2
Friday,
Bible's teachings are irrational
A few days ago, there was a letter
published in The Battalion that
complained about the staleness of the
opinion column. Today's column is
dedicated to the author of that letter and
anyone else who is weary of reading the
same old, worn out issues.
I've been reading the Bible for quite
some time now, but I've only recently
come to the following conclusion:
CHRISTIANITY IS IRRATIONAL!
I suppose that any religion which leans
on the supernatural has to be irrational.
Belief in anything we can't see, touch,
hear, taste or smell requires a suspension
of reason. But Christianity goes above
and beyond the rest in terms of
suspending rationality.
Sure, many of Christ's teachings are
just common sense: "Do unto others as
you would have them do unto you," and
"Judge not lest you be judged" and "A
house divided against itself will not
stand." But why would a man be
crucified as a revolutionary for merely
teaching common-sense proverbs?
The truth of the matter is that many of
Christ's teachings are irrational. He says
"You have heard it said an eye for an eye
and a tooth for a tooth. But I say, do not
resist him who is evil, but whoever slaps
you on your right cheek, turn to him the
other also."
This teaching is not only irrational, but
it runs contrary to human nature. Self-
defense is so much a part of the human
experience that it can even be called a
reflex. And yet, Christ's teachings
demand one to subordinate reflexes to
religion.
Christ taught many times on the topic
of love. (Anyone who has experienced
love will attest to its sometimes irrational
nature. This is a very irrational theme to
be used as the center of a new religion.)
But Christ said: "You have heard it said,
love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you."
This statement defies all common
sense. Common sense says: "The only
way to have a friend is to be one." That
is, we love people who we want to love
us back. But Christ goes on to say "Love
your enemies, and do good, and lend,
expecting nothing in return; and your
reward will be great."
What kind of reward is Christ speaking
of? Obviously he's not speaking of a
reward on Earth, but in heaven. In fact,
he tells his followers: "Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures upon earth, where
moth and rust destroy, and where
thieves break in and steal. But lay in for
yourselves treasures in heaven ... for
where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also."
Get this: Christ says that we should
store our wealth in heaven. Down here,
we move our money from one bank to
another to earn an additional half percent
of interest. Every time we look at our
bank statements, we know exactly how
much is in the account. Our deposit is
backed (usually) backed by the
government of the United States of
America. Yet, Christ calls for his
followers to be more concerned with our
unseen spiritual account than with our
bank account statement.
Christ's teachings cannot be seen as
merely a code of common sense. Over
the last century, an estimated 300,000
Christians have been put to death each
year around the world for the simple
crime of following Christ and being
baptized.
Yet, Christ teaches his followers not
only to restrain from fighting back, but to
accept death for Christ's sake as a
BLESSING. He commands his followers
to love and pray for the very people who
are persecuting them. And he claims that
his followers would be better off saving
up wealth in a repository which cannot
be seen but which must be accepted by
faith.
As the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer
once observed: "When Christ calls a man
to follow him, he bids him come and
die." Truly, Christianity is absolutely
irrational!
Tim Truesdale is a graduate student in
urban planning.
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Mail Call
The Battalion is interested in hearing from its readers and welcomes all letters to the editor.
Please include name, classification, address and phone number on all letters. The editor reserves
the right to edit letters for style and length. Because of limited space, shorter letters have a better
chance of appearing. There is, however, no guarantee letters will appear. Letters may be brought
to 216 Reed McDonald or sent to Campus Mail Stop 1111.
Thanks to Andy Yung
EDITOR:
I would like to extend my gratitude and rapport to
Andy Yung for his recent articles against abortion, Israeli
government policies concerning Palestinians and the U.S.
government's lack of effort in peaceful negotiations of a
resolution to the Iraq/Kuwait crisis.
Yung seems to follow the "seamless garment" thesis of
respect for human life on all issues.
I commend him for his concern for human life, pre-
bom and even those perceived our enemies.
Dr. Alan Palazzolo
associate professor
Is there anybody, out there?
EDITOR:
We just wanted to see if you would print this.
P.S. Does anyone know what the hell is happening on
"Twin Peaks"?
Chris Burke '91
Richard Szelsy '91
Editorials
Editorials expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial board and do not net
essarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or theBoardof
Regents.
Evans library needs improvement
With a $3.2 million reduction in our budget, cuts in classes
and delays in programs, this is a time for reassessing our
priorities. Which programs are worth keeping and which are
worth expanding are difficult decisions that will have to be
made. One part of the University that should be high on our list
of priorities for continued support and even expansion is the
Sterling C. Evans Library.
Possible effects of the House Bill 10 budget cuts for the library
have been estimated to include a 23 percent reduction in
operating hours and a loss of 2,100 journal subscriptions.
In a recent issue of "The Chronicle of Higher Education," the
Evans Library was ranked 51st among university libraries. The
estimation was based on number of volumes, volumes added,
current serials, total staff and total expenditures.
However, this same library serves the research needs of a
University with the seventh largest student body in the nation,
and many smaller universities are ranked ahead of A&M in
terms of volumes in their libraries.
The University administration is considering a student fee to
pay for a new recreational sports center. If we are going to pay
an added fee, it should go for something essential to the
education process.
Cai
Univers
hood ol
Foi
The Battalion Editorial Board
Chinese people want
more viable democracy
A
Dr. Edmond Chang
,s a group of
concerned students and staff originally
from Taiwan, Republic of China, where
we have spent more than 25 years, we
are strongly offended by three false
statements in the letter printed in The
Battalion on April 16.
The letter stated that "During the
past 40 years of Nationalist domination
in Taiwan, many Taiwanese became
missing ... it was the way Nationalists
wanted to suppress our aspirations for
democracy and self-determination ..."
Over the past 10 years, the people
and government of Taiwan have been
completing the difficult process,
started years earlier, of shaping a more
mature and realistic democracy for our
nation.
This includes the freedoms of speech
and press, the unshackling of martial 1
laws and more recently, the proposal of
the Constitutional Amendment. Is this
an example of a government's way of
suppressing its people's "aspirations
for democracy and self-
determination?"
The letter also said: "The Nationalists
will have to kill us all to stop us ... "
This is definitely untrue and confusing.
If you look in any newspaper from
Taiwan, there are reports of false
accusations, unregulated activities,
childish fist fights and even personal
intimidation in public toward
government officials from opposing
parties.
Even in our Congress, a number of
the radicals often resort to violence and
destroy public property, only to satisfy
their political ego.
Yet, we have never heard of any one
of them being killed or arrested. Their
voice merely represents a very small
portion of people.
The majority of the public does not
agree with, nor approve of, their
ridiculous words but still has to tolerate
Reader’s Opinion
this radical bombardment on a daily
basis.
CANYi
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Lastly, the letter stated, "We lived
fearfully every day ..." This is even
more confusing. It is widely known
that Taiwan has created an "economi:
miracle" in the 1980s. The nation's
Gross National Product has been
increasing, creating a very steady
economic environment that allows
people to pursue democratic
improvement. How could a citizeniy
living "fearfully every day" accom]
this?
Taiwan has been (and still is) a part
of China since the beginning of
mankind. With the exception of a fen
hundred native inhabitants, all the
people from Taiwan are immigrants
from the mainland throughout histor
with clear Chinese origin.
Most people on that beautiful islar*
are hard-working, productive and
peace-loving and their voices often
remain unheard.
These people have worked so hard!
achieve better living through econo®
reform and democratic stablilityand
deserve a stable nation through a
peaceful and mature democratic
process.
Chinese people everywhere are
optimistic about our future and want
continuing quest toward a more viafc
democracy. Unlike those few radicals
who proclaimed that "Taiwanese"art
not "Chinese," we do not live in fear
Dr. Edmond Chang
accompanied by nine signatures
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The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Lisa Ann Robertson,
Editor —845-2647
Kathy Cox,
Managing Editor — 845-2647
Jennifer J effus,
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Chris Vaughn,
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Keith Sartin,
Richard Tijerina,
News Editors — 845-2665
Alan Lehmann,
Sports Editor — 845-2688
Fredrick D. Joe,
Art Director — 845-3312
Kristin North,
Life Style Editor — 845-3313
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