Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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_4 I^WelIR/W i ^ you n suptR s^/L, ** ?(7T fll ff" D(W4RS> ' TWws/WDS offr^- ^ s . UNQUOTE "We're getting re College evangels I CHRIS I I realize thai SALMON by now the entire Lhb|iiii^ religious right at this school is simultaneous^ praying for my eterna soul while wishing for my timely death in some horrible and poetic way. But I gotta continue to cal xem like I see vem until I either perish or see the light. Since neither option is probable in the nea] future, here goes. If you didn't happen to attend the Brother Jin Revival on the Russell House Patio Thursday anc Friday, ignore the following statement. If you wen there, listen up. Yall outta be ashamed of yourselves! We finally get some worth-while entertainment on this campus and you have to go and ruin it by getting angry How often at USC do we get dinner and a show ii the middle of the afternoon? Let me answer foi you?never. Y*all got worked up and spoiled it foi the rest of us. By getting ugly, yfall turned a bright, sunny day of very specialized stand-up comedy into a screaming match. Of course, there were some noteworthy exceptions. There was the guy who made the observatioi that "this is the most fhn Fve ever had without drugs or alcohol" or the woman who attacked the Reverenc Jim with a very appealing mixture of intelligence and vulgarity. Is it just me, or is there something inherently sexy about a woman who is smart anc LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Man's image, not ( In his April 4 article entitled "Historical tragedies tarnish God's image," Chris Salmon makes ar impassioned case for why we can ignore God. His premise is that God has lost the right to instruct us on how to behave because he has allowed bad things to happen on Earth. Chris' point is clear There is m God-given moral law that we are bound to follow, s( we must make our own. Chris' argmnpnts sureh contain emotional appeal for some readers, but th< logic he employs contains the inherent weaknesses of relativism. His premise self-destructs before th( reader gets past the title. Chris holds that there is no absolute moral law and that we are left to create our own. But if thert is no absolute moral law, Chris cannot say God has done anything wrong! Once Chris begins to use his homegrown moral law to judge the behavior of God and other people, he is assuming his moral law is superior to that which others have made for themselves This type of intolerance is exactly what he purports to loathe. Chris claims injustice is being done in a world where no absolute standard of justice exists In Chris' world view, there is no wrong and no right only differences of opinion. He may not accuse Hitlei or the Christians or homosexuals of being any more right or wrong than he is. Chris attempts the difficult task of proving the unprovable, unable to hide his underlying frustration, hatred and confusion. Chris is convinced the God of the Bible is "toe apathetic" to carry out his promise to relieve the world of tragedy. Such a promise is not found in the Bible. Jesus made it clear that the world, particularly his followers, would be subject to great suffering on Earth. He promised inner peace and the afterlife tc those who take the time to get to know him. The Bible makes clear that tragedy will be used by God to bring people to him and to sift out the weak in cnint PV?rio Anna nnt rooliTo fhvl nmmiooo nn mlml opuiv. V&UUa UVA^O UUV 1UQII/.C VJVA1 piUUUO^O liU 1 vllvl to those who refuse him. Instead, God promises that those who accept him will find new strength to live through tragedy. Chris wants God to perfect the world. God wants to quietly perfect individual hearts. Chris says those involved with the Inquisition and the Crusades were doing God's work, and he lumps them in with Hitler and Stalin as proof that there is no justice in the world. Chris chooses, out oi convenience, to judge Christianity by the behavior of its worst abusers. He fails to recognize that the Inquisition and the Crusades had no basis in the Bible. They were complete aberrations with regard tfV[ TflWlcTIPV ^ fa (Mi Salt. ^ | ady to send a letter to everyone on thai them housing for the fall." Gretchen Koehler-Shepley about students on the housing waiting lisl >t Brother Jim manij t yet, can cuss like a truck-driver? But I digress. h s The point I'm trying to make is these people, r< } along with a few others, watched the Brother Jim's h r per-formance like it was a circus, which it was. The 0] I only thing missing was a half ton of elephant crap J and a troop of obnoxious clowns. Wait a minute? ^ 1 my mistake, we had the clowns. ^ i Now, usually I'm the first to applaud when things ^ r get ugly. There aren't too many things I enjoy more than watching a good old-fashioned screaming match, ^ ? or better yet, an honest to goodness brawl. I Since no one took any frat boy's beer away? ^ - because there wasn't any?I didn't really expect a s' riot; it was just wishful thinking. It's my own fault 1 really. Next time Fll remember to bring a keg to all K J public religious events to keep things bearable. b What I was expecting, however, was a whole lot ti 1 of yelling, and I wasn't disappointed. But even I " was embarrassed at what transpired. a It seems, for some reason, the crowd took it S( personal when Brother Tommy. ..er, excuse me, I ? 1 meant Brother Jim (I can't seem to tell the self> righteous apart sometimes. Once again, my mistake. ^ 1 It won't happen again.) called them whores or , drunkards or masturbators or whatever. 1 As fun as this usually is to watch, I couldn't help ? s but cringe because 1 was embarrassed tor y all. l * I was embarrassed because most people were so mad ^ J they didn't realize they were being manipulated by L > a master. S 1 This particular preacher-man has been doing fi ^nd's has suffered he to the teachings of Jesus Christ. In contrast, Hitler's o and Stalin's deeds were logical results of their v Godlessness. Their actions were entirely consistent with a world view that contains no moral absolutes. Chris says that men, not God, have fought and died for freedom. He insisted on the nobility of Americans who have given their live for the freedom that is "clearly defined in the Constitution." He forgets ( that the framers of the Constitution championed freedom because they believed all humans were equal ( in the eyes of God, which is a concept introduced to the world by Jesus Christ. In Chris' world of no ^ absolutes, freedom holds no particular value. It is only an idea to which Chris assigns importance. It is remarkable Chris would glorify killing others in 1 war merely because they place less value on a particular I idea than he. Chris harbors disdain for those who B have faith in the Bible, and he sees no contradiction s in putting his faith in the Constitution. He should c not forget that even the Constitution rests firmly on ii the shoulders of absolutism. t lnaily, (Jhns says it is cowardly and lame t< to say homosexuality is wrong just because God says o so. Obviously, if God has said so, it would be wise to L fall in behind him on the issue. The fact is, God has said homosexuality is sinful. The Bible says a lot of v > behavior is sinful. True Christians are not intolerant a , of people who sin because Christians believe we are li all sinners. What is difficult for the Christian to fi i tolerate is the celebration of sins. Christians have h s become defensive because homosexuality is another a i sin that has become accented and is even force-fed ' to us by our culture. I i While true Christian intolerance comes in the a > form of sorrow and grief over man's Men state, Chris' o i intolerance leads him to hatred. His lack of knowledge a 1 about the Bible does not stop him from castigating i those who have chosen to accept it. Chris has spent d a lot of energy making up Christian doctrine in order t to hate it. Unfortunately, this is the inevitable result C when we lode everywhere but the Bible for information p about the nature of God. il History shows that tragedy will cause some people n to lean on God and cause others to hate or deny him. To claim God has not kept his promises shows a n misunderstanding of what God has promised. To say tl God does not know suffering is to overlook the life I of Jesus Christ. Chris is wrong. It is man's image p that has been tarnished through tragedies in history. God knows about man's propensity to bring about tragedy. -Man killed Jesus on the cross, and million* t list guaranteeing xilates audience is shtick for 14 years. He knew how you would jact before you knew how you would react. The ard truth, ladies and gentlemen, is you were not tily baited, you swallowed the hook. Think about it: What would his show have been ithout an audience? If he had just started preaching, nm monxr rStmii urnnl/1 Koxm cfavo/1 QQ lnr?CT QQ vaii \JT1 iUUiiJ VI JVU TTVUiU 11UTV VVIAJVV4 UV IVUg WW J v?* id? After four hours, whether or not you agreed ith him became a moot point. By the end, he had le majority of the crowd defending their faith, and e had everybody present thinking, not to mention touting. I hate to be the one to point this out, but he won. [ell move onto the next school and forget about us, ut this campus will remember him for a long, long me. It's important not to look at this indiscretion as defeat, but as a learning experience. Next time omeone thumps a Bible at you, don't play their ame. Use comedy or sarcasm or even-tempered, et vulgar, insults or, better yet, use logic and cynicism, [ell, use anything but the Bible. This book has been visted and interpreted thousands of ways since its reation, and it is of very dubious origins at best, 'ersonally, I still subscribe to the theory that it was rriH-on V?v fViP nritrinnl rVinnfpr nf T.flmHa T.nmHa ,amda at Jerusalem U while they were on acid, coff if you will, but you can no sooner prove my lith wrong than your own right. icause of tragedies if times since then man has crucified Jesus with yords. Adam G. Mersereau First year law student "olleae Renublicans :hallenged Comer's honesty during Board election As a concerned USC student and resident of the Oth Circuit district, the circuit for which former SG 'resident Brian Coma- and former State Rep. Robert dcLellen recently vied for a USC Board of Trustees eat, I think it necessary to set the record straight oncerning the USC College Republicans' involvement n that matter. The Gamecock's April 12 editorial, "Lost election Dr Comer bigger loss for Carolina," misses the mark n one key point? that the College Republicans' 1 x i j u li i:x* n nvoivemeni was Dasea on partisan pontics. The fact of the matter is the College Republicans /ere simply concerned with making the state legislators ware of (and Mr. Comer accountable for) an outright ie on Mr. Comer's part. He was attempting to curiy avor with conservative lawmakers by claiming he ield conservative views while serving as SG President nd presently holds these views. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. riaeea, Mr. uomer aescnoes mmseii as iioerai-ieamng nd has made that fact known through his support f the most liberal elected officials (e.g., Joseph Riley nd Tim Rodgers) and ideals. Political affiliation aside, Mr. Comer would have one well to be more truthJful both with himself and o the legislators he was trying to impress. If Mr. /omer practices such blatant dishonesty to achieve ersonal gain, how can we be sure he wouldn't try t again and again as a voting Board of Trustees aember? In any event, I hope Brian Comer learns to be lore honest in his future dealings, especially when hey concern the well-being of this fine institution, also wish Robert McLellen much success in his new ost on the Board of Trustees. Kevin M. Cannon Marketing freshman Serving (JSC Sin Wendy Hudson, Edi Tina Morgan, View Editorial B Chris Dixon, Martha Hotop, Karen Layne, Rot Ryan Sims, Stephanie Sonnenfeld, Cece von K O P I N I ruram provides to discuss hous The Department of mmmpm Housing is having an open HUIh forum at 8 p.m. today in Housing I the Russell House Theatre. increast People in-the-know such as Dr. Gene Luna and members of his staff will ? i . be there to answer Any rate inc. oi?f should be que: V^UCObiUUO UUVUb ^liV/|A/OVU increases in housing fees. ^ ^ ^S3S^ ^ Many times students allowing us a t hear the words "rate Question tl increase" and immediately decision tempatures start to rise. Why? As college kids with low fo incomes and ever-increasing financial th aid rates, we have to pinch and fight ci for every penny. The proposed rate increase of 3 percent will translate b: into a semester increase of $24-$43 se per student in the residence halls in and $11-$17 per month for those in m r?;i j ?i ioiiiiiy emu giauuatc xiuuauig. ttiuic; ay this, without a doubt, is a substantial st increase, we should look into why tl: this is going on. There is going to be lost revenue oi with the demolition of Burney and di Baker and the renovation in Maxcy will also cost a pretty penny. These w renovations are all in conjunction al with Dr. Palm's plan to create a b "world-class living and learning h environment." Basically they signify b LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Hootie conct parents from r I love my parents. I have not seen si them since Christmas, and they will be ti in Columbia, S.C. for only one day this semester, April 19.1 live on the ii Horseshoe and would like for them to c< nr*wn fn c/v\ mn fkmr non'f T fiwmrvf A u/iiic vu occ iik. vyupo, uicj uui u x iuigui, w someone famous is coming to the w Horseshoe that night, and no guests 01 will be allowed in the Horseshoe g apartments. Is the Pope coming again? n Is President Clinton coming to town? L Nope, ifs...its Hootie and the Blowfish! s< Thank God Rich and Deb D'Alberto a won't be allowed in my apartment that a night. My dad has recently been caught b listening to the Sex Pistols, and my u mom was the one who taught me how it fn mnlrp .TpII-O shffs Tn fart, thpv recentlv b put in an order to Guns and Ammo is magazine for one of those Lee Harvey Oswald-style sniper rifles. Hootie better 1 i watch their asses. But seriously... si I'm as big a Hootie fan as the next a guy, and I very much appreciate si everything they've done for Columbia ir and USC, but they are, after all, just a w band made up of former students. Fm sure if you asked them about this new regulation, they would disagree with it They were once students like us. They The Gamecock We're kee| up-to-date for more sprii "IBatcock Student Media Russell House-USO Colui Wendy Hudson Robbie Meek 1 Editor in Chief Matt Pruitt Tina Morgan Sports Editors Viewpoints Editor Allison Martha Hotop Williams J Cece von Kolnitz sPecial ProJec,s News Editors Karen Layne J Chris Dixon Deanna Di Stephanie McLendon ... Copy Desk Sonnenfeld Ryan Sims Features Editor 0nline ft Ethan Myerson Graphics Editor The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of South Carolina and is published Tuesday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, with T the exception of university holidays and exam periods. L Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the n; editors or author and not those of the University of L South Carolina. j The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of ' Student Media is its parent organization. st Wednesday, April 17,1996 rock c* 1908 tor in Chief points Editor oard >bie Meek, Tyson Pettigrew, Matt Pruitt olnitz, Robert Walton, Allison Williams I O N I AHHAvtimilll i u|i|iui luiiuy sing fees mm] the continuing progress with what is known as afe the Master Plan - the a University's struggle to ' increase al areas of academic life by the year 2001. (Hey, guess where resse they got the year. Justin stioned, cosg you can't remember, ]ey are think about football orum to season.) >ie'r It isn't fair that s students of today have to pay to improve the system r students of tomorrow. Perhaps tere are other areas that could be it to finance the renovations. From the memorandum sent out f the Department of Housing, it ems this is the lowest rate increase i some years. Maybe it still doesn't take it right, but at least they do jpear to be watching out for us as udents while trying to accomplish leir goals. Most importantly, the Department : Housing is trying to keep up to ate with all the changes. Let's bicker over the how's and lay's about the housing rate increase t the forum, but for now let's just a glad they thought enough of us to ave discussion about the subject afore they implemented them. >rt keenine 1 o esident halls Wouldn't receive such preferential eatment. Then why will guests not be allowed 1 Horseshoe apartments during the ancert? Apparently, USC, MTV and ther major bureaucracies feel that rould be unsafe, unsanitary and any ther un-something that sounds like a ood excuse. No one I know, not even ly crazy parents, would want to make ISC lode stupid on nationwide television, 3 why the ban on guests in Horseshoe partments? All my friends, my parents, s well as any other people who might e in my apartment that night love this niversity and would not do harm to s reputation. As long as residents abide y the existing party regulations, what 5 the problem? I ask the administration to put a ittle trust in the students they upposedly support. I ask MTV to put little trust in the generation they opposedly represent Let us have people i our apartments. I promise my parents ill not kill Hootie and the Blowfish. Dan D'Alberto Political science junior ; Viewpoints: )ing you at least two ig issues. 77-7726 sing: 777-4249 77-6482 Chris CarroU mbia, SC 29208 Erector of Student Media Laura Day ryson Pettigrew Creative Director Robert Walton Jeff A. Breaux Photo Editors Ait Director Adam Snyder Sue McDonald [ennifer Stanley Jim Speelmon r\aa\. vjrauuaic /Assistants ennifer Hansen Marilyn Edwards ipka Bhambhani Taylor Asst. Features Marketing Director Achim Hunt Erik Collins Asst. Sports Faculty Advisor [eith Boudreaux Jason Jeffers Circulation Editor Cartoonist Letters Policy he Gamecock will try to print all letters received, etters should be 200-250 words and must include full rme. professional title or year and major if a student, etters must be personally delivered by the author to he Gamecock newsroom in Russell House room 321. he Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letters for yle. possible libel or space limitations. Names will not : withheld under any Circumstances.