The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 11, 1987, Page 4, Image 4
Viewpoint
4 THE GAMECOCK Friday, September 11, 1987
I AMY DELPO Editor in Chief
| STEPHEN GUILFOYLE Copy Desk Chief
rrtf BRENDA BLYTH News Editor
HAL MILLARD Viewpoint Editor
a^L TAMARA WILLIS Features Editor
uameCOCK wayne Washington sports editor
KEITH JONES Photography Editor
| ROBB LANE Graphics Editor
PAULA WOJTOWICZ Beat Editor
IVTru
3111/ TV
Religious leader's choice not
to see none hurts him r^Hoinn
- J? ? J? ? - " * w w m w * j I w < (- vy r t
What good arc religious leaders who arc closcd-mindcd to opposing
religions?
No good at all.
The Rev. Adrian Rogers, president of the Southern Baptist
Convention, will be conspicuously absent when the pope meets
with several religious leaders from all over the world today. He
won't explain his reasons, but by not coming to Columbia, he
seems to be intolerant of other relitzions.
Some of the fundamentalists in South Carolina seem to look
for things to hate or oppose, and the pope's visit is just another
opportunity for them. That is why it is so distressing and
frustrating to find out that the president of one of the largest
Protestant denominations in the nation won't even meet with
the pope.
Whatever happened to the essential Christian values of love
and understanding? By not showing up, Rogers seems to be
working against these values. He beeomes what the Bible teaches
against.
Rogers, in addition to some hypocritical state 'religious'
figures, appears to be opposed to ecumenism, which is what the
papal visit is about.
Ecumenism, whether or not you happen to be religious, is a
beautiful concept of togetherness. It seeks to promote Christian
unity, and if Rogers had decided to come, he could have helped
promote understanding of his religion as well as gain insight into
others.
Thankfully, not all Southern Baptists follow the example set
by Rogers. People within the Baptist community have expressed
dismay at his decision, and many have said they arc welcoming
the pope. Still, however admirable their intents might be, they
aren't enough to eliminate the harm that Rogers has caused to
his denomination by not attending this historic summit among
religious leaders.
Rogers and his group of followers seem to have religious chips
on their shoulders. They also have an unshakable conviction
that their belief's are the only ones that arc real and true.
Rnt?prc i<; miccino uninim I*~~? ?l- t:?'
?0?, ?.? unii^us. v-iioiiv-v, n.7 nicci wiiii umer religions
leaders and teach them as well as learn from them. If he thinks
he is taking a firm stand for his beliefs, he is wrong. Actually,
his decision points to a weakness and a failure to comprehend
fully the basic tenets of Christianity.
When German philosopher Pi iedrich Nietzsche said "God is
dead," perhaps he envisioned in a small corner of his mind people
who would not tolerate each other. The inherent spirit of
God dies a little more in a society where religion is more business
and factionalism than spirit and loving.
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The Staff
Assistant Copy Desk Chief Historian
Andy Bechtel Hobby Jones
Assistant News Kditors Adviser
Todd Nines Bill Rogers j
J Jeff Shrewsbury Director of Stndent Media
Assistant Features Editor Hill ( lemcnis
Eirdous Hamji Production
Assistant Sports Editor think Morris
j Rac l.cigh ^(>" "a .
Assistant Photography hditor Advertising Manner
| Jonathan Williams Margaret Michcls ;
Datebook Fditor Assistant Advertising Manager
Kathcrinc Gilbert Dawn Miller
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TtaOl' Spitballet' Gomes C
A few words to those
I am Catholic. Hear mc roar.
I'm sure a few fundamentalists out (here arc
shaking in their boots. Yeah, the pope is here to- !
uay, anu today is the (Jay they say Catholics arc
supposed to rise up and slay those who oppose us.
I hope you're not scared, though, because the Stcohcil
pope is not the Antichrist. Because Catholics arc
not out to kill anyone. Because they're not out to Cjuilfoylc
My family is in town today to see the pope. My i : v
mother, a very devout Irish woman, has been get- i ting
upset by the garbage and hate that certain fundamcntalists
in this state are spouting.
She called me Thursday, just to talk. And we ??????????????
talked about the pope's visit. She's scared, scared Bible to condemn the pope an
that a really dedicated lunatic will try to hurt the would meet with him.
pope, if not kill him. It says the church has never
Aiui thon Hinni'i !?" '?'I * * :~ r'' '
.? ?.. ..iv. ?uvti 11mjiiilui in / ne niaic remorse or regret tor the cruel
Thursday. It's from the International Committee upon the people of God."
for the Propogation and Defense of Biblical Presbyterians express "remorse o
Fundamentalism. cruelties its founder, John C'alvii
This "international" committee is led by Green- the people of God.
ville resident Hob Jones. You may have heard of And I don't expect them to, bet
his university, where students aren't allowed to ings and tortures are in the past,
listen to rock 'n' roll or wear jeans. And a black they preached hatred and fear, I
student, if he managed to make it in, would not be realized their errors and do not pr
allowed to date a white person or vice versa. anvmnrc
T his ad uses carcfully chosen phrases from the But now groups such as this
Blacks deserve a bettei
Hollywood Shuffle, one of the funniest and I
most important movies of the summer, has return- |
cu to the Columbia area. It you haven t seer, it,
- ivyou
re missing a treat. iijri..
Ever wonder why there haven't been more
movies written, directed or produced by blacks in Sctmucl
which blacks dominated the screen playing positive St'irks
non-stereotypical roles?
If you think it's because there are no blacks JShBmI
desiring such opportunities or because there arc \
few blacks incapable of pcrtorming such roles,
VfMl'ri" u/rnnn '
1
If you think it's because the American movie industry
is institutionally racist, you're right. perience and residuals to create
In recent years, however, two young black film- fie, which pokes fun Hollywoo
makers ? in their attempts to fight Hollywood's blacks.
discriminating nature ? have daringly gone Until Hol/ywt .d Shuffle, Tow
against the odds of the movie industry and won. written a script or directed bel
In 1986 it was Spike I.ec's She's Gotta Have It, a Murphy and major Hollywood s
low-budget, comedy/drama about a young him to direct big-budget projects,
women's relationship with three men. I.ee said he ed a deal with Warner Brother
made his film for an audience he thought was movies.
desperate for a good movie featuring blacks. The
movie was a big hit for the 27-year-old filmmaker, Hxpressing his real-life lrustati<
grossing millions. industry's treatment ol blacks, I
I.ee's second movie, School Daze, is scheduled his low-budget production, whicl
for release in I fhriiiirv ' 1
nays over mrcc years as money b
In I9K7, Robert lownsend's hit Hollywood Me does a great job of playing
Shuffle will bring further attention and better op- young black actor who wants to gi
portunitics to black actors and filmmakers. Jivetime Jimmy's Revenue, a m<
Townsend, 30, known for his roles in A Soldier's gangs.
Story and American f lyers, used his acting ex- After getting the role because o
UllITlVft^lr V* iTV I r^
jjujiug wuuhs mi mull
1 sold my car the other day.
I had to; I needed the money for books this '
semester.
This book business is getting a bit out of control. CXll St
Silliness runs amok in the literary arena at "good _ _ ^
oiu wny must a young person, a person Editorial Ww
pursuing such a noble cause as higher education, be
so horribly abused financially, especially when he S Philip i&m
or she is a very nice person? ? , " . Ewf
It's true, by and large, that college students are l^tH'UclCl
decent folk. I hey all get together, hang out on u?mmmmmmmmmmm
campus, talk about this and that, make fiicnds,
write to their mothers, take their Mintstones
vitamins, and just try to learn stuff.
nut every semester it happens. Har?dee-har-b.u!
The big, old nasty bookstore monster creeps out For example, my experience \
from its hole under the Russell Mouse and swallows beasts is that if you lay out a ban
these poor, innocent, virtually defenseless in brand spanking new sociology te>
dividuals whole ? money and all. Do you think the on lining your Levi's with a cou|
bookstore really gives a hoot that we have to tell Lincoln's pretty face on them and
mom and dad we've decided to give up food this of Washington's thrown in for goo
fall because the 32 books we have to have for our end of the semester. If you're lu
anthropology class has run us a tidy $230.03? low-cut blouse, the man who hi
And how do these people justify their high-sea back may be so inclined to thro\
piracy? What do they do to make amends? What chantte.
do they do to make it all better? They tell you (with The way I figure it, he's just wai
exclamation points mind you) that you can sell so-lovely coed to tell him she's a
your hooks hack at the end of the school year. smell of Hen Ciay and the extra 45 c
;
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l\^rv.
against the pope
TI?"""""" begun to prcach hatred again. That ad, to use its
own words, "docs not represent Biblical Chris- A
nanny," and "is no Gospel."
Gospel means good news, and a statement of
hatred such as this ad has no good. It is no gospel.
^ ke*4^njHE Jesus only made one specific commandment in
y JlS the New Testament.
f? When asked which of the Ten Comm Jmcnts
L was most important, he said, "My new cc .nmandmcnt
to you is M ove one another, as I have loved
Iyou.'" He said we should do many things; only
? J*once did he make a command, and that command
was "Love."
There is no more important a statement in the
d all those who Bible than that simple command. All his life, John
Paul II has loved mankind. All that men like those
"expressed any who ran the ad have done is preach hatred.
ties . . . inflicted "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
I never heard Jesus said to the crowd wishing to stone an
ir regret" for the adulterous woman. None in the crowd could have
ii, indicted upon cast that stone. But Jesus, born without sin, coulcj
have condemned und killed that woman. A
;ause those burn- He chose not to condemn. He chose to free the ^
A long time ago, woman. "Go?and sin no more," he told her when
but the churches the crowd disappeared.
each such hatred Maybe those who placed this ad can learn a
lesson and love instead of hate. If not, I truly pity
committee have them.
r image in movies
"more black" than any of the other actors auditioning
for the part, Bobby finds that the role
* I doesn't suit him and quits.
? In an article in Interview mau37inc
_ _ - | I VTT 1IOVI1U
expliancd how he frequently receives calls to play
pimps, slaves and rapists. He said he is also conjt
stantly asked to read lines such as "I ain't be got no
m Mnm weapon," and "I sho' 'nuff be happy today."
Jfl Playing such roles could make him lots of
mH money, but would mean nothing if he is not
Hil respected, he said.
Townsend goes all out in his satire of the movie
industry. During a daydreaming scene, Bobby enHoUywood
Shu/- visions what it would he linia? 1 -
|>iu; 11IV lltlVI <11 IU lO
d's treatment of win an Academy Award. He imagines being cast as
Superman, King Lear and Rambro: The First
.nsend had never Youngblood.
ore. Now Lddic Although the humor is plentiful, so too arc the
tudios are asking politics that inspired Townscnd. If you see
He recently sign- Hollywood Shuffle give some thought to the
s to direct three message behind the humor; it is an important part
of the movie.
Townsend says his objective was to educate the
ms with the film ignorant and to create a movie about integrity,
ownsend stars in
1 ?UfK * 1 * k 4 '
. 111 it iviovigoers must show their support for aspiring A.
ccamc available. moviemakers such as Townscnd and I.ce so they
(lobby Taylor, a will continue to drive on. We must show a demand
:t the lead role in and an interest in movies that positively depict
>vie about street black life. If we do not, American television and
film may never get beyond the mostly negative
I his ability to be stereotypical black roles.
lying, nasty chore
ticket into her heart.
Another thing about the bookstore that tends to j
be rather annoying is that no matter how hard you
try, no matter what precautions you take, you'll
always manage to see that once-loved one. Of
Ife course, when the two of von mcki mi ?
_ J ...v?| ;wu II JUJI lld()p"!r
pen to be flipping through the full-color illustrated
history of the great dinosaurs or something equally fP
intellectually stimulating. And you know the person
has never looked better (including the half year
you dated steady) than at the moment when she
rushed to the bookstore wearing "anv old thino I
' mtSBSSKmSm . . -
_ ? o '
| could find."
It just so happens that this "any old thing" is an
vith these hook evening gown.
dsomc $32 for a Ah, but like all other things that mankind has to
ct, you can plan deal with, this experience too will come to pass. So
pie of bills with after you've learned all there is to learn about the
maybe a couple once great tyrannosaurus rex, made a complete
d measure at the jerk of yourself with the "ex" and proceeded to
cky and wear a hand over the mortgage to the old ranch, vnn mm/
lys these books consider yourself finished with the book-buying ex- f)
v in some extra perience at USC.
ting for that oh- That is, of course, if you don't count accidentalIways
loved the ly hearing the ex ask the old guy what cologne he's
ents was just the wearing.