Ignore the dictates of your conscience? Or, follow Jimminy Cricket’s advice?
Last week Maria Johnson wrote an opinion article about the conscience (”an inborn sense of right and wrong, by which we judge the moral character of human conduct”) and its role in Christian views.
She concluded, in short, that the conscience is an insufficient “moral compass” and that children must be raised knowing right from wrong so that their conscience, in fact, reflects those principles.
A few things trouble me.
First, I really see no evidence of “many Christians buying into this lie of moral relativism.”
Second, an argument based solely on “the Bible says X, therefore X must be true” does not always fly among a more liberal Christian audience who, perhaps, takes Scripture passages with a grain of salt.
Third, the conscience tends to be a cultural thing. As I understand it, leading theories suggest that a conscience is formed and shaped during one’s upbringing – and those raised in other cultures, or no cultures at all, may have radically different consciences. In other words, it’s not so simple as saying everybody has an innate conscience which can be “seared.” The conscience is, by its nature, relative.
Leading to the question of why it exists at all. Would God put a conscience in a hypothetical Adam and Eve to make sure they had misgivings whenever they were about to do something wrong? Well, that doesn’t make much sense because if they even went so far as thinking something bad it would have counted as actual sin and they would have fallen anyway (I think Jesus made that point clear).
So, if there’s some Universal Law/Tao, why does everybody have a relative conscience?
Final question: Would civilization improve, or be worse off?
This is a bit of a loaded question. It assumes a viewpoint of an absolute “better” and an absolute “worse” when the counter position is that it doesn’t really matter – so long as I get what I want, so to speak.
I’ll leave it at that, in hopes that it prompts some discussion.
The Blue Bins are just a start
I considered writing a lengthy post describing all the environmental initiatives Whitworth is implementing. But Whitworth already wrote a list for me. I suggest reading it. You may improve your perception of the university.
http://www.whitworth.edu/sustainability/
For Rugby — with Love and Squalor
Imagine the endurance of soccer fused with the roughness of football and you might taste part of the glory that is rugby. This is a sport of gentlemen, a sport unhindered by pride or money, a sport celebrated in every continent, country, and even in every state of our great nation. We don’t need pads or goalies; we;ve got mauls and rucks, tries and scrums. We don’t need cheerleaders; we have the Haka (Youtube it). But what we don’t have is some of that good old-fashion Whitlove. Let me explain.
Last spring, long before Boston destroyed the Rockies and when Whitworth was a humble college, a group of about 30 Whitworthians joined the ranks of rugby enthusiasts everywhere. Some of us played over the summer, honing our skills and abilities in various 7’s tournaments, while others planned their lives around the fantastic sport. We came back to school hoping to find our rugby needs met on the pitch, but were instead shocked to find that playing rugby at Whitworth was about as easy as stumping Professor Mohrlang in Greek (I can say that now that Davy Sittser’s graduated). “Basically,” we were told, “it’s not gonna happen.” Awesome.
Police kill immigrant 24 seconds into encounter
Police have tasered another person to death (this time it wasn’t in Spokane).
These police with their electroshock weapons are acting increasingly like attack dogs. They arrive on the scene and, by default, incapacitate the person. There’s little consideration of alternatives. They show up and bite (they addressed the man in the link above for 24 seconds before they killed him).
When a dog attacks a person, it is presumed the dog will attack again. So, of course, authorities euthanize the dog. We may, by analogy, assume violent police officers will attack again. So, authorities should effectively euthanize officers. I don’t mean police chiefs should kill their staff, but rather that the officers should be punished to the point that they are not capable of biting another person again.
Next post: How tasers violate the 14th Amendment’s due process clause.
On the success of the new ID Cards and Alarms?
So, how are they?
Vice Presidential Plottings?
I ran into an article yesterday that I thought would be interesting to share here. It is a book review of Pulitzer Prize winning writer Charlie Savage’s book Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy.
I haven’t read the book, but the gist is that Vice President Cheney has been plotting to “implement his views of unfettered executive power” for decades.
“In hindsight, it is clear this is something that has been a central agenda of [Cheney's] for thirty years. And yet, in 1999 and 2000, no one was talking about this at all, how he might use his influence as the most experienced vice president in history dealing with the least experienced president in history.”
Savage’s book reports that the Bush administration met in January of 2001 to discuss how to expand presidential power “in any way we can.” This was nine months before the Sept. 11 attacks, which has been used by the Bush administration to justify Bush’s increased power.
I wonder if the politically minded among you contributors have any insights to add.
Board of Trustees Presentation
Last week, 35 members on the Board of Trustees were here on our campus. ASWU asked for feedback from hundreds of students about what they would say to the Board about their Whitworth experience so far this year. I presented these answers to the Board last Friday, and I have already heard a few responses from Trustee members and the Administration. Here are a few:
1- Student: I like small classes and my personal relationship with professors. If we grow too much too soon, I fear that we will lose this atmosphere. RESPONSE: this is a primary concern for all members of our University, and they are trying very hard to maintain the Whitworth community. If you don’t know, student/professor ratios are actually much lower now than they were several years ago.
2- Student: too much stuff is getting stolen. Where is security? RESPONSE: the new card system is an attempt to increase student security on campus. Students are advised to lock their doors and use U-locks on their bikes to keep them from being cut. There is also a system in place where you can submit your cell phone # to the school and they can text-message you if there is ever an emergency. There is still a lot to be done, and more security cameras will hopefully be put in soon.
3- Student: Why did tuition increase by $3000?! RESPONSE: The costs of education are rising on a global scale, especially at private Universities. There is also a %3.1 annual inflation rate within our current economy. ASWU will be working with administration to try and better inform students about where their money is actually going.
4- Student: I am worried about the academic integrity of Whitworth now that we don’t check ACT/SAT scores upon entry. RESPONSE: actually, students have to take those tests, but they now have the ability to check on their application not to use those scores. This does put more emphasis on GPA, leadership, and extracurricular activities. However, any scholarships, transfers, and advanced class placements still require SAT and ACT scores. Because of this, most students try just as hard as always.
5- Student: There should be girls in Mac next year. RESPONSE: No.
Hundreds of responses, including the ones from this forum, were given to the Board and students are being heard. If you have any other questions, I am dying to hear what you have to say. So are your Senators. I want to try and be open accessible, so if anyone is confused or angry, I want to know.
Thanks.
No nudes is good news?
 Right now, the most commented-on and read story on the Whitworthian Web site is a column by Maria Johnson. At risk of simplifying her argument, she claims it is “appalling” that Whitworth has a nude figure drawing class. She believes that a Christian university should not offer such a class, because drawing nude figures is “indulg[ing] in sinful nature.
There’s nothing I love more than opinion columns I disagree with. Except, perhaps, opinions columns I agree with.
In this case, obviously, I, as well most Whitworth students, disagree with this column.
I’m not against nude drawing because of some lofty spiritual imperative. I’m against it because it’s “icky.”
But I find the obsession on both sides curious. Throughout the comment section on the Whitworthian nobody has mentioned the concept of why nude figure drawing is considered such a necessary part of art. Is it just that its traditional? Does it take more technical skill than drawing clothed figures, with all the complicated folds and textures in clothes? We spend most of our lives clothed, so it seems that most art pieces would reflect that.
Of course, the everyday — the mundane — isn’t considered ‘controversial’.
How does one know the unknowable, continued
First of all, one doesn’t. I don’t like the title – I’d prefer “How does one approach the unknowable?” or something in that vein.
Anyway, it’s an excellent question. I decided to bring it up here because this site is host to some great discussions, and is the stomping ground of some people with great ideas in their noggins.
Let me step back: This comment is in response to an opinions article in the Whitworthian in the form of a discussion between Nathan Harrison and John Williamson.
Disagreement:
To a degree, it seems a trivial matter to disagree on. Nathan argues that, while we should look to scripture, we must trust our own subjective experiences in approaching faith. John argues that Nathan is lazy (bad form…) and that studying the Bible provides a firmer foundation for trying to know the unknowable.
So in short, they agree that both scripture and intuition are important. They disagree over which should be given more weight.
Yay/Nay
I agree with Nathan where “head knowledge” of the Bible is insufficient. Feelings and emotions must come into play – the greatest commandment is to love others. You won’t get there by reading.
I agree with John where trust in “your gut” is misplaced trust. Trust that the sun will rise tomorrow. Don’t trust that what people feel is always what is good or right.
Thoughts?
The Rhythm of RAP
On last Wednesday’s ASWU meeting, Dr. Dick Mandeville asked for input about the Resident Area Policy policy, (RAP policy, for short.)
(On a quick side note, Mandeville is an adequate dean of discipline name. It’s a cross between “The Man” and “Cruella de Ville.” But the top prize goes to a Whitworth dean way back when: “Dean Hardwick.” Listen to how that rolls off your tongue. That’s a name worthy of a dean in any formulaic gross-out college hijinks movie. The “H” in HUB actually originally stood for Hardwick.)
The RAP policy was originally created (I tried to find the exact date in the Whitworthian archives, but couldn’t) as a way for students to feel they had a hand in creating their own rules. Of course, the limits for what students can actually do with regards to their rules is extremely narrow. And it’s become more narrow as time has passed.
Back in the day we used to try to make up crazy consequences for each violation of RAP policy. If a candle was found in your room, you had to buy the entire dorm donuts. If you were caught smoking inside the dorm you had to eat a carton of ciggarattes but, to be fair, you got your choice of condiments. These never passed, but it was certainly fun to try.
I think the purpose of RAP has shifted, slightly- however subconciously. It’s not as much too allow students to choose their one rules. In recent years, some consequences have been made mandatory. Instead, it’s an incredible effective way to inform residents about what the rules are inevitably going to be. In four years of Rap policies, there’s been very little change.
I’m going to quickly go through a few of the rap rules and comment on them, as I feel they warrant.