ANTHONY Dick's Oct. 5 column, "Christian fanaticism poses greatest threat to America," made a mockery of journalism, opinion and reason. In a totally unprovoked attack harking back to McCarthyism, Dick unilaterally proclaims that right-wing Christians involved in the political arena are a greater threat to the American way of life than Osama bin Laden and the men who flew planes into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Dick actually refers to the Christian Right as "anti-freedom fanatics." Is it not ironic that Thomas Jefferson had a completely different opinion of the Christian faith? He wrote that the "Christian religion ... is a religion of all others most friendly to liberty, science and the freest expressions of the human mind." Jefferson believed that the Christian religion was the reason that America experiences the liberty it does.
Tolerance and freedom are products of the Christian tradition. The words of Jesus are inherently tolerant: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The United States was founded to a certain degree by people who fled Europe because of its religious persecution. The pilgrims just wanted to worship God in the way that their conscience compelled them. This tradition of religious dissent was not fulfilled in their generation, but it set the stage for the establishment clause of the First Amendment, just as the Declaration of Independence set the stage for the emancipation of the slaves. Without the original contributions of the Christian faith, many of the principles of our society would be meaningless and void.
In an attempt to express the collective moral responsibility of Americans, Jerry Falwell began holding specific groups responsible for Sept. 11. Taken out of context, these words are totally inappropriate, but Jerry Falwell does not represent the Christian right. He was not elected by any vote of those who claim to be members of the Christian right. It is stereotypical and ludicrous to claim that Jerry Falwell wields influence over 24 percent of the population. But even if he did, his words pale in comparison to the actions of the terrorists. How can one rationally compare the use of offensive language to the use of violence resulting in the destruction of human life?
Dick's column is startling in the way and manner that it categorizes people into groups and accuses them of desires that they do not have. Dick provides no reason why the Christian right seeks to "pervert" our nation or even how it goes about doing it. What is the motive for this destructive intent? The very principles of the American system are founded on the principles of equality that are found in the Bible, which establishes the ideal that all people are created equal under God. This appeal to a higher authority is the basis for a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people." The Christian right does not wish to destroy that which it feels it has created.
Dick seeks to accuse Christians of promoting "tactics of psychological terror and fanatical determination." He does not even attempt to clarify what this ridiculous statement means. Is the legitimate use of democracy to influence elections a form of terror? If this is the definition of terror, all civic-minded citizens are guilty. Dick also fails to explain how fanatical determination can accomplish anything without an outlet for that determination, or even why fanatical determination is necessarily evil. Billy McMullen has a fanatical determination to catch the football, but it harms no one. Fanaticism can be directed in harmless and productive ways.
While accusing Christians of psychologically terrorizing America's citizenry, Dick needs to consider what he is attempting to do himself. He is expressing a revulsion for an entire group of people based on mere hearsay. There is nothing inimical or dangerous about this, however bigoted it is. Dick claims that Christians "believe that they are justified in causing misery and angst on Earth in the name of their deities." The Christian religion never condones causing misery on others to promote morality. Standards of conduct and morality are simply gifts from God to bless his people with happiness and fulfillment.
Without intending to do so, Dick falls into the same trap that Falwell did. They both make unspecified, invalid statements about groups that they do not understand. This hour of crisis is not a time for people to be throwing mud at each other and finding people to blame. It is a time for Americans to come together and look inwardly at their own hearts for the answers. The events of Sept. 11 occurred because we all failed to discover the evil within ourselves. Let us first rid ourselves of intolerance before we go looking for it in others.
(Benjamin Beliles is a third year College student.)
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