Budget creates havoc at Lowell - The Lowell

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LawclhHiglj SclwctL OPINION November 19,1993
Looking through Bihle-colored glasses
CJ "The Bible has evolved from the holiest of books into a tool of oppression "
By Vicente Viray
This could be
the stmy of your
evvryday John Doe,
a run-of-the-mill,
disgruntled,
ctown-smt-clad.
armed and dangcrou* time bomb
ready to explode.
John's parents were typical icvn •
agers who just happened to In* living
at a time when fundamental Chnslian
ways uominatrd society. Iking
the raying hormones Out they were,
they didn't absuiin from prt* marital
sex. Hut nt lea« the. did remember
ilkHr church's stand against birth control.So,
when Mrs. Doc found out she
was pregnant, there was only one
option. Abortion WAS obviously out
of the question (even (hough .she v--as
a dirt-poor, jobless, high schooldropout
with no mcam of supporting
the child) because every C'odf-MringOimtian
know;it it murder.
And, she couldn't have the child out
of wedlock Itecjtusc: that would make
her baby n bastard in the eyes of her
church. Her only choice was to m:irry
Mr. Due.
The marriage was clearly a mistake,
but they stuck with it because
their church pleached i-damantly
against divorce. Aside fmm the f.ut
that their s«.iiU"ii''rt'f)tly.iit.N with a gun
pointed (ohishcad. i cligioits fundamentalism
had a positive c[t.\l on
their live?, didn't it?
Christian fundamentalist is
•l,..^;t...d^iitc.^i.1uM...,,.,ii r
Ilic Bible. 1 laving studio 1 .it vi.-ry.oii
wrrvalive privateschools. 1 have fust•
hand experience with liie wnidei %f>l
fundamentalism. It's not every day
that someone is blessed by their
(t'.i.-hr>A initial on ihlty i"a uvr l(ii iniitlctant'-". I In hiU'
"vittdni.idcAJamand |\r.i»i1 i\d.ini
and jteve" is no lunger euhi'-ivi ly
adu;>Uitil lo in.iki- iti-ii pliobi.i
jv.tr hnl*>k. (iroupsMuh .i> the K
.»•»aiin.-.iiiMit r,utoiwii/>ii£ ihi'ir lute
.ritur*. {l'v nl the K!.in'-i tii'Tv C,r-
>ttivec\viise^(uran'i-M-n[iUMiu'th.it
tile )ews kil'eii (iluN, ihetchwe tlv:y
shuulil (vpuni^vd
'flu' hible fu> cxnlvcvl Itom ibe
lioliol ol ^VH^^^ ,irc
-ion. All -.1 t'igul lias in Ji> i- ojt.ii it
'/^/fe
up and magically jur.iify lir. or ht-r to lake every wntd "f it literally, *.ve
prejudices. The right iv-rigluitniade w-uitdMiI!lvi>|'CMti"i( i iiiidrrairVyc
sinuer-i out nl !hif< who don't mu fur til r)v( tooth tor •» t.'i>t!i" svslem
font! to theii idtMv ff imtKi'.polyv^tit^y wuiiid Ix'iinathiukiog
tn the pitbull' f right uptahli" practue. and th>.'K'Jting ol
win;; Chri'.li.ins. Urapan a:*..! IUJ'.I'I chitdrt-n W.HIKI U- '.»kav. jt;^t as Inng
i'Hith refused to grant lam ilvpiai'.iniu: .is.(parent ti-ievta^iirkt!) perform the
ilinitLiny I'orii' •>! piv.'tntiuitt >uU- ,.t
.ILIIAIIKII: li ih-.-v i!i%tiihu-i'd (MHI j ;:n r,'>' I'.iHuig lor ttic abolition
phli-lM'ti.it>i>iiion.n,)ivatrra-;MJi]t i>i leti;; r.oi ill.- Mippu-s'imt uf
tcciia^cis %tip;v>vi\l in n-.tki' VC'IM' 1 !-: liitbl-winj; "h(is!t.ipid»M'; llnww.
dt\tiions it tio inti:i:n,ii:.'>r. is a«aii weava uww ^•nccit (>••.!( p.tcvpltns
I.1-. .in i.dli iti( !• •: .iln>i ti-n: -i. .-li .j»i .Turn \s'vl)i.i tl'i • .ir. 1 ,i|'p!ji.'f>li.iitlwi
topnt ci Itnilt (oitirol ! 1K\ in vvi-iViUH 1 - V.L -.tit'till! in>; try !u
adsotv. v-liu .fv ilKjp'ibie vi
*Ilie IJ'.l'U*. in lt-lf. tv •.*"»! evil. In tiinn^ht. Hul. humant .in* more sot.tti,
ii -j ijuile a t.i'on.iMii.; j-uve ••! ji|usticjti-i(.f >;u rc;|VUMbililvlies!ii
liter all* re, bdt n 'viil: vj, violeiKe dcllnir,^ •-i)'.iu uid 'Mom*. fi«i MIK
U!ul ijl«TkislK\l. lli'.ii'wi, :l \M. wt-n- si-hi^.tml r."* loi ' trom toreeitinj;
whtvil' iT ^M^d. |
TIKIV .:re iho^ ^h.v >:r^->y peiiij! 1
t'.iirr iiiiHui^ \ui ti:*. 1 :- .IR 1 lev. and tj: \
between. Even il:e iiiosi uTuw-iilabkr i
of heioe-i now get dragged rnutinely I
through the mud. Americam s^r^I j
thev iliould Iv perfect rob modi Is,
paragons ot virtue. ;«*id nvo, that we • ^—
.ire anxious to destroy their repata- J - fly
lions. V%V 'isc cc-lcbrity role models as
excuses Jar utjruwji faults. In essence :„ •_
\%\* «y that •••war,: not perfect 1K\JU.M*
i»ir :nle ii nijel'i J:>" rn:1 pi - rt>'\'.
Take Michael luuLm. Jordan itn
nu:iy years could do nn ",v:i IMJ-i;i ;!ie
eye> i»f;henv.'dta. Children chankd
thai Uir. wanted "to be like MiLr."
liowevec, when h'v, painb'ini; pruH-
1( lawycis pT capita of any
nation in the wi»r!d.
Role Models Downs
(and som^wtier&4t>-betw««nsi
Msrcia Brady - -- The crototypfcal t£erry-tcw;-crsit