Leslie Molloy ’89
Bonfire Bash blues
EDITOR:
The redpots and the organizers
of bonfire have let Texas A&M stu
dents down. It was 7 p.m. Fri
day and, after a week of tests, my
roommates and I were ready for a
night out. By 7:30, with collars but-
present t
toned, shoes tied, andhaiiiE' ',,,,
source of concern chanjje nik syri
the hot water supplv to; covered
Ding’s entertainmem.lt Pat A
R o \ / ." M ( - Phrmp riii cer i 1 '1 t
entei tainment.ltjl
M( ? Phone calli^B
made. Four dollars at De P al . I - n
open bar
Roxz, one
Five
said M<
)ers of
lorfclen
ended ft
Iren at il
''I 1 -'■""T!" perform
"Iran,II1«
wiie debating the relativerj^K
a dollar and an houroffoj T1 * e cl
a novel suggestion wasmadt
Bonfire Bash? Ofcc
all seen the signs: S7 a
beer and barbecue. To»H
« bon r uas obvious. Howt^Bhe |
mug friend from Sant 1 son
S| " ( 1 1 11 \ e i s 11 \ '
'l)l if lev' s,ev».„ I I VOUUS a
»'w<us. bucks ]usi[J' 1
1,1 '•'itic-i bose uhiskevi^B
I eazers for four!”
During the long driven
cast Bryan \v e tried tom
understand Aggie Spit
friendliness. The Aggie (
Honor . I he unity of thei
m * heir support of bS
each other.
Arriving at the pavillion
out $7 and went directlvto
table. No lines! Great! 1
nately we soon found t
when the l>e
that
StU
les
cr guy mfoi
txters were 50 cents ea
8hocked and appal
thought there was a mista
you don’t understand,**
paid our S7 at the door.'
vote and cash
:ount leit x|
option. Though the beer J
the whole deal “sucked,’J
reeled us to the gate for a ref J
Disappointed, we trudjjtil
to the gate. I he man at tk]
hereafter the “gate guy,"(lJ
us hack to the beer tabletofl
red pot. 1 hough the redpotJ
»itated and rude, he eventual
us, "the door swings botliJ
meet me at the gateandliij
care of you." |
B\ tfie time we got bacbj
gate the redpot had coikj
gone. 1 iowever, we hadagairl
misled. “Sorry, guys,” hes;::
was told not to give votil
money hack." By this time,
pretty mad. Angry wordsw:|
• f.111vtc■ 11 .mil ii was only*
the mediation of the Bnanifl
that a fight was avoided. |
People w aiting in linecouKl
what we were arguing aboiif
realizing that the deal was»>!I
at all. began to turn away.N |
this point ihat the redpot ST
judic ions reappearance.“il||
all light. y;i\r them theiti
and gcM them the hell out!'' j
The ride home was silerfl
our friend f rom SHSU.said,J
I guess you were right. YoiiJl
are friendly and nonest id
that. Can we gotoTeazersnM
Daniel John Reading
Wiatt unaware
needs of bikers
EDITOR:
Once again, campus I
ward bicycle riders has reiil!
ugly head! I am referringtoS^
E. VViatt’s letter in Friday's!
which he declares open rvarf^
bicycles not parked in racks
haps Wiatt is unaware
need f or hike racks on thiscatf
Where are the racks neartk^
tie bus stops? Hasheevern
park a bicycle at Harfingt||
room Building at 2:00
day, or at Zachry Engineering
ter, at any time of the
there are racks, but the rating
cycles to available slots is [
about 10-to-l.
I am not averse to walking
tra 20 or 30 yards to thebii
need, but the shortage ofli
racks is a campus-wide probld
matter w here I wish to park.
Wiatt should be more'
standing of the bicycle riders
of the situation and bewi
help provide racks in propoiti
the thousands of bikes wet
campus. Before Wiatt cracks!
on us “bikers,” I suggest I
find a more amiable solution! 11 !
problem by giving us accfti
adequate number of racks.]
sure he would find the j
the problem solved.
Lisa L. Palmer