How to Deal with Ultra-Left Academia

[Adam's Apple]

A Donor with Backbone
By Walter E. Williams
March 21, 2007

The College of William & Mary's Wren Chapel cross issue is simply the tip of a much larger problem. For decades, college administrators and professors have sanctioned or participated in an attack on traditional American values. They've denied campus access to military recruiters, promoted socialism and attacked capitalism, and instituted race and sex quotas in admissions and in the awarding of scholarships. They've used their positions of trust to indoctrinate students with anti-Americanism. Despite this attack, taxpayers and private donors have been extremely generous, pouring billions upon billions of dollars into institutions that often hold a generalized contempt for their values.

Mr. McGlothlin is to be congratulated for his courage in taking a stand against this liberal attack on American values. Other wealthy donors ought to emulate Mr. McGlothlin's courage by withholding their donations to colleges that foster or sanction attacks on traditional American values and decency. While it's a bit more difficult, since their money is taken from them, taxpayers ought to rebel as well by pressuring their legislators.

for full article:
http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/articles/07/donor.html

 

[Black Lance]

I am inclined to agree. Why the government continues to fund extreme left institutions which exist merely to denounce the very fabric of our society remains a mystery to me if the explanation is not simple incompetence.

By the way Adam's Apple, I am curious about your signature. Would you support using nuclear weapons in retaliation for a snowball attack, as the logic of your signature seems to imply?

 

[maineman]

I, for one, wonder about the strength of faith of any so-called Christian whose faith comes under assault when visible symbols are removed from his or her field of view. Is their faith so weak that it must be bolstered by images of crosses and tablets of commandments and creches at every street corner, on every wall, in every square and public building or they will somehow forget their risen Lord?

I know who Jesus is and He knows who I am...and I am sure that were I to suddenly go blind and not be able to see the symbol of His crucifixion, I could still find Him just as easily in my heart... as easily as He could find me.

 

[jasendorf]

Oh no! A donor has stopped donating because a cross was taken down... whatever will the evil liberal academia dooooooooo?

 

[Black Lance]

Oh no! A donor has stopped donating because a cross was taken down... whatever will the evil liberal academia dooooooooo?

Perhaps the better questions is: Oh no, a poor atheist saw a crucifix! Will his skin turn to dust now or is sunlight also required?

 

[Black Lance]

I, for one, wonder about the strength of faith of any so-called Christian whose faith comes under assault when visible symbols are removed from his or her field of view. Is their faith so weak that it must be bolstered by images of crosses and tablets of commandments and creches at every street corner, on every wall, in every square and public building or they will somehow forget their risen Lord?

I would question the strength of faith of such person also maineman. Yet the purpose of such monuments are not neccesarily to remind us all to be good Christians.

 

[Annie]

I, for one, wonder about the strength of faith of any so-called Christian whose faith comes under assault when visible symbols are removed from his or her field of view. Is their faith so weak that it must be bolstered by images of crosses and tablets of commandments and creches at every street corner, on every wall, in every square and public building or they will somehow forget their risen Lord?

I know who Jesus is and He knows who I am...and I am sure that were I to suddenly go blind and not be able to see the symbol of His crucifixion, I could still find Him just as easily in my heart... as easily as He could find me.

Ah but you were raised in a Christian atmosphere, without a crucifix I'm sure, but with a cross. You were given the signposts early and as you say, they were burned upon your heart/soul, made part of your psyche.

 

[maineman]

so in today's increasingly polycultural world, why do we NEED to hang onto such vestiges from a less diverse era when they serve no real purpose in the life of anyone's faith? Jesus suggested we turn the other cheek.... do we instead stick out our chests and demand to display OUR religious symbols while neglecting the symbols of other more recent arrivals to our lands? Is that really what Jesus would have us do?

 

[maineman]

Ah but you were raised in a Christian atmosphere, without a crucifix I'm sure, but with a cross. You were given the signposts early and as you say, they were burned upon your heart/soul, made part of your psyche.

and I do not feel compelled to thrust them in the faces of every American muslim and buddhist and Jew just because there are more Christians then there are their kind. The cross of Jesus is burned into my heart and soul and his message of peace and love and turning the other cheek and crossing over to the other side of the road to HELP someone of another faith rather than demand they acknowledge the preeminence of MINE is also burned into my heart and soul.

 

[Bern80]

Well when I was in college a couple friends and I decided to start an on campus organization to combat liberal acadamia. We founded Students Fostering Conservative Thought. We wanted to call it Fostering the University's Conservative Knowledge but figured we wouldn't get away with that. It became one of the fastest growing clubs on campus and is still going strong.

 

[Annie]

so in today's increasingly polycultural world, why do we NEED to hang onto such vestiges from a less diverse era when they serve no real purpose in the life of anyone's faith? Jesus suggested we turn the other cheek.... do we instead stick out our chests and demand to display OUR religious symbols while neglecting the symbols of other more recent arrivals to our lands? Is that really what Jesus would have us do?

Actually, since the 'other religions' have so many secular choices, why should the non-secular need to capitulate? Because they are being 'forced' to. Truth is, Christianity and Judaism are not acceptable, Islam and atheism are ok.

 

[Black Lance]

so in today's increasingly polycultural world, why do we NEED to hang onto such vestiges from a less diverse era when they serve no real purpose in the life of anyone's faith? Jesus suggested we turn the other cheek.... do we instead stick out our chests and demand to display OUR religious symbols while neglecting the symbols of other more recent arrivals to our lands? Is that really what Jesus would have us do?

First of all, given his repeated statements that he was the only way to salvation, I highly doubt that Jesus walked around with a little statue of Zeus hanging from his neck...

Second, since freedom of religion extends to all religions, we cannot constitutionally discriminate betweenthem in terms of legal rights, so it's a zero or nothing game. Either all can be displayed or none can. That being said, not all are of the same significance to our social fabric and history, and as such some merit display and recognition more than others.

 

[maineman]

First of all, given his repeated statements that he was the only way to salvation, I highly doubt that Jesus walked around with a little statue of Zeus hanging from his neck...

Second, since freedom of religion extends to all religions, we cannot constitutionally discriminate betweenthem in terms of legal rights, so it's a zero or nothing game. Either all can be displayed or none can. That being said, not all are of the same significance to our social fabric and history, and as such some merit display and recognition more than others.

in case you forgot, Jesus was a Jew, so I doubt that he would have cared then, nor cares now about such symbols without the works of faith that go before it.....


and are you suggesting that the cross in the chapel was there much like a objet d'art in a museum, and your issue is one of being upset at the removal of an historical exhibit, or are you suggesting that the cross is, in fact, a spiritual icon.

And if so.... I suggest, as I did before, that those Christians who feel compelled to be able to look upon the iconography of THEIR faith at every turn in life are pretty shallow petty Christians.

 

[Annie]

in case you forgot, Jesus was a Jew, so I doubt that he would have cared then, nor cares now about such symbols without the works of faith that go before it.....


and are you suggesting that the cross in the chapel was there much like a objet d'art in a museum, and your issue is one of being upset at the removal of an historical exhibit, or are you suggesting that the cross is, in fact, a spiritual icon.

And if so.... I suggest, as I did before, that those Christians who feel compelled to be able to look upon the iconography of THEIR faith at every turn in life are pretty shallow petty Christians.

Well not exactly. Though I would say that I have been able to handle Mary in elephant dung, 'My Sweet Lord' in chocolate, without offering death threats. If my school, church, university wished to continue a tradition of a crucifix or cross, especially if it were 'private', can't see where that crosses some line. Much less so than the 'Danish cartoon caper' in MSM media, few reprints, but lots of death threats and capitulation by media. That the 'world' you are going for Maineman?

 

[Dirt McGirt]

We wanted to call it Fostering the University's Conservative Knowledge but figured we wouldn't get away with that.

HAHA.

Reminds me of this...

 

[maineman]

Well not exactly. Though I would say that I have been able to handle Mary in elephant dung, 'My Sweet Lord' in chocolate, without offering death threats. If my school, church, university wished to continue a tradition of a crucifix or cross, especially if it were 'private', can't see where that crosses some line. Much less so than the 'Danish cartoon caper' in MSM media, few reprints, but lots of death threats and capitulation by media. That the 'world' you are going for Maineman?

are you hyperbolically suggesting that I would prefer a world where folks threatened each other with death over silly symbols to a world where we were all respectful of each other's beliefs and faith journeys and tried to not be confrontational for the sake of relatively meaningless iconography?

no. I would prefer the latter, thank you.

 

[Annie]

are you hyperbolically suggesting that I would prefer a world where folks threatened each other with death over silly symbols to a world where we were all respectful of each other's beliefs and faith journeys and tried to not be confrontational for the sake of relatively meaningless iconography?

no. I would prefer the latter, thank you.

Actually, I was not offering hyperbole. Seems that only Christians and Jews are supposed to 'take it.'

 

[maineman]

I really could care less about other people's acceptance of me or my faith.... Jesus was pretty clear what I am supposed to do. Are you suggesting that Christians get to abandon the teachings of Jesus to turn the other cheek and to forgive our enemies seven times seventy times in order to keep our icons in front of everyone's faces?

 

[Annie]

I really could care less about other people's acceptance of me or my faith.... Jesus was pretty clear what I am supposed to do. Are you suggesting that Christians get to abandon the teachings of Jesus to turn the other cheek and to forgive our enemies seven times seventy times in order to keep our icons in front of everyone's faces?

Are you suggesting the 'turning the other cheek' is an excuse for annihilation?

 

[maineman]

Are you suggesting the 'turning the other cheek' is an excuse for annihilation?

no I am saying that turn the other cheek makes more sense that throwing a hissy fit about a cross in a chapel.