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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 2000)
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February 11.2(XK) THE BATTALION Page 3 Testing the waters of faith Religious minorities have trouble finding acceptance at Texas A&M BY JULIA RECINDUS The Battalion T he stereotypical Aggie is assumed to be a conserva tive Republican, have Southern pride, have the desire to “beat the hell outta t.u.” and are Christian. However, not all Aggies lit this description, as evidenced by the fact that out of the 52 religious organizations on cam pus (not including religious fraternities and sororities), six are non-Christian. “I’m white and I’m male, so I've never felt like a minor ity until I came to Texas A&M. 1 don't want to come across as someone who’s complaining about being a religious minority, that’s my choice," said Nathaniel Rich, president of the Texas A&M Universi ty Buddhist Association and a senior philosophy major. Some members of these groups say they have had flyers torn down and thrown in the trash or found their flyers cov ered up. Members of these religious minorities’ organiza tions say this is a common occurrence. Rich said the acts of tearing down flyers and the some times aggressive efforts used in attempting to convert reli gious minorities to Christianity can give the impression that Aggies are insensitive and have no desire to learn more about those minorities. Buddhists learn about the teachings of Buddha. They do not worship him, but rather pay reverence to him and show respect. The goal of Buddhists is to achieve enlightenment— a state of spiritual, moral, emotion al and intellectual perfection. In Buddhist teachings, the pur pose of enlightenment is to help others and to free the individual of all igno rance and negative emotions. “So that in itself is offensive, not so much that [Chris tians] believe it’s their God- ordained right to convert people to Christianity. “If that's what you believe, I respect that, but the way the\ r approach that, the really aggressive'way they want to push it on you other than saying, f you’re interested, come talk to me.' The whole approach implies a lot of disrespect," Rich said. Penny Appleton, president of the A&M Christian Fellowship and a senior animal sci ence major, said the destruction of flyers is obvious ly not “Biblical” and the organization does not condone it. “As Christians, we are commanded to go around and talk to people because we do have the truth and we want to share that with other people. I’m sure we do come off as offensive, but we try not to,” she said. “I could see them doing it [tearing down flyers] out of anger and frustration. Frustration because they don’t understand how [non-Christians] can't see the truth. It's a high possibility that they have a fear of these groups and what these groups are in volved with doing, whether it’s rumors or not,” Appleton said. Amy Moore, a co-chair for the Pagan Stu dent Organization (PSO) and a junior history major, said the PSO has not experienced verbal or physi cal confrontations, but had its organization’s fly ers tom down. “Many think we are anti-Christian, which is not true; we’re just non-Christian. We don't per vert Christian symbols and use them to worshipthe devil. We don't believe in the devil; we don’t be lieve in Hell," Moore said. Moore said she converted to Wicca, one of the most common of the pagan religions, when she was 13. Jennifer Evans, a co-chair of the PSO and a senior biology major said paganism includes many beliefs that are not encompassed by the three major reli gions: Christianity, Judaism or Islam. She said pagans revere life and nature, and to them, divinity is found in everything, from trees to grass as well as in people. They do not specifically worship or believe in a god, but they do believe there is a higher power. “The thing [people] need to keep in mind is, just like Chris tians, pagans are normal people," said Carissa Brown, a co-chair of the PSO and a senior animal science major. "They have nor mal lives, they go to school, they have jobs, they have friends and family. They don't do anything really weird. The only tiling that's different about them is how they worship and who they worship.” Jason Romero, president of die Agnostic and Atheist Student Group (AASG) and a senior psychology major, said he has been approached by those who disagree with the organization’s point of view. Romero said when he spoke in front of the Memorial Student Center on one occasion to make students aware of the organiza tion and to let other atheists know of their presence a fellow A&M student walking by shouted out the words “Jesus loves you!” dur ing Romero’s discussion. “You really have to listen to their tone and the situation. Even though it’s a statement of love on a superficial level, in certain sit uations, it can be an in sult to a certain extent. It’s a very underhanded way of saying you're wrong—nothing more,” Romero said. He added that misun derstandings can be the source of insults, and that these misunderstandings stem from misconcep tions people have about atheism. He said atheism is not a belief system; they do not be lieve in God. Atheism does not tell one how to lead one’s life and there is no definition of right or wrong. Agnostics believe that God, if he exists, is unknown and probably unknowable. “Atheism is not anti-God or anti-religion. An atheist is not an atheist just to piss people off. It’s just an aspect of us as individ uals that fits into all the other things that we believe or don’t be lieve in,” Romero said. Deborah Benisch, vice president of the Hillel Student Asso ciation (HSA) and a senior poultry science major, said she does not feel like a minority nor does she feel threatened because HSA has a large number of members and is close-knit. “If [the members] ever had a problem, the Rabbi is the per son to go to,” Benisch said. Charles Greenwald, president of the HSA and a senior genet ics major, said, “It doesn’t matter what goes on outside [of the group], but what goes on on the inside.” “It w'ould be wrong for people who are Christian to as sume that the lives of those of us who are not are somehow without meaning. “I live a life that is filled with meaning and joy because of the teachings of the Buddha. It is definitely possible to live a very meaningful and happy life without believing in Jesus; you don’t have to,” Rich said. EMILY HARRELL/1 in BATTALION s camp d skills it ^/outdoor cation Stagecenter presents Albee’s ‘Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf ?’ BY JEFF WOLFSHOHL The Battalion G eorge and Martha are a married couple whose relationship is on the brink of disas ter. This situation, ripe with tension, is the focus of StageCenter’s production “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” which explores the relationship between two couples whose unions are in trouble. The younger couple, Nick and Honey, are new- y weds and are visiting George and Martha at their tome. During the course of the play, the characters entangle eachother in a web of lies and deceit. Amy McLaughlin, who plays Honey, said her haracter is the “plain Jane,” mousy-type wife who s financially secure but has a sinister side. “She is deceiving her husband because of the fact that she lied about being pregnant to get mar led,” McLaughlin said. McLaughlin added that Martha is a more evolved version of Honey, who says what she wants when wants. Cathy McWhorter, who plays Martha, said this is has been her most difficult role. “It is complicated because of the huge range of emotions,” she said. Though Martha is a character who can tend to carry a heavy load of emotions to the stage, McWhorter said she wants to construct her own in terpretation. “1 tried to not make her so heavy,” she said. “I want the audience to know why Martha does what she does.” McWhorter said she has a great appreciation for the author of the play, Edward Albee. “‘Who’s Afraid ofVirginia Woolf?' is not just a story, but a study of human nature,” she said. Charles Pitman, who plays Martha’s husband George, said he believes Martha’s character is cru cial to the full understanding of the play. “[Martha] is the central figure, and Cathy has the most important role,” he said. “'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' is not just a story, but a study of human nature” — Cathy McWhorter StageCenter actress Pitman said his character would provide the comic relief if “Virgiiiia Woolf” were a comedy. “[George] bears the brunt of her [Martha’s] crit icism and her disappointment in both of their lives,” Pitman said. George is an associate history professor at a col lege, but is constantly berated by his wife because of his lack of advancement in the department. “He views his life as a failure and his marriage as a failure,” Pitman said. Kurt Swick, who plays Nick, sees the character as a snob. “He is a young husband who got his master’s at 19 and now is a biology professor,” Swick said. “This is a hard character to play because I am noth ing like him. Leah Fletcher, vice president of StageCenter Board of Governors, said much of the cast has known each other for a while. “Cathy and Charlie have been doing shows a long time and have been around each other for a long time which makes them believable [as a cou ple],” Fletcher said. She said George and Martha’s relationship is not unlike the relationships that occur in the real world. “You have a relationship, you have an ideal of what it is, then reality sets in,” Fletcher said. Sometimes, as in George and Martha’s case, people in the relationship are blinded by fantasy and memories of the past. “If you have something you want to achieve in life and you put it on the other person you are in the relationship and expect that person to follow through, you are not being honest [with yourself],” Fletcher said. Pitman said the meeting with George and Martha is a catharsis and purging of the souls for the younger couple. “Edward Albee is an incredible playwright, he put [the play] together like clockwork,” he said. Perfonnances run Thursday through Saturday for the next three weeks at 7:30 p.m. at The The atre. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors, $6 for adults and $4 for children. Call 823-4297 for more information. Hendrix. Van Halen. Fisk. A born risk taker, Eliot Fisk has revolutionized the classical guitar world with his youth and innovative play. Don't miss your chance to find out why Eliot Fisk is recognized around the world as one of the most brilliant and gifted young musical artists of our time. Eliot Fisk, Guitarist Sunday, February 13 at 2 PM Rudder Theatre Immediately following the performance, please join moderator Penny Zent for a discussion with Eliot Fisk. Tickets? Call 845-1234. Or, place your order at opas.tamu.edu. Season Media Partners: yxout Bo, . kdT. 7999' •K?TX 'WAM' KTSR«./ MAC Hospitality presents... (Student Etiquette Dinner Tuesday, Feb. 15 & Thursday Feb. 17 Faculty Club 5:30-8:00 p.m. An expert in the field of etiquette will provide information and helpful hints to use in a formal setting. The meal will consist of seven courses and the cost is $8.00. Tickets may be purchased at the Box Office. Please call 845-1515 with any questions. ~ Dress is business casual ~