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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 1994)
A Yes! ^ We Have Student Airfares Tmmrn London Paris Frankfurt Madrid Rio de Janeiro Costa Rica $189* $205* $195* $265* $420* $145* * Fares are each way from Houston based on a roundtrip purchase. Restrictions apply and taxes not included. Call for other worldwide destinations. Council Ikavd 2000 Guadalupe St. • Austin, TX 78705 512-472-4931 LSAT. GRE. GMAT. MCAT. The TAG Heuer 4000 Series. Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. Water-resistant to 200 meters (660 feet). TAGHeuer SWISS MADE SINCE 1860 LWmorkr Jeuuekzr/ 3841 Bellaire Blvd. * Houston, Texas 77025 • 713/668-5000 An authorized TAG Heuer dealer. Expert Teachers Permanent Centers Total Training Call today for a /ree diagnostic. 696-3196 707 Texas Ave. Ste. 106-E KAPLAN RULES Now when you buy TWO pizzas with TWO toppings* for •Excludes extra cheese. Offer available at participating carry-out stores. Bonus Pizza includes cheese and pepperoni and is available with any medium or large PizzalPizzal* purchase. Ask for details. ©1993 L.C.E., Inc little Caesars* Pizza] PizzaT TWo great pluaal One t Alwayil AJwayil — . BEST VAIUE COUPON Two Pizzas with 2 Small - $ 5" 2 Medium - 5 — BEST VALUE COUPON COKEI COKE! 99< 2 - 32 ©z Texas A&M University Announces Scholarships for Currently Enrolled Students Academic Excellence Take A Bite Out Of Your in-cen-tive \in- , sent-iv\n.: something that incites or has a tendency to incite to determination or action. Financial Crunch... THE ^OFFICE of honors ^ 4411^ PROGRAMS AND ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS Announces Competition for the Academic Incentive Award Requires a 3.75 Cumulative GPA Scholarships for continuing undergraduate, Application deadline is March 1. 1994 graduate and professional students Those holding scholarships of $ 1,000 Applications available / or more per year are not eligible. Room 219 - The Pavilion For more information contact the Office of Honors Deadline - March 1, 1994 Programs & Academic Scholarships, 101 Academic Building 845-1957 MSC Political Forum Presents: Mission of Mercy: The U.S. Role in Somalia Why are we there? What did we accomplish? What's the solution? Ambassador Robert Oakley Special Envoy to Somalia Wednesday, February 23 7:00 pm • 206 MSC Persons with disabilities please call us at 845-1515 to inform us of your special needs. We request notification three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our ability. The views expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of MSC Political Forum, The MSC, or Texas A&M University. J Page 8 The Battalion Wednesday, FebruaryDj Homosexuality debate rages on: • I was greatly disturbed by the letter of Mark Martin on Feb. 21. 1 went to my Bible and found two pieces of scripture that disprove what Martin stated. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 18-20: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will in herit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sancti fied, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. There fore honor God with your body. Jesus speaks — Matthew 15:18- 19: "The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean'. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. I do not judge homosexuals. We know what the word of God says, and it says homosexuality is wrong. abomination and put in the com pany of bestiality and incest in the surrounding verses. Since God is the same yesterday, today, and for ever, Jesus would have said some thing if it had changed. One mistake Christians some time make is to hate homosexuals. This is not right, for homosexuality is just another sin, and we are all sinners. I believe that God will be just as unhappy with the person who is given to drunkenness as he will be with the person given to homosexuality — as he will be to the person given to whatever sin. Sin comes in one color and that's dark black. The Bible doesn't leave much room for gray. A parting note from 1 John 2:4: "Whosoever says T have come to know him' but does not obey his commandments is a liar and in such a person the truth does not exist. Robert Jackson Class of '96 Adonis Bitar Class of'97 • Martin accuses others of citing a few verses out of context when is guilty of the same crime himself. I would like to suggest that maybe he read the whole Bible instead of just the parts that sound good to him. To set the record straight, Jesus did speak against homosexuality and all types of sexual immorality. In Matthew 15:19-20 he says: "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, for nications, thefts, false witness, blas phemies. These are the things which defile a man." Fornication is having sexual relations out of wed lock, and last time I checked, same- sex marriages were not legal. Also in Romans 1:27: "Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use 6f the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. I am a Christian, not a "bubba." I hate the sin of homosexuality, but not the person. Rather I pity Mar tin and the church he attends. Yes we all sin, but Christians choose God over sin. You cannot live a life of Godliness and blatantly sin at the same time. Any church who would accept a person who has publicly chosen a life of sin into their congregation is condoning his sin and is just a guilty as the sin ner. • The world would be a better place if others employed the "toler ance to a degree" that I believe in. Jesus never said that homosexuals were in danger of facing the wrath of hellfire. He did argue, however, a much stronger statement — that all of us lack the union with our Creator that we were created for. All who are bom into human exis tence, he claimed, have a sort of need that only God in Christ can fill. Also, the term "God" is becom ing empty these days, in the sense that many, many people throw this word around, employing very dif ferent contents. Truth itself, in Western philosophy, is becoming more and more vague as a term. It will be interesting to see where the pluralism that our world is so strongly clinging to will lead us in the next century. My relevance is precisely this: If by "God" you mean the God of the Judeo-Christ- ian world view, who has reached out and searched for humankind like no other religion claims, then I disagree with your thinking here, for the God I believe in did not cre ate us as machines, but instead as beings that have choice, and thus can choose even to turn him away; this is love. God accepts us not as we should be, but as we are, other wise his acceptance would be un attainable, however, although God accepts us as we are, I believe, he does not accept that we stay as we are, but instead that we strive to live life as we believe he intended. Paul Hay good Class of '97 Jim Fyffe Class of '97 • I am writing this letter in re sponse to Mark Martin's Feb. 21 letter on homosexuality. While Je sus may never have specifically spoken about homosexuality, he also never specifically spoke about bestiality, sex with children, rape, serial killing, and a host of other sins. The fact that he never specifi cally mentions it does not automat ically make it OK. Jesus said that he came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it. If you look in Leviticus 18:22, homosexuality is called an • In scripture Jesus never men tioned homosexuality. So what does the Bible say when it is ad dressed? Every time homosexual acts are mentioned in scripture, they are condemned. But what about "Judge not, lest you be judged?" Matthew 7:1 doesn't instruct us to become undisceming simpletons, not judg ing what is right and wrong, but is an exhortation to be merciful be cause we are all sinners. In fact, the next thing Jesus says is not to throw pearls before swine, which requires a judgment about who is swine. Yes, Jesus is our model of love and compassion, but he also told others how to live their lives. He had the audacity to claim that his truth was the only truth and that he was the only way to God. To day many people would consider Jesus a narrow-minded bigot. Nevertheless, the biblical stance on homosexuality doesn't rest on the negative, but on God's purpose for sex. God didn't create or intend people of the same gender for such a union. Yet many claim to be made ho mosexuals. I agree that some peo ple experience homosexual ife early in life for various % However, the existence ofinj tions has little to do with!) moral precepts. For examp- day we know people canl* ; disposed to alcoholism,but wrong to hold up sobriety moderation as moral vat though it's difficult for som, Vol. 93 N not others? No - people's®; stances don't invalidated: standards. Adrians, (hi • When you condemn ar in our society (yes, gaysarei of society) in the named tianity, you are not acting fc You are acting as God. Sayfc homosexuality is morally wd based on personal morals, no!: one else's. I don't see my gay lesbian friends as "flawed;! them as fellow Aggies whoc accepted themselves, whichs: more important to them that acceptance of others. Homosexuality is not a In today's society, who choose to be stereotyped, pei ed, hated and feared based on sexuality? Jesus said,'Is who is without sin throw stone." Instead of fighting aga whatever it is you think hi uals stand for, why not "simp; to understand it." Whatevei mature, consenting adults do in the privacy of their hoi their business, not anyoneefe yvr Timas Sk Class Texas Dean Ga ,&M's at ibout the est Cor ight Cor "Over, ould b< iage saic is athletic it is an att The Sc tion frorr tion's teh >PN twi tajor imj reali The Bi ; television iegin in r as offei 2 Big Ei Mondi the Univc ’ech to jc The Bi sible Ri FA • I would like to ask - biMor the fc code of values the same as ip- society's code of values? I'm talking about prejudi against other Aggies onlybea: of their sexual preference, whe actually none of your business. Morality is an individuals Just because you believeitisi moral doesn't mean that its everyone else. Besides, who; you the right to judge a pets I'll answer that for you -I ONE! As far as health, the ns AIDS used to be tied to homo?; als. It is now also tied equal heterosexual people. I think the use of religiontol gue a point is a cop-out of inte® tual argument. I feel theneedti gue some religious points. Fi God has the only right toju£ and say who is right orwro morally not you. Secondly,sod people obviously are saying:' the homosexual students don',:! serve rights like any other hull being. Are you not also saving:, they are different than you orb rior to you? Sure sounds likeit By saying that you havegc against one big thing thatC specifically said about all men: women — love your neighbor you love yourself. That is a b basis of Christianity, at leash'! I've learned. To me, it is very!' ocritical to go against thatm: rule and call yourself a Christ: Thirdly, the Constitution of: United States says ALL men: equal. To think that homosevr don't deserve their rightsa;i what comes from that, feelingt they are inferior is not only! obeying God's rule but also the: tion that we live in today. It is not the people who fight: the rights that they deserve"" are going to ruin this commur: the nation and the world. Thep pie who are going to ruin this::' munity, nation and worldi' those gay bashers, racists and pe pie who can't get over theiro ; ignorance and see past the dit ences in people and acceptth for who they are. Wake up people. Dale G. Wm' Class ci Editor's note: Having adequik covered both sides of this issu' more letters in response to other- ters will appear. The ’ v&M si l ednes beaten l A 12- 23 l alker, student; Gre sconom ^&M s ? alker |fhe nigb WalF btate L tow VS