Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2016
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 5A
Let the games begin!
The medal count has begun, and athletes
from all around the world are hoping for
their best at the Olympic games in
Rio.
Summer Olympics have held little
interest for me in the past, but I’ve
kind of been drawn in to the swim
ming and gymnastics competitions
this year. I am amazed at what these
men and women are able to do with
their bodies.
My immediate family is not much
for sports. My brother played Little
League baseball a few times, but his
niche was more music and electron
ics/technology oriented. He grew
up to be a software engineer and a
musician.
I tried one year to play girls soft-
ball, but I was terrified of trying to catch a
ball falling from the sky, or thrown in my
direction. I didn’t make it through the first
season. I still haven’t decided what I want
to be when I grow up, but I’m pretty sure it
won’t involve sports.
Last week I confessed my inability to run
and dribble a ball at the same time, so bas
ketball was out for me. Back in those days,
cheerleading wasn’t considered a sport,
though I could rock some pom poms like
a boss. I liked playing kickball in school,
but that was about the extent of my sports
involvement.
My daughter played soccer for a year, but
she was not particularly athletically inclined
either. Saturdays in the fall will find me
sometimes watching the Georgia games, but
a good clearance sale at Hobby Lobby is
just as exciting. My one and only Braves’
game was so long ago I can hardly remem
ber it, at the old Fulton County stadium. I
went with my youth group from church, and
the only thing I can remember about it was
sitting way up high in the nosebleed section,
and that someone’s car was damaged by the
debris from the fireworks after the game.
Perhaps if my brother, or my daughter,
or my husband had been huge sports fans,
I would have become more engaged. My
grandchildren haven’t yet shown any affin
ity for organized sports. They all did a year
or two of softball and T-ball, but lost interest
pretty early. It was a hoot watching the tiny
little kids trying to get through a game.
At any given point during the game, there
would be one or two kids sitting on the
ground playing in the dirt, chasing bugs,
or examining something fascinating inside
their gloves. One game came to a complete
stop when a fire truck went flying down
the highway with sirens blaring and lights
flashing.
If a train would happen by during a game,
or a low-flying airplane passed over, the
cathy
watkins
bennett
game would be forgotten.
My grandson really didn’t like the part
where he had to stand out in the
field. One time he said he needed
to go potty. The Porta-Potties
were right outside the fence, so
we let him go alone. He stayed
gone a little too long, so I went
to check on him. There he sat,
inside the smelly plastic cubicle,
just sitting. I asked him if he had
to go number two, and he said,
no, he was just sitting in there
waiting until time to go back to
the dugout. Nah, I’m thinking he
probably missed out on the sports
DNA as well.
Kids who participate in sports
learn about discipline, teamwork,
and commitment. For those with the talent
and passion to play, the sky’s the limit. For
those of us with neither the passion nor the
talent, we can enjoy watching a game at our
leisure, or not at all. For us, there are other
outlets through which we learn about dis
cipline, teamwork, and commitment. Art,
music, cooking, writing, crafting are but a
few of the hobbies/professions that teach
and require the same attributes.
But rest assured, should any of my grand
children discover a passion for sports, then
I will be at every event possible, and will be
the crazy grandma screaming in the stands.
My oldest granddaughter will be performing
with the color guard this season at WBHS,
so I get to be THAT grandma every Friday
night!
The Olympic cauldron will burn for a few
more weeks before being extinguished until
the next games. I may watch, and I may
not. It just depends on what else might be
on television, or if I have something else to
do. Either way, I really am rooting for the
USA team, and hope they’ll bring home a
truck load of medals.
I’m pretty sure you’ll never see any of
my folks on the podium, but who knows?
Stranger things have happened. Maybe that
little fella building sand castles in the red
Georgia dirt of the Statham Little League
infield will someday be an Olympic athlete.
Nah. Scratch that. He’s already leaning
towards technology, with little interest in
sports. I’ll get a little sports fix here and
there, and cheer on the Doggs (Yay Band!),
the Dawgs, and the USA team in Rio.
Maybe I’ll even get me some pom poms.
Happy Almost Football Season, y’all! Let
the games begin!
Cathy Watkins Bennett is a Barrow County
native and a graduate ofWinder-Barrow High
School. Send comments about this column to
beneath @ aol. com.
CASA seeking area volunteers
Court Appointed Special
Advocates (CASA) is look
ing for volunteers for chil
dren in foster care.
CASA volunteers advo
cate for foster children and
help them reach a perma
nent, safe solution faster.
They also make sure their
assigned child receives
tutoring when they are
struggling in school.
When a child is uproot
ed from their school and
activities, a CASA volun
teer makes sure they get
plugged into activities they
enjoy: maybe it’s joining
the local soccer team or
signing up to participate in
the school play.
Most foster children
spend at least one birthday
in foster care and a CASA
volunteer makes sure that
day is still special, offer
ing a personalized birthday
greeting card or maybe a
small gift to celebrate and
remind the child that they
are important and they are
worth celebrating.
Piedmont CASA has new
volunteer training classes
starting on Aug. 25.
Visit www.piedmontcasa.
org for more information
and to download an appli
cation.
Where does Islam stand?
I would like to think I have a fairly good
understanding of the world’s religions.
At this point in my life and journey, I’m
happy with my beliefs and where I
stand today.
At one time, I followed the
thought that all religions are pretty
much the same and that they all
share a common truth.
Along that line of thought: God
is God, even though different peo
ple call him by different names.
There is a general thought by some
that God is God, God is good, and
we all just have different ways of
finding him but eventually everyone
finds God.
Several things occurred in my life
that moved me from Point A to Points B,
C, and D.
Now, I believe all religions are different
and a few may even be exclusive to a point.
Even though I was raised in a small
town Southern Baptist Church, my par
ents taught my brother and me toler
ance, Consequently, growing up we often
attended various churches with our friends
and experienced different faiths, including
Judaism.
In high school I had a friend that pre
ferred for us to believe he was into Hin
duism. By the time I got to my freshman
year in college, I had experienced services
at the Church of God, the Presbyterian
Church the Methodist Church, a Jewish
synagogue and a Catholic Church.
In college, I was introduced to existen
tialism. However, free will was on a colli
sion course with my earlier teachings so I
returned to my Christian roots.
It remains my belief that there are three
main monotheistic religions on this earth.
These three: Christianity, Judaism and
Islam believe in one true God and I’m
satisfied with that.
I am comfortable with both Christianity
and Judaism. Having studied Old Testa
ment history and having members of the
Jewish faith in my family, I understand to
a large degree the basis for their religion.
The Jewish faith has been a part of man’s
recorded history from the very beginning.
The religious concepts of Judaism and
Christianity share a lot of common themes
and characteristics.
We agree that God is good, that God is
forgiving and omnipotent. He is eternal,
just and holy. Christians and Jews alike
experience love through their religious
experiences.
The one religion I have the most trouble
with is Islam. I’m not saying that it is
wrong or evil. There are, however, things
in the Islamic religion and culture that
bother me,
A lot of my biblical teachings are in con
flict with those of Islam and their religious
book, the Qur’an.
The Islam religion seems to focus as
much, if not more, on Muhammad than
it does the God it recognizes as Allah. It
appears to be a violent religion or culture
and its reward system seems to gravitate
toward earthly rewards and not heavenly
rewards.
Two photographs posted on the internet
by foreign media have given me additional
cause to question Islam.
jimmy
terrell
The first is a photograph of women
Kurdish soldiers in combat fighting ISIS
in northern Iraq. The caption makes a
point in saying, “7000 Kurdish
women stayed behind to fight
ISIS, while millions of fighting
age Syrians and Iraqi men fled
the country (and became refu
gees).”
The second photograph is
even more troubling. It shows
what appears to be seven Syrian
or Iraqi male refugees accompa
nied by one female refugee and
three children. From the photo
graph you can see it is raining
and cold. All are wearing heavy
coats.
The woman is carrying a bag and two
children. Only one child is old enough to
walk. Only the woman is barefoot as they
trudge across Europe.
None of the men are helping her, nor
carrying any bags. I’ve been told by mili
tary veterans who have returned from Iraq
that in the Muslim culture, women repre
sent nothing.
I have a problem with a religion that
allows that type of treatment, not to men
tion the stoning to death of family mem
bers suspected of a crime or a violation of
the Qur’an and Islamic law.
In the past month, the national media
posted a story about an “honor killing,”
an accepted practice in Islam because a
woman brought shame to her family in
Pakistan. She was strangled by a relative
while sleeping.
Several years ago, a gunman shot and
tried to kill a young girl, Malala Yousafzai,
who was not quite 13, because she had
advocated for the right for Muslim girls to
get an education.
A Pakistani Christian woman still faces
a death sentence by hanging for her faith.
Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five, has
been on death row for 2,100 days. She
was sentenced to death after being false
ly accused of “blasphemy” — speaking
against the prophet Muhammad.
In addition to Islamic law and culture
concerns, we now have an Islamic war
declared against Western society and all
of the world’s infidels, infidels being those
who do not follow the Muslim faith.
While I don’t believe all Muslims are
jihadists, neither do I believe all Muslims
strictly adhere to all of the verses of the
Qur’an calling for death to all “infidels” or
demanding Sharia law be observed.
Perhaps, the religion has been hijacked
by extremists. If so, where are the mod
erates who feel everyone is entitled to his
or her personal religious choice? Those
Islamic voices are quiet, very quiet.
The only Islamic voices we are hearing
are those in pursuit of world domination,
demanding that we accept the Islamic cul
ture, the Qur’an and Sharia law.
I fear they are coming to America, not to
share the American dream, but to expand
the authority of Islam.
Is Islam a religion or is it a political
ideology in pursuit of world domination?
Jimmy Terrell is a retired law enforce
ment official. He can be reached at
ejterrell65@ gmail. com.
August 10, 2016 ~ Crossword Puzzle
Headmaster’s
Corner
by
Steve Cummings
A SPIRIT OF UNITY - The
months leading up to a presi
dential election seem to indicate
that our Country is not “unified.”
However, even though we may
be divided on WHO should be
president, we are at least uni
fied on how the next president
should be elected.
As we begin our 47th year at
ACS, our faculty is focusing on
ministering as a unified body of
believers. We will try to model
the example that Paul gave us
in I Corinthians - a diversity of
members, but one body. Just as
our human bodies have many
different parts, all serving a
common purpose.
We have a unique and awesome
responsibility, and we look for
ward to carrying it out again this
coming year.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
Across
I. S.A. grassy plain
6. Condemnation
II. Twitter or Facebook
14. Chest muscle (slang)
15. Changed ocean level
16. Cause bodily suffering to
18. Red Jamaican tropical fruit
21.3rd largest Swiss city (alt. sp.)
23. Bluish greens
25. Billowing clouds
26. Duchy princes
28. Sarcasms
29. Equal business associate
31. State certified accountant
34. Swiss river
35. Winged goddess of the dawn
36. Not a jet airplane
39. Ethically
40. Dark brownish black
44. Removed writing
45. Skill in an occupation or trade
47. Standard unit of length
48. Indescribably bad
50. Lanka
51. Locution
56. Printing liquid
57. Small travel cases
62. Old Norse poems
63. Mammy’s partner
Down
1. Scarred face
2. Atomic #89
3. Great Lakes state
4. Tap gently
5. Boxer Muhammad
6. Quilting or spelling
7. Confined condition (abbr.)
8. Expression of sympathy
9. The Show Me State
10. Expunctions
11. Subdivision of a denomination
12. Peace Garden State
13. One who causes death
14. The Keystone state
17. Hawaiian garlands
19. Cologne
20. Large northern deer
21. Montana’s 5th largest city
22. Compound containing NH2
24. Small unit of time (abbr.)
25. Auto
27. Saponaceous
28. Gulf of, in the N.E. Aegean
30. Golf score
31. A disease remedy
32. Dark gemstone
33. More competent
36. Matador
37. Not new
38. Political action committee
39. Microelectromechanical
systems (abbr.)
41. Woman’s undergarment
42. Enacted legislation
43. A representation of a person
46. Large casks for liquids
49. Abbr. for 50 across
51. Nursing group
52. Roman god of the
underworld
53. Silver
54. Group health plan
55. The 7th Greek letter
58. denotes past
59. Rural delivery
60. Oil company
61. Associated Press
CUSTOM
PRINTING
Custom Sheet-Fed
& Web Press Printing
•Stationery
• Flyers
• Bus. Forms
• NCR Jobs
• Invoices
• Envelopes
• Bus. Cards
•Circulars
• Newspapers
•Statements
MainStreet
Newspapers
PRINTING
DEPT.
Located at 33 Lee Street
in Jefferson, Ga.
(706) 367-5233
printing@mainstreetne ws. com