Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday
April 12,
2006
Jesus Christ was a
radical and a hero
ROOTS RADICAL
by Josh Eaton
xanandax(a)gmail.com
Let me preface this
article by saying upfront
that 1 am not a Christian.
Frankly, I find what has
come to pass for Christianity
in the U.S. today deeply,
deeply disturbing. Still,
Jesus has always been one
of my heroes.
It is hard not to have
a soft spot for the man.
Hearing the remarkable
story of his life, I cannot
help but think of how
radical he was—and still
is.
At the time of
Jesus' birth Israel was
under a despotic Roman
occupation. It was this
occupation that forced
Jesus’ working-class,
unwed, teenage mother
and her pensive fiance,
Joseph, to that little town
where she gave birth in a
stable.
Anyone who has ever
been on a farm knows that
this scene was not nearly
as romantic as the nativity
scenes make it look.
The rest of Jesus’ life
would not go much better.
His family had to flee into
Egypt to avoid certain
death at the hands of a
political ruler willing to
kill to maintain his power.
Later, Jesus would
become a prisoner of that
Look into your heart
By Courtney Johns
Guest Columnist
cjohns2 @my.westga.edu
I truly love UWG,
and I wouldn’t choose to
be anywhere else in the
world.
Some folks are
reading this thinking,
“What, how can he love
this school? I’d rather be
at Georgia State.” Well,
the reason why I love it
is because of the people.
The students of UWG are
very unique. I’ve made
life long friends, and met
several different types of
individuals.
Being at West
Georgia has changed me.
In Fall 2004, I
received something very
special. In the infamous
Roberts Hall, I received
Jesus’ Salvation.
Yes, I got saved,
and became a “real”
Qlffe West (Georgian
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Opinion
same political system,
and a victim of capital
punishment.
Even more radical
than Jesus’ story, however,
might be His words.
Jesus spoke often
about the poor. In Matthew
25: 31-46, He tells us to
feed the hungry, give drink
to the thirsty, invite in the
stranger, clothe the naked,
comfort the sick and visit
the imprisoned.
Similarly, in Luke
6:20, Jesus says, “Blessed
are you who are poor, for
yours is the kingdom of
God.”
Jesus had very
different words for the
rich. In Luke 6:24, he says,
“But woe to you who are
rich, for you have already
received your comfort.”
At one point, he even
goes so far as to say, "...
It is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man
to enter the kingdom of
God.”
He did not stop at
poverty, however. In the
Sermon of the Mount he
says, “Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will
be called sons of God.”
Later, he emphasizes this
point, saying, “Do not
resist an evil person. If
Christian. The way I felt
after I said that prayer
was indescribable. I
was without a doubt,
spiritually re-invented.
Prior to that, I was
a marijuana and tobacco
smoker. Every sentence
that I spoke carried a
curse word or vulgarity.
I had no inhibitions
regarding my sex life.
I went to clubs
faithfully. On top of
that, I was a wannabe
“gangsta” rapper, and
former gang affiliate.
But all of a sudden, I
was changed. My chronic
cursing was dispelled.
My smoking habit
ceased to exist. My sex
life dissipated. My love
for the club disappeared
like Osama. And that
“gangsta rapper” label
turned into Christian rap
artist.
Nowyou’re thinking,
someone strikes you on
the right cheek, turn to
him the other also,” and
“Love your enemies.”
This vision of Jesus
stands in stark contrast to
the one painted by many
Christian leaders today.
Mega churches spend
millions of dollars on
giant video displays and
gold domes. Bishop Eddie
Long’s church in Atlanta
is rumored to have an
ATM in the lobby
something reminiscent of
the time that Jesus drove
the moneychangers out of
the temple.
It almost seems as if
the church has forsaken
prophets for profits.
Meanwhile, Christian
leaders use their pulpits
to preach the greatness
of America as our nation
engages in an unjust,
immoral war against
Iraq —a war that has
needlessly killed countless
innocents.
Modern Christian
leaders who attempt to
use politics to force their
own narrow interpretation
of the Bible on everyone,
Christian and non-
Christian alike, share
more in common with the
Pharisees and Sadducees
than with Jesus.
It is hard to imagine
the Jesus of the Gospels
preaching from beneath a
gold dome, or calling for
the invasion of a foreign
nation. His radical message
of nonviolence and social
justice is needed more
today than it ever was.
“Ok, that’s good and all,
but what does that have
to do with your love for
UWG, and what does it
have to do with me?”
Well, I care about
everyone on this campus.
I care about your life,
but most importantly,
your soul. I want to
see everyone here in
Heaven.
God loves each and
every one of you. So
much that he sent His
only Son, Jesus Christ, to
die on the cross, and pay
the cost for our sins.
All you have to do
is have faith and believe.
Confess with your mouth
that you’re a sinner,
believe that Jesus died on
the cross and rose on the
third day, and accept Him
as your Lord and Savior.
Look into your heart.
Right here at UWG, you
too can be changed.
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Illegal immigration in the
U.S. should be...illegal.
By Matt Torley
Columnist
mtorley / @my. westna.edu
All euphemisms aside,
illegal immigration is...
Illegal.
Since this is an election
year and politicians are
looking for big issues to
associate themselves with,
immigration makes for a
great opportunity to get
names and policies into the
public’s awareness. Sides
are being chosen, lines
being drawn, and agendas
are all over the place.
We need to protect
ourselves from terrorists,
and we cannot do that with
porous borders. We need
to ensure that Americans
are not being screwed out
of their livelihoods. We
have a problem.
Congress is all over
the place, with bills in the
House seeking to shut the
border entirely. Senators
have plans involving guest
workers and eventual
citizenship.
Unions are joining
with “immigrant rights”
groups to get legal
recognition for the illegals,
and some politicians are
seeking even to give them
voting rights (in hopes of
new power bases).
There are a lot of
arguments about how we
need the labor, that there
are jobs Americans won't
do and that this labor
contributes to the US
economy.
The notion that illegals
do the jobs that Americans
won’t is flat out wrong (I’ve
worked alongside plenty
of illegals, obviously I was
willing to do the jobs).
They do the jobs that the
educated classes doesn’t
want to do (like reporters
and pundits) and that the
lower classes don't want to
do for low wages.
Native unemployment
in fields with high
percentages of illegal
labor is twice (or more)
Disclaimer
The opinions in this section do not
necessarily reflect the views of the
University of West Georgia, the staff
of the West Georgian or the
Mass Communications department.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establish
ment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress of grievances."
- First Amendment, United States Constitution
the national average and
these are the jobs that
would normally be taken
by people who have no
more than a high school
education.
The supply of
Americans for these jobs
is there, and obviously the
demand is there as well,
but the market is twisted
by a supply of workers
who will do the job for less
than the natural market
equilibrium price.
The increasing gap
between rich and poor
is blamed on a great
many factors, but almost
never is the devaluation
of unskilled and low
skill labor due to illegal
competition mentioned.
My friends in the
carpenter’s union have
been particularly unhappy
about the loss of work to
competition from illegal
immigrants. Certainly,
construction is a job
Americans want to do, but
now either can’t or can’t
make a living with.
The unions however,
have been fighting for
illegal immigrants, and
none of us could figure
out why. Nor did it make
any sense to us for the
Government to stop
enforcing the laws broken
every time someone snuck
across the border.
The contribution to
the economy made by
illegals is questionable.
Most are paid off the
books, leaving sales taxes
as the only direct revenue
contribution.
And since they send
the bulk of their earnings to
Mexico, the money is not
only untaxed but represents
a net loss to the economy.
For those concerned with
the trade deficit, think
about it as a multi-billion
dollar import.
But if the agricultural
sector did not have this
supply of cheap labor then
they would have charge
more right? Well, about
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University of West Georgia. Opinions expressed herein are those
of the newspaper staff or individual authors and do not necessarily
reflect the views of university faculty or staff.
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3%. The use of century
old techniques would have
to be replaced with modern
technology to make up for
the change in the size and
nature of the work force,
but that should have been
done already.
Cheap, illegal, labor
has allowed agriculture to
avoid modernization for
some time, and in the long
run it will likely be better
off without the crutch of
illegal labor.
So why are the Unions
and Congress working to
allow this destabilizing
force into the economy?
All I can come up with
is that Unions want to
make illegal labor more
expensive, and that
congress doesn't want to
look like they have their
thumbs up their butts.
If illegal immigrants
are given some special
guest worker status, then
they are subject to all the
same regulations as native
labor. One of the reasons
illegals are so attractive
to employers is that they
don't have to pay workers
comp, insurance or payroll
taxes for them, they can
skirt OSHA and minimum
wage laws.
Essentially all the
factors that make it more
expensive to hire an
American over an illegal
can be eliminated by
granting some legal status;
leaving employers with
no reason to hire someone
who doesn’t speak the
same language.
Is this the right way to
do it? Maybe, maybe not;
certainly it’s debatable. It
fails to address the fact
that law's are being broken
with no consequences and
may do nothing to stem the
flow of illegal immigrants
into the country.
In light of the
difficulties of closing the
border and deporting up to
thirteen million people, it
may be the only effective
means left to us.