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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 17165
[Religious]
Date Posted:
1/28/2007
10:55:38 am EST
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Comments: 15
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Society Withholds Fair Treatment Of Christians (Letter)
Author: The Rev. Ralph W. Howe Source: Rutland Herald (VT)
Title: SOCIETY WITHHOLDS FAIR TREATMENT OF CHRISTIANS
When I wrote this paper on Christmas Eve about bigotry directed toward Christians, I was referring to editorial choices. Since then, I have noticed a marked shift to reporting on Christians in a more balanced way. Thank you.
When we report only negative things about a group and seek out commentary by their foes and critics, without giving the group a full opportunity to speak from the deepest convictions which they hold, we are either into mud-slinging politics or bigotry.
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Community Thoughts: There are 15 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Yup, That's What It Takes To Judge On A Personal.. | Jan 29th. at 7:52:59 pm EST
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karrie9 (Kenosha, Wisconsin) - Email Me - Web
...basis.
A little digging goes a long way.
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| Read This More Closely | Jan 29th. at 3:09:18 pm EST
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Terry (Irvington, Virginia) - Email Me
I can't find the original cited letter in this or its sister paper's free archives or pay archive search results, but there is an interesting series of comments and reply letters more enlightened than are found in many papers.
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
(Note, apparently free article access exists for 2 weeks, and apparently not everything gets archived on the 3rd party external pay service this pair of papers contracts.)
It's no more bigotry directed against xtians to demand they obey valid laws, than it is to demonize carjackers or other armed robbers for their violent crimes.
If one reads Rev. Howe's letter carefully, it's clear that he's using his sect's "code speak" to chastise a public school official for discussing compliance with the law in our diverse society, while demanding that illegal discrimination be an abusive social norm as well as public policy in his region's public schools, in violation of the law: "I would encourage all Christians to pray for Amses that he may come to self-awareness, repent and experience the forgiveness of God for himself, because the Christian God is loving and forgiving; one who seeks out those living in bitterness and hatred to bring them into peace and joy through faith."
One may raise questions of the historic and theological fraud in which Rev Howe engages, but that's his right, so long as he keeps it separate from the government actions he's attempting to cause, and perhaps also prevents using that bigotry as a problematic form of common child abuse. Rev. Howe in crossing the line attempting to organize a conspiracy to deprive neighbors of their civil rights by illegal public school policies and practices has made himself the equivalent of a violent criminal conspirator. He's doing the equivalent of operating a school and tool store to enable and educate carjackers, and so deserves to be seen as part of a criminal conspiracy, even if he's stopped from graduating his first student.
When an estimated half of the over hundred million self identified xtians in the USA identify as rabid fundies of various sorts, and our economic and political systems are such that even liberal xtians end up indirectly enabling the criminal conspiracy inclined rabid types, it's nearly impossible to draw lines and say where promotion of illegal government gunpoint and funding backed discrimination ends, and lawful, liberal versions of xtian religion start. There likely is no such line, with even many secularists and pagans indoctrinated to view societal practices reflecting subconscious, institutionalized bigotry as if norms contributing to and enabling the illegal government practices Rev. Howe demands. Just as all too many Arab groups have experienced in recent years, ethical and non-child abuse oriented xtians and xtian sects need to proactively present themselves as actively opposing Rev. Howe's style of abuses and illegal actions, if they wish to not be lumped into the larger mass of religions and people identifying with the xtian brand, who by effect even if not conscious intent do conspire to deprive neighbors (and often themselves) of civil rights.
In Vermont, there are historic roots to Connecticut's theocratic government, until it nominally ended in 1818 and secularized for real in the second state Constitution as of 1965. Unlike open bigotry in much of the South and midwest, overt discrimination of the type Rev. Howe promotes is much less present in the Northeast, but there are many lingering prejudices from historic state church days which continue as institutionalized culture not seen or understood as the biases and prejudices they are by many people indoctrinated with them as if merely social norms. Those biases and discrimination based on them are just as much overdue to flush from government as the open, malicious, politically promoted unConstitutional policies of Southern states.
It's very difficult to specify certain religions to be defective, while promoting compliance with Constitutional standards. Rev. Howe appears to be among those supremacist predators, which help to clarify that while it's nearly impossible to define "good" religions other than for oneself, any "one right way" predatory supremacist religion makes itself a "wrong way" relative to the functional needs of kids, and Constitutional issues of public policy, in our diverse society.
While a newspaper might invite xtian preachers to comment on their theology, that doesn't mean they get a free pass to avoid the critical review over issues of fraud or error or alternate views, when not even their own clergy or historians would agree with Rev. Howe's claims.
==
As an aside I noticed while searching for the prior cited editorial and subsequent commments, consider the article linked below. The issues it raises are a fence on which I fall on both sides (not the middle) , of yoga in schools retaining historic spiritual purity, versus being secularized as an American health practice legal for schools. Those challenging Hindu roots I suspect are functionally illiterate in the many (hundreds of) forms of yoga, and its use by many religions which are not Hindu, or which have such varied paths that the sitting and breathing from Buddhist Ati yoga might be seen as something entirely different than the Hindu based Hare Krishna street dances, and neither anything like raising the sexual energy of Kundalini, or the postures based secularized forms this article discusses.
As an issue of public policy, rational basis tests would give far more weight to medical experts (eg, "stress reduction" teachers at Duke medical center borrowing some religion developed techniques for nonreligious human health skills) , than to any supremacist hate cult preacher, especially one demonstrating less than superior literacy in world religions as well as emotional and physical health of humans.
As someone with family ties to Vermont, I find its form of religious tradition an odd crossover of some pagan and xtian roots. It's a very wealthy state, but with most wealth inthe land, and not liquid forms of Wall Street faith based value. That connects people to the Earth, rather than distances them as money is used to do in much of our corporate culture. It also requires a sensitivity and interaction with nature and seasons, or the invested value there can be lost, parts of that including physical exercise absent in many career paths. I wonder if Rev. Howe is aware of those balances of nature which are far more prevalent in his state than in many?
Find More info -- HERE
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| Yes, He's Right | Jan 29th. at 10:07:04 am EST
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Erihu (Sunset Beach, North Carolina) - Email Me
that perceptions of a group should not be based on what a few of them do. And he's right that if you want to know what a group does/believes, you should go to the source, not someone of an opposing group. I have to wonder, though, if he feels the same way about his group (Christians) doing the same thing to Pagans. How fair would that be? Maybe he wouldn't do that, personally. I don't know if he would or not, but too many do. And I didn't see any reference to that in his editorial.
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| He's Right | Jan 29th. at 9:26:21 am EST
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Mysteries Child (Garfield, Arkansas) - Email Me
Tarring a whole religion with the brush of a handful-- even a massive screaming heaping double handful-- of doodooheads isn't right.
I don't go around calling Pagans cat-killing demon worshippers, even though I've met some that are.
I don't go around calling West Virginians (or Arkansans) toothless inbred idiotic hicks, even though I've met some that are.
I've learned not to go around calling Christians crazy murderous cultist freaks, even though I've met some that are.
People are people. Some are good, and some suck. We're a living, breathing mass of moral ambiguity.
So, everyone please put down the tar and the brushes, and let's use the feathers to stuff some pillows and have a good old-fashioned pillow fight instead of trying to kill each other. OKAY?!?!
**For the record, it would be appreciated if the reasonable rest would strongly encourage that screaming heaping double handful of so-called Christian idiots to participate in the peace process. Thank you in advance.**
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| Also | Jan 29th. at 7:37:12 am EST
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karrie9 (Kenosha, Wisconsin) - Email Me - Web
Although all monotheistic religions/denominations/factions claim that only they have the one right true way and God...we should also judge on an individual basis.
...
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| WAHH WAHH WAHH.... | Jan 29th. at 4:44:30 am EST
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Whitewolf (Schenectady, New York) - Email Me
doens't feel so great when shoe is on the other foot, does it?
Love to all
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| When Will He Discover | Jan 28th. at 7:46:46 pm EST
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Aidan Odinson (Collingdale, Pennsylvania) - Email Me - Web
Equal rights means exactly that - equal.
"Equal" does not mean your kind has more than mine. It means that your kind and mine share equally.
Would he want "equality" that would allow me to force Pagan ways on him?
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| Fair Treatment Is The Last Thing They Want. | Jan 28th. at 4:04:17 pm EST
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Libertarian (Langley, Washington) - Email Me - Web
I don't know if this minister is a fundie or not but he would appear to be. Also we don't know the content of the letter he's talking about. He doesn't say what he considers to be bigotry. And by the way, what is society anyway ? How can society grant or withold anything? Only individuals or groups of individuals can act or choose not to act fairly or otherwise. This guy may be one of those folks who believe that your being unfair if you wish him a happy holiday rather then a merry christmas.
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| Just Another Spin Doctor At Work. | Jan 28th. at 2:16:43 pm EST
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
The only reason the xtians are up in arms about all of this is the fact that the non-xtians among them finally chose to demand their Constitutional rights concerning their own way to worship and celebrate their own holidays. And they also grew tired of having xtian beliefs pushed at them and being considered evil and being told they are going to hell, because of their differences. Worse for them, the "evil nonbelievers" have grown in numbers over time and threaten their majority now. All of this malarkey is because they are seeking to get back on top again.
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| ... | Jan 28th. at 2:07:16 pm EST
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Draken (Bronx, New York) - Email Me - Web
Wah f**king wah. The christians are getting the same kind of treatment from the media that many Pagans got from those same christians for a few decades and they're crying about it.
Hey Mr. Howe, you'd fit right in with the emo crowd.
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