Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2007
PAGE 4
Greek Life vs. Christianity: are you going to hell?
By J.A. Scruggs
Staff Columnist
jscrugg / @my.westga.edu
Last year, a
controversial note about
Greek Life surfaced
on facebook.com, and
it was brought to my
attention by a friend
who is a member of Phi
Beta Sigma Fraternity at
another university. He
wanted me to get involved
in this discussion that was
titled “Greek Life vs.
Christianity.”
The author of the
note, who is an ex
member of Kappa Alpha
Psi Fraternity, the same
fraternity that I am a
member of, claims that
Greek Life is Anti-Christ.
Not just for black Greek
letter organizations,
but all Greek letter
Reader responds to Scruggs' "What's love got to do with it?"
By Whitney Diandra
Guest Columnist
WhitneyDiandra@gmail.com
What does love have
to do with it? When 1 had
the pleasure of reading Mr.
Scruggs's article, 1 asked
myself, does he really
love misrepresenting an
issue?
After his “research”
was done, he stated that it
was “detestable in every
aspect,” however he fails
to mention that late term
abortions are only 1.4
Pro-Freedom: a woman's right to have an abortion
By Katheryn Elie
Guest Columnist
kalelie2oos@yahoo .com
I’m blessed to be a
woman in America. I am
grateful to be a citizen of a
country that gives me rights
such as life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness.
I have the ability to get an
education at any level I
want, get any job I want,
speak what I want, wear
what I want; it all depends
on my desire of wanting it
and my drive to achieve it.
However, I believe
that as American citizens
we are obligated to make
this country even greater.
We can do this by creating
what our Founding Fathers
hoped for, a Pro-Freedom
Society. That is what our
Constitution is about,
Freedom. Freedom of
belief, freedom of speech,
freedom from slavery and
persecution, and freedom
from what most of the
world suffers from.
Some try to argue that
our great nation is based
on Christianity. This is a
false notion. Our country is
founded on several different
factors other than the Bible,
such as people fleeing
from religious persecution,
second sons without
an inheritance trying to
establish themselves,
families trying for a second
chance, debtors, and even
criminals.
Just take a look at our
history. Even the core of
our Founding Fathers were
not Christians, they were
mainly Deists, Unitarians,
and Universalists. Here
are some men and women
that are recognized as our
founders and great leaders
who were such believers;
organizations.
The author supports
his claims, saying that
Greek organizations are
about themselves even
when doing charitable
work; they are involved
merely for recognition.
The bulk of his argument
comes from the discussion
of rituals practiced
by all Greek letter
organizations.
He says that those
who are trying to join
will end up on their
knees worshiping the
organizations before they
are allowed to become
members.
Furthermore, he
states being a Christian
while joining these
organizations is wrong,
because we are yoking
together with unbelievers,
yoking with people who
percent of all abortions
performed in the United
States, according to the
Guttmacher Institute
that tracks sexual and
reproductive health in
the United States.
In addition, this
number does not track
the actual reasons why
these procedures are
performed in the first
place. Remember these
procedures are performed
for viable medical
reasons.
If Mr. Scruggs would
George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson. James
Madison, John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin, Susan
B. Anthony, and many more
that have greatly influenced
our society. Even the Treaty
of Tripoli in 1797 (signed
by President John Adams)
states that “the government
of the United States of
America is not in any sense
founded on the Christian
religion”.
For some reason,
some people over the years
have tried to convert our
country into a “Christian
Nation”. For example, the
phrase “In God We Trust”
printed on our money did
not come from the minds
of our Founding Fathers
during the time of the
Constitutional conventions,
but rather from the increase
in pressure to recognize God
on money during the Civil
War. Originally “E Pluribus
Unum” (From Many, One)
was adopted by the Union
in 1782; however, on April
22, 1864, Congress passed
an amendment authorizing
the motto “In God We
Trust” to be placed on two
cent coins.
Slowly it began to
appear on every coin until
it finally appeared on paper
money in 1957 (which
was at the end of the Red
Scare during the reign of
the illogical and overly
paranoid tyrant McCarthy).
Even in the Pledge of
Allegiance to this free
country, the phrase “Under
God” was inserted in 1954.
This is not because the
nation finally began to feel
the fear of God, but rather it
was the fear of being called
a Communist.
Religious beliefs
should not cloud logic
may worship in another
religion.
So according to the
author. Christian members
of the National Pan-
Hellenic Council, National
Panhellenic Conference,
National Interfraternity
Conference, and others
alike are going to hell.
Now believe it or not,
I have no problem with
anything that he wrote,
because what he stated is
what he experienced, and
what he experienced is
what he allowed himself
to go through.
But the problem that
I do have is when you
take your own personal
experience and present it
as absolute or the same
across the board. I believe
that I have been involved
in my fraternity long
enough to know that every
have done all the research
that accompanies the
abortion debate he would
have also realized that
the type of abortion that
was supposedly depicted
in the photo was of a
procedure known as
“Intact dilation and
extraction (IDX or intact
D&X ).”
This procedure is
actually banned in the
United States under the
“Partial Birth Abortion
Ban” passed in 2003,
which the U.S. Supreme
and reason when it comes
to passing legislation;
legislation regarding
subjects such as Gay Rights
and Abortion Laws.
I was walking to class
on Sept. 5 and there was
an older man standing in
his truck holding a picture
of a partial-birth abortion,
speaking out against
abortion. He is representing
the First Amendment very
well, the freedom of speech
and peaceful assembly.
However, I wondered
why this man was allowed
to do this on our campus. I
wondered if other students
were unable to stay focused
in their classes and on their
exams. I couldn’t help but
feel a slight discomfort in
my chest that turned into
rage, thinking about how
a man believes that he has
the slightest notion that a
woman doesn’t have a right
over her own body and
uterus.
Also the fact that he
was using inappropriate
propaganda to make his
statements is beyond
ridiculous. Partial-birth
abortions are illegal,
and using that type of
information is almost
incriminating. Here is the
truth about abortion here in
the United States.
Abortions started to
appear in the United States
in the 1820’s, which only
forbid abortions after the
fourth month of pregnancy.
The Comstock Law was
then set in place in 1873,
causing a ban on all birth
control information and
devices; it was finally
declared unconstitutional to
ban medical devices in 1936
and the ban was lifted on
birth control. By 1965, all
50 states banned abortions
chapter is different and
operates differently, so
what one may experience
does not mean that all will
experience the same.
What this individual
hasexperienced is not what
fraternities and sororities
were built on. But many
times what happens is
that as time goes on and
organizations get older,
people who come into
these organizations lose
sight of what the goal
is, much like the church
today.
There are many
churches today that
have rallied behind
this condemnation and
prosperity gospel. God
is about salvation,
redemption and
stewardship. ft is not
about who he can send
to hell first, who drives
Court upheld in Gonzales
v. Carhart (2007).
I actually believe
that Mr. Scruggs is
against abortion all
together, but used this
photo to tip toe around
the issue by latching on
to the late-term abortion
debate without doing his
research.
So I challenge him
to research what he
believes, before he jumps
on the “anti-late term
abortion” bandwagon,
because 1 am sure a
with the exception of
allowing an abortion if the
mother’s life is in danger.
This simple fact only proves
that the life of the woman is
more important than that of
the fetus.
In 1973 the Supreme
Court declared in Roe v.
Wade that most existing
state abortion laws were
unconstitutional. This
decision ruled out any
legislature interference
during the first trimester
(the first three months) of
pregnancy, and also put
limits on what restrictions
could be passed on
abortions in later stages.
This decision was based
on the 9th Amendment,
that "the enumeration in
the Constitution of certain
rights shall not be construed
to deny or disparage others
retained by the people”—in
other words, not violating
the right of a woman's
privacy of her own body.
This is the emergence
of the two groups know n as
“Pro-Life” (Anti-Abortion)
and “Pro-Choice”. Most of
the time, the two groups
have debated and protested
without too much chaos,
but violence has occurred.
In 1984 on Christmas Day,
three abortion clinics were
bombed. Some called these
bombings “a birthday gift
for Jesus.” This can’t help
but sound similar to a jihad:
destruction and violence in
the name of God?
The legal definition
of abortion is “the use
or prescription of any
instrument, medicine, drug,
or any other substance or
device with the intent to
terminate the pregnancy
of a female known to be
pregnant.” In the state of
Georgia, the female must
the biggest Mercedes, or
who lives in the biggest
house.
He states that we
should not be yoked
together with an
unbeliever, which is
true. But as Christians,
how can we be fishers of
men as God calls us if
we only hang with other
Christians?
Jesus said himself
while sitting at a table
with sinners in Matthew
9:12 “Those who are
well have no need of a
physician, but those who
are sick.”
Not saying that all
people in fraternities and
sororities don’t know
Christ, because there are
many notable ministers
that belong to these
organizations, and God
has used them to do great
pro-life advocate could
post numerous graphic
photos that depict women
performing “home-made
abortions” with kitchen
knives, and wire clothes
hangers on themselves.
There is one aspect I
do agree w ith Mr. Scruggs
on. I do not believe that
we should be spending
money on a senseless
war.
We should spend
that money on education,
public works, and
a widely based sex
be 18 years of age (or
an emancipated minor,
or have a legal guardian
present), and only a
physician licensed by the
State of Georgia to practice
medicine and surgery may
perform an abortion. No
abortion can be performed
afterthefirsttrimesterunless
the abortion is performed
in a licensed hospital or in
a health facility licensed
as an abortion facility by
the Department of Human
Resources.
After the second
trimester, no abortion
can be performed unless
the physician and two
consulting physicians
certify that the abortion
is necessary in their best
clinical judgment to
preserve the life or health
of the mother.
In 2003,President Bush
signed a ban on partial-birth
abortions. Partial-birth
abortions are abortions
that occur after the 20th
week gestation period. The
Supreme Court recently
upheld the ban on partial
birth abortion last April,
but also upheld the rights
of states to have power to
regulate abortions.
Georgia pro-life groups
have declared that they will
pursue a total abortion ban
during the next session
of the state legislature.
This means that the new
legislation would ban all
abortions, including not
allowing an abortion in an
event where a woman’s life
is in danger. This will take
away all rights of a woman,
even if her life is in danger.
This raises a question,
what if this child is bom,
who will care for it if the
mother is dead? Perhaps the
unraveled and extremely
THE WEST GEORC ilA\
things for the body of
Christ.
For those who wish
to join Greek letter
organizations, if you
are looking for these
organizations to define
you and make you into
something, and then
I must say that these
organizations are not for
you.
Because what happens
is if people begin to believe
that these organizations
have made them into men
and women, they will
begin to worship these
organizations because
they believe that these
organizations have made
them into who they are.
Now that is wrong
because if you are Christian
you should understand not
to put anything before
God.
education program, that
could prevent unplanned
pregnancies all over the
United States.
People have to real ize
that many times women
use abortion procedures
as a last resort, because
they never had access
to proper education and
proper health care. So
next time Mr. Scruggs,
research what you
believe, because there
are more aspects to this
debate than the photos of
a dead fetus.
under-funded foster care
circuit will place the child
in the system, which
would just cause more
problems than solutions.
Maybe that is the answer
for drawing the much
needed attention to that
overw helming problem that
is continuously being swept
under the government’s rug
of denial. What is actually
terrifying is that there are
possibly enough votes in
the legislature then there
were seven years ago for
this total abortion ban to
be sent to Governor Sonny
Perdue, who is Pro-Life.
I fear for the future of
freedom in our state with
this type of dooming fact
looming over the heads of
Georgia women.
I am not Pro-Choice,
I am Pro-Freedom. That is
what America is all about,
freedom to decide what
to do with our lives and
our bodies. Of course, just
like every choice in our
lives, there are rewards and
consequences. I am not
suggesting that everyone
do what they want to do
with no repercussions, I am
just suggesting that there be
a choice. A choice to turn
left or right down a street,
the choice to be Christian
or Muslim, the choice to be
gay or straight, the choice
to eat at McDonalds or
Wendy's, or even the choice
to have an abortion or not.
We have the freedom to be
an American, the freedom
of life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness.
Let’s continue down
the trail of freedom that
our Founding Fathers
have set for us. Making
abortion illegal is not
only unconstitutional, but
criminal. Let’s stay free.