Volume VII, Issue 2

The Gadfly “To persuade and reproach” - Socrates, The Apology

Vol. VII, Iss. II Oct 2, 2007

To Be Or Not To Be...Pro-Life Randall Terry came to Franciscan a little over a week ago. He was invited by Dr. Scarnecchia to speak to his Human Life Issues and the Law class about his involvement in the pro-life movement. I wasn’t there. Most of us weren’t. But many have heard something about the fiasco that unfolded during that Tuesday night class in Egan and the buzzing days of rumor that followed.

So who is Randall Terry and what happened during that class? He is the founder of Operation Rescue (now Operation Save America), an activist organization started in 1986 that has drawn criticism both from within and outside the pro-life movement for its unconventional and, some would say, radical methods. The organization

drew national media attention when several hundred protesters were arrested for chaining themselves outside of an abortion clinic during the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. It is most visible today in its scheduled protests and iconic “Truth Trucks” that travel the country’s highways displaying graphic images of aborted fetuses.

Students have said that Randall Terry was hostile in his presentation. He employed antagonistic rhetoric, likening the war to save the unborn to the war to save the Jews, calling for an army of pro-lifers to take up arms, and weeding out the nominal prolifer from the truly dedicated. He said Jesus didn’t come to make peace, he came to bring the Truth, and sometimes the truth is insult-

ing. Mothers who have an abortion are murderers and we need to tell them so. He was irreverent, told students who questioned his methods to “shut up,” and challenged their true beliefs and loyalty to the cause. If they weren’t willing to get arrested, then they weren’t really pro-life. He argued it was naïve, irrelevant, and a waste of time to try to “change hearts.” Instead, the goal is to change the law, and by any means necessary.

Others saw it differently. They point out that it was the students who came to the class with preconceived notions about Randall Terry and his mission. They provoked him with leading and disrespectful questions and never had any intention of Continued on page 8

Harry Potter and The Obvious Christian Themes In my article last issue, I attempted to demonstrate just how silly it was for Christians to criticize the popular Harry Potter books as occult-natured or anti-God. For this follow-up piece, I want to show how J. K. Rowling’s books—the targets of so much animosity from Christians—are ironically deeply Christian in their very themes and symbolic content.

In a 2000 interview, when asked whether she was a Christian, Rowling had the following to say: “Yes, I am, which seems to offend the religious right far worse than if I said I thought there was no God. Every time I’ve been asked if I believe in God, I’ve said yes, because I do, but no one ever really has gone any more deeply into it than that, and I have to say that does suit me, because if I talk too freely about that I think the intelligent reader, whether 10 or 60, will be able to guess what's coming in the books.” She’s made similar remarks in other interviews, always implying that her understanding of Christianity deeply influences the outcome of the entire book series. This is a significant claim, and it forces one to ask, who is Joanne Rowling and what is she up to in

these stories? Allow me to sketch a brief picture of Rowling the Christian, even if it is a bit cloudy (she is, after all, a fairly private person).

Despite a bit of ambiguity in the news stories (namely, surrounding the equivocal term “Church of Scotland”), it’s pretty evident that Rowling is a member of the Scottish Episcopal Church (part of the worldwide Anglican Communion). It was there that she married in 2001 and also has had her children christened (i.e. baptized). Only moving to Scotland later in life as an adult, Rowling has also mentioned studying at several Church of England schools as a child, so it’s likely that she was raised as an Anglican as well.

One gains another perspective on Rowling’s faith by looking at those she sometimes associates with in literature and the arts.

During a 1998 interview, for example, she remarked, “I love C. S. Lewis,” calling the man a genius. She has also praised Tolkien’s work and made occasional references to Dorothy Sayers.

Perhaps most surprising though is her love of Belloc: “I’ve loved Hilaire Belloc ever since I read Cautionary Tales for Children when I was about 10.” When asked to submit her favorite poem for a book collection of celebrities’ favorite poetry, she chose Belloc’s “Jim, Who Ran

Away From His Nurse and Was Eaten by a Lion” from the same book. Somewhat related, more recently (March 16, 2007) the Blog of the American Chesterton Society confirmed that Rowling was at one time a member of the UK Chestertonian group as well. In addition to all of this, Harry Potter commentator John Granger notes, “There have been credible rumors from Europe for several months of a letter by Ms. Rowling referencing the ‘Author’s Apology’ prefacing [John Bunyan’s] Pilgrim’s Progress in answer to a question about her faith” (HogwartsProfessor.com). Upon being asked about her favorite painting, Rowling marvelously replied: “Perhaps my favorite painting is Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus when Jesus reveals himself to the disciples having risen from the dead. I love it. Jesus looks very likeable – soft and rounded – and the painting captures the exact moment when the disciples realize who this man is, blessing their bread” (Conversations with J. K. Rowling, Scholastic, 2001).

One last person Rowling has expressed affinity with is the popular 20th century Catholic author Graham Greene. In Continued on page 6

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Letter to the Editor: Theology and Frustration I've hit a point where theology is frustrating me.

Having focused on the study of Scripture for my last 6 years of professional theological study, I've always taken solace in the fact that the Catholic approach to theology at its finest honors both the human and spiritual qualities that make up the text in a way that is not utterly foreign to what it means to be human.

Staff: Brian D’Amico (BD) Emily Davis (ED) Jamie Kropka (JK) Callie Langworthy (CL) John Mario Levri (JML) Chris McAnall (CM Andy Moe (AM) Michael C. Pezzulo (MCP) Mark Schreck (MS) High Inquisitor Sarah Bartley (SB) Business Manager Manuel Garcia (MG) Layout Editor Cate Shultis (CS) Editor in Chief ** Please note that the views held in the articles do not necessarily express the views of the whole staff.

Interested in joining our staff?

Email us at

I don’t always see this at school.

Sometimes I see a subtle form of fundamentalism happening. This isn’t an indictment of school because school is awesome. But I often feel like what I’m partaking in is not a climate of dialogue, but rather an exercise in “taking things for granted”. In my undergraduate school (a school that many might dismiss as “liberal”), I had to suffer through hard questions that my finest teachers never withheld from me. They were tough and I can only appreciate it now. It was the only way I could learn. I think that’s why I’m so frustrated. It’s because I’m dying inside without a challenge and without truly engaging interaction. There are plenty of bright people in my program. Many people are very knowledgeable, and some ask very difficult questions. But sometimes the process is entirely too passive. I can only speak for me, but I feel this strongly. There could be some powerful theological discourse going on here. Theology is supposed to be exploratory, to ask hard questions and to be prepared to be wrong...or occasionally right, but always to be subject to reproval. Some of the methods that are at our disposal (philosophy both ancient and modern, historical-critical methods, critical theory) are powerful and sometimes dangerous,

but they are there to use and they need to be used by those most responsible. It shocks me sometimes that they are often used so carelessly by some but not at all by the faithful. I honestly think it comes out of fear, because to use them, even faithfully, means that something will change in your perspective and an otherwise comfortable view of things may be thrown in upheaval.

Why write this? This is for me. I could’ve written this and saved it on my computer to insure that nobody would read it. But I don’t necessarily want that either. I want those who want to explore to find this, to chew it for awhile and maybe to do something about it.

Even at its absolute safest, Catholic theology is the application of dogma, a task that runs through both academia and the parish. I had a discussion with a priest back home about perspective in theology, how pastoral situations can sometimes cause a crisis in a mind that runs through theological formulae in difficult situations. He told me about ministering to a transsexual person, communicating Christ’s abiding love in a situation that St. Thomas probably didn’t account for in the Summa. [...] I imagine that if even our finest theologians from the first centuries of Christianity saw the Church today, their sensibilities would tempt them to see novelty where we see continuity. If we were permitted another thousand years as the People of God and allowed to see what things would look like then, we would have that same temptation. Let us therefore move forward with both roots and wings. ~Tom Acemoglu

QUO VADIS? CATHOLICISM IN SPAIN

notestothegadfly@gmail.com

~Mission Statement~ The Gadfly is an attempt to “bite the sleeping horse” in the spirit of Socrates. It is a student publication whose purpose is to facilitate discussion concerning campus and cultural issues as they pertain to students of Franciscan University.

It aims to be a forum for open, well-thought out, and honest discussion towards the end of knowing and loving truth in its most robust sense.

Advisor:

We all knew it was inevitable, right? The article about the presence of the faith in post-modern Europe, far from the monastic Gaming, and even further from Steubenville. And what I would like to do here is to display, with clarity and intelligence, the role of the church in Spain, the way the faith is lived, and how it all compares to the States.

Sadly, this is impossible.

Besides the limitations placed on the completion of this task by my own intelligence, one must consider that Spain has a very complicated history of church relations. Since the Reconquista, it has nearly always been one of the most “Catholic” countries in the world. How-

ever, in the current consciousness of the country, the Catholic Church is seen (rightly or wrongly) as inextricably linked to corrupt power structures, most especially the 20th century dictator Franco and the abusive “Catholic Monarchs,” Ferdinand and Isabel.

Franco especially, because of his proximity in time, is a stumbling block for the faith here. He always made sure that he was flanked by bishops when making public appearances, so as to present himself as upholding traditional Spanish values, etc. As a result of this tactic, the church is seen as responsible for Franco’s horrible reign, as well as for the Inquisition. Anyone over the age of 40 or so has disContinued on page 7

Dr. John White Advisor Extraordinaire

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St. Paul, patron saint of journalists and newspaper staffs, pray for us.

The Sleeping Horse:

Be a Pal...

Household Power

Support our

In the previous issue of The Gadfly I introduced the theme for my articles this semester and presented the campus with a question: Do individuals in household have more power than individuals not affiliated with households? My hope was that I would get a lot of feedback from students and faculty so that I didn’t have to seek out student and faculty opinion. I received two emails and, due to tests and papers, I didn’t seek out student and faculty opinion.

Therefore, this article may be a little one sided, but I’ll do my best to present both sides.

First off, I must apologize because in the last article I was asking about a general concept and used a specific example (being asked to leave a dorm room to make room for household members) to describe household power, and the responses I did get were about that example. I will clarify household power before I go on. Power in a household simply refers to a member or a household receiving any type of treatment that they would not receive if they were not affiliated with a household. You may have noticed that I didn’t write preferential treatment. This is because I will examine some types of treatment a household or household member could receive.

Resident assistants that are in household probably have the toughest time dealing with power issues. I know it’s hard to correct my friends, let alone correct my friends with a fine, so I can only imagine how hard it is to be an RA in his own household dormitory or wing. However, it has been my experience that one RA who was in household let his own household off the hook consistently. Usually it was a blatant violation of quiet hours (wrestling in the hall, yelling, playing instruments, etc).

Now, that last sentence hurt me to write. I love trying to get away with yelling, wrestling, playing sports in the halls, and so part of me really wants to let this slip. However, this semester I want to help everyone, especially households, grow and mature because of the lesson God taught me this past summer. So in short, men, let’s keep our roughhousing legal. I’m speaking from a purely male viewpoint because I probably couldn’t

even tell you more than female household’s names: Theotokos? Something like that?

The Flowers? Yeah, I’m done. So until I get more feedback from women’s households, I will speak from a male perspective.

I have also witnessed households that don’t have RAs in their wing or dorm receiving special treatment. An example would be induction ceremonies that occur after quiet hours and the members are so excited to have a new member that they yell to celebrate. Again, seemingly harmless, but quiet hours are a good rule. We are an academic institution primarily. (Please, I don’t want any responses about how the fact that we’re a Catholic institution is more important than our academics; that is a whole other article.) If a student has a test the next day, it is more important for him to get a good night’s rest than for a household to loudly celebrate a new household member.

Now, because households are so well respected on this campus, they have another type of power. It’s the reverse of their other power. If a student is in a household, he is automatically expected to be better behaved not only because he is representing his family’s name and his school’s name, but also because he’s representing the name of a certain household. And to be honest, this power isn’t fair either. However, like the other power of household, if it is looked at carefully, it can be a great tool for growth. Just like it is hard to follow a rule, especially when one knows one can get away with it, it is hard to live a certain way just because there is a minute chance you might tarnish the name of your household.

Both situations are amazing opportunities to take up the Cross and do what is right, even if one does not agree with the situation.

Please email any accolades, diatribes, or equivocations to: notestothegadfly@gmail.com.

Peace and all good, as always,

~JML

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Professor Quote of the Week:

“He wrote an elegy for some twerp he went to college with, but not a single word about his mother’s death! I hope he fries in hell!”

- Dr. Holmes on Milton

No Death Threats, Love Sonnets, etc?

Try Again.

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Government, Efficiency, and The Troubadour Two complaints always seem to haunt our on campus publications The Troubadour and Lumen Vincens: 1) they produce low quality work which doesn’t interest students, and 2) print an excessive number of copies. No one reads Lumen Vincens and that there are always about 500 extra copies of the Troub papering the Caf and Egan, but what is not so apparent is that these problems can be traced back to a common source and explained in terms of basic economics.

Economics studies scarcity and the allocation of scarce goods in a society.

Scarce goods can be anything from cars to food, but in the modern world, scarcity is best represented by money. Money is the means to get the goods which are important to us. Companies have to please their customers in order to sell their goods and stay in business, and profits provide incentives to produce better products at a lower cost. The system begins to fail when companies cease to rely on their consumers for money. If a car company receives a set amount of money for producing 10,000 cars every year, the company would not go out of its way to find out what people like in their cars. Even if this is a conscientious company which won’t just settle for the cheapest car possible, they are encouraged to simply fulfill a quota instead of building for the consumer. These companies might over-pay for basic procedures because competition does not force them to find the most efficient way of building.

Government involvement in eco-

nomics can easily lead to great inefficiency.

If money is allocated without referring back to the demand, or companies are not held responsible for their products, the companies are lead to settle for the minimum instead of producing the best product at the best price for the community. However, if the government can properly represent the will of the people and control the money to said companies, it can hold each company to a higher standard of efficiency by cutting funds on less efficient projects and rewarding those projects which best serve the community.

On our campus, both The Troubadour and Lumen Vincens receive large sums of the student activity fee to print their publication. The Troubadour receives over $5,000 and Lumen Vincens $ 6,100 (FUSA Budget Fall 2007) of the students’ money in order to produce products for the students for one semester. But neither of these publications is encouraged to cater to the students because the funds are guaranteed. In the case of The Troubadour, students do not even have power over this publication’s budget since it has been removed from FUSA’s control. There is very little incentive for these publications to produce outstanding work, or to cater to the students at all in some instances – for example, printing unread material—and the money they are using is being taken from clubs or events which actually cater to the entire campus.

This situation could be easily resolved: put financial control into the hands of the students. I see two feasible

ways. The easiest, most direct way to monitor campus-funded student-oriented publications would be to have each student fill out a fee form consisting of simple check boxes to indicate his or her preferences. This form would accompany bills or residence signups but be turned in to Student Life. Based on popular interest, Student Life would come up with a budget for each publication.

A second option is to actually utilize FUSA. FUSA can represent the students by finding out what the students want, overseeing the goals of each production, and understanding the situations underlying each publication.

Each publication should be funded by semester and held accountable by FUSA for the use of all funds. Most importantly, FUSA should operate on a basis of rewards.

If a publication is not producing the excellence expected, funds should be cut back.

Cutting is important because it forces the organization to decide what is most important: quantity, quality, stipends (that’s right, over $500 of stipends). If a publication is effective and pleases the students, funds should be considered to expand part of the publication, go to stipends, or increase the quantity or quality of printing. Increasing student power over finances will pressure publications to be efficient with their funds and concerned about producing products that please the students. Publications can look forward to financial rewards, money saved by efficiency can go towards student activities, and students can actually look forward to reading what publications print. ~MS

The Pope’s A Hippie: Why Aren’t You? “Before it’s too late, we need to make courageous choices that will recreate a strong alliance between man and Earth,” Pope Benedict XVI said earlier this month at the Vatican’s annual “Save Creation Day.” Almost half a million people listened to Pope Benedict speak about conservation and stewardship while eating on biodegradable plates and holding prayer books printed on recycled paper. If this is how the Pope feels about man’s role as steward of the earth, how is Franciscan University of Steu-

benville measuring up? Specifically, I’m speaking about recycling. Franciscan currently has no recycling program for glass or plastic in place, and the waste on a daily basis must be staggering.

This article, I freely admit, has a lot to do with my own personal compulsiveness. I twitch every time I see a plastic bottle pitched in a trash can. I’ve been religiously collecting bottles and cans since my sophomore year, much to the chagrin of my clut-

ter-hating roommates. I suppose I can’t get past the mental image of the hunk of plastic I just drank from moldering in a landfill for goodness knows how long. (Scientists don’t actually know how long plastics take to decompose, by the way – plastics have only been around for about a hundred years, and the ones studied so far haven’t shown many signs of breaking down. Estimates range from five-hundred years to a thousand, with the general consensus being “a really, really Continued on page 5

St. Pancras, protector from perjury, pray for us.

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COMIC CORNER ~AM, MS

“The Pope’s A Hippie...” continued from page 4

money for your conscientiousness, but frankly, it’s the right thing to do. It’s not

long time.”)

According to Physical Plant, some steps are currently being taken. Custodial services are recycling paper now, which is great, and a larger program will be put into place in the future. In the meantime, though, what can we do?

I would like to strongly encourage each student on campus to make a personal effort. Riesbeck’s grocery store in Wintersville (it’s only eight minutes away on Sunset) has a recycling pick-up point on the side of their building. You won’t get any

require you to sort glass from plastic. Households? Hall councils? You could also play a part. More group-wide efforts mean fewer trips to a recycling pick-up point, in the long run.

“New generations will be entrusted with the future of the planet, which bears clear signs of a type of development that has not always protected nature’s delicate equilibriums,” Pope Benedict said at his environmental rally. Fellow Franciscan students, we are that generation. Let’s start listening to the Pope, alright?

difficult – the pick-up point doesn’t even

~CL

Page 6 “Harry Potter...” continued from page 1

a 2005 interview, Rowling described her faith as an ongoing struggle: “like Graham Greene, my faith is sometimes about if my faith will return. It’s important to me.” Parallel to this is a more recent television interview about the final book in the 7-part series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where she stated “there clearly is a religious undertone” to the books and “my belief and my struggling with religious belief . . . is quite apparent in [Deathly Hallows]. [M]y struggle really is to keep believing” (2007). Now, I realize that these statements may sound strange to some, but I find them to be beautiful and sincere descriptions of the spiritual journey, deeply entangled as it is with the existential tensions of faith and the dark nights of the soul. The recently released letters of Mother Teresa should especially make this apparent to us.

What do we find in the books then that echo Christian experience in general and Rowling’s in particular?

Christ (e.g. philosopher’s stone, phoenix, stag), so as to emerge victorious in the end.

Book seven of the series exemplifies all of this more than any other, but I don’t want to give away the ending. For now, let me just say that Rowling’s own struggle to believe is mirrored most of all in this last book which covers Harry’s crisis of faith in relation to his spiritual teacher Dumbledore and all he has been taught up to that point. Also, the theme of death—something Rowling has emphasized as important to the series—is brought to the center of attention

**WARNING: SOME SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT!** One thing that’s hard not to notice are the themes of love, sacrifice, and doing what is right found throughout the books. Harry Supper at Emmaus, Rowling’s favorite painting. in Deathly was actually saved as a child from Hallows, where I think she presents a very being killed by the evil Lord Voldemort, we Christian perspective on the matter, even if are told, simply by the loving sacrifice of his through the lens of a fantasy world. Voldemother. No spell casting. Just love. At one mort fears death (his name, vol-de-mort, point, Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of even sounds like “flight from death”), Hogwarts where Harry goes to school, tells whereas Dumbledore teaches Harry from him that this is a kind of magic deeper than book one to openly embrace it, for “to the anything spells could ever accomplish. Love well-organized mind, death is but the next also happens to be the one thing which the great adventure.” hateful, power-hungry Dark Lord (Voldemort) Then there are the alchemic spiricannot understand. tual themes that run throughout the series.

Dumbledore himself is an important Rowling’s educational background is in clasmentor for Harry in the series, always helping sical literature and Latin, and she spoke in a him along in his growth and from time to time 1998 interview of having to learn “a ridicugiving him words of wisdom and advice, such lous amount about alchemy” in order “to set as these from the second book: “It is our the parameters and establish the stories’ choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, internal logic.” Typically much more than a far more than our abilities.” And what kinds proto-science for those that practiced it, the of choices does Harry make? Despite mistakes turning of common metals to gold and findfrom time to time, the trajectory of Harry’s ing the philosopher's stone and elixir of life decisions is quite clear: an ongoing striving to were usually understood to be symbolic resacrificially practice love, humility, and bravminders of the much deeper transformation ery in the fight against evil. This occurs at the simultaneously being sought after, that of the end of each novel especially, with Harry alalchemist’s own soul. As alchemy was taken ways making a figurative Christlike journey— on in Christian traditions (St. Albert comes a symbolic descent (e.g., a trapdoor, under a to mind), this always meant a transformation willow tree, a graveyard) to face the enemy in Christ. Not surprisingly, the rich symbol(either the Dark Lord or one of his servants) ism of this practice was adopted in literature and a figurative death (e.g. passing out, being as well (Shakespeare, Blake, Dickens and C. poisoned) in the presence of a symbol of S. Lewis, to name a few).

Rowling has clearly picked up this literary method as well, beginning with the title of the first book (originally Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone). If you know the alchemic steps and symbolism, it’s also evident that Harry is slowly being purified throughout the series. Books 1-5 represent the first nigredo (black) stage of dissolution (turning from self and seeking something higher) of the alchemic process, book 6 stands for the albedo (white) stage of illumination and purification (recall the many white and misty scenes), and book 7 brings us to the rubedo (red) stage of crisis or trial(s) whereby one is perfected (for Christians this is synonymous with the rest of our lives and heaven). Personally, I believe these alchemical themes parallel a sacramental worldview (and human experience) in many ways, which is why so many Christians (including Rowling) have utilized them.

If space permitted me, I would explore all of these ideas further. In closing, however, let me just emphasize that I don’t mean to suggest Rowling is overly explicit or evangelistic about the Christian themes in her writings, but this doesn’t mean they aren’t there either (other Catholic authors whom I think took a similar approach, for example, include Tolkien, O’Connor, and Percy). Additionally, let me make it clear that if people still are not personally interested in the books, I completely respect their choice. What I do hope to have accomplished, though, is (1) to have successfully challenged the criticisms and complaints of those Christians who continue to wage a “culture war” on the books, telling others not to read them; and (2) to have presented a side of the books that is perhaps more sophisticated, positive, and intriguing than people already imagined.

If these ideas have peaked your interest, then I recommend turning next to the following resources: (1) the books themselves (duh!); (2) HogwartsProfessor.com; (3) SwordofGryffindor.com; (4) an article titled “Alchemy and Harry Potter” by “Arianhrod” (just Google it); and (5) two books by John Granger—Looking for God in Harry Potter and especially Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader.

Readers can also email me with their thoughts, questions, and responses at notestothegadfly@gmail.com. ~CM

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St. Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of universities, pray for us.

“Quo Vadis?” continued from page 2

tinct memories of Franco and his cruelty, so anything that reminds them of him is bound to rankle.

I, of course, came into this experience with some knowledge of this problem, but with naïve optimism. I mean, Franco was a horrible dictator, but surely people can get over that and see that what he represented wasn’t Catholicism, right? Of course not. The events that persist most tenaciously in any consciousness, including national consciousness, are those that involve pain.

Hence, it doesn’t seem likely that Franco and his links to the church will be forgotten any time soon.

The hardest part of all this is, of course, that some of it is true. Franco was supported by some of the clergy. Ferdinand

and Isabel were nasty bigots who kicked out people of diverse faiths in order to unify Spain. The patron “saint” of Valencia is famous for his homilies in which he exhorted “good Christians” to form lynch mobs to run Jews out of the city. Those are some pretty big stains to have in one’s history.

Yet the faith lives. It is primarily among the older generation, but it is there.

Priests hear confessions all day long here – all day!

So what is the “good Catholic girl” to do? I go to church, where I am usually one of two or three people under the age of 60 (and no, I'm really not exaggerating). But more importantly, I listen. When people air their complaints about the Church, I try to hold my temper in check and sort out which of their points are valid, and once I see those, I try to live in such a way that nobody can

accuse me of allying myself with corrupt power-structures or being an ideological tyrant. Not easy tasks. Sitting in class with a professor who is mocking the beliefs that define your very being is definitely not fun.

Even worse is knowing that even if you were to correct his factual errors, he’d still have a point. Yet there must be a distinction made between the Church as seen in history, and the Church as it is manifested in, say, me.

After all, we are the body of Christ, right?

So support one another in living Christian lives – lives that mirror Christ’s.

Remember – you are the Church! And please, cherish the community you have there in Steubenville. The only thing harder than living with fellow Christians is living without them. ~ED

j|Çx? j|à? tÇw jtzzxÜç Of Sweater Vests and Blue Toes Drip. I wipe my forehead and realize that I’m sweating. A lot. Maybe I was being a little too hasty to wear a sweater today. But this is no ordinary sweater. No. No, it’s a sweater vest. It’s becoming that time of year that every East Coast dweller embraces with Lord of the Dance gusto. The crisp air, the brilliant colors…you know, the wonderful clichés of autumn. When I wake up and feel those clichés meeting my senses, the sweater vest is out and on my body faster than Dwight Schrute can make a sale. Ah, the sweater vest; America’s last tie to England. I can’t help my mind’s stream of consciousness when I see those carefully crocheted, knitted, argyle, wool, cashmere, or poly-blended pieces of art. I think brick walk-ups, old books, Rivers Cuomo-esque glasses. Sweater vest wearers just look like they love trees, Starbucks non-fat no whip lattes, and Kelsey Grammer wit (not that I claim any such tendencies).

But there is a division at this school. A silent war, so to speak. Everyone sees it but few dare to mention the rather sensitive subject. Well, I’m daring. It’s East Coast versus West Coast, Steubenville. Sorry Midwest, I admit ignorance to the starchy belts of the U.S., so you really can’t join in this fracas. Let’s give this war a new name. For the sake of subject matter, Sweater Vests versus Flip Flops. East Coast gets all excited by the cooler air and immediately pulls out the sweater vest (see above for more clarification). West Coast groans at the coming autumn and promptly piles on a haphazard mix of layers...but with flip flops. Each sees the other, acknowledges the other’s geographical influence, and then proceeds to either talk up or talk down the season of autumn. Can’t we all just get along, you say? No. No, we can’t. East Coast doesn’t understand why West Coast likes having blue toes, and West Coast doesn’t understand how East Coast likes so much fabric on their bodies. And with the fickle weather of this month, by afternoon East Coast is determinedly sweating out the sun and West Coast has shed all layers back to flip flops and a tank top. Maybe we should look towards the Midwest for compromise. Ha, who are we kidding? ~SB “To Be Or Not To Be...” continued from page 1

truly listening to what he had to say. One student is reported to have called him a “heretic” to his face for his interpretation of the Bible. Perhaps both parties are to blame. Regardless of whether or not Randall Terry was radical and irreverent to the students in that classroom, this was the impression many were left with, and this is what brings me to the central point of this article. As the founder and representative of a prominent pro-life organization, one would think Randall Terry would be used to conversing about his mission with people who did not necessarily see eye-to-eye with him. If he cannot peacefully engage a crowd at Franciscan, how could he ever hope to meaningfully engage a less supportive crowd out in the real world? What is the goal of the pro-life movement? Is it to make a statement that says, “Hey, we’re pro-life, this is how

we prove it, the law must change?” Is it to prove who’s virtuous and who’s not, who’s right and who’s wrong, who’s really dedicated and who’s lukewarm?

I think the primary goal of the prolife movement is, or at least ought to be, the end of abortion. The question remains, what is the best way to bring about that end? Whether or not you were in that class, ask yourself this: What does it really mean to be pro-life? That may be difficult to answer, but I think the best starting point is to remember the goal, and to look at what really works. From my own experience, telling someone that he or she is a murderer isn’t the greatest starting point to get him or her to do what you want him or her to. If you want people to listen to your arguments and respect them for being rational and ultimately see the truth, then you have to first convince them that YOU are rational, and

therefore not excessively radical. What do you think? What is the goal and what is the best way to bring about that end? ~BD An Eyewitness Account I only heard him speak for only about 15 minutes, so without taking any side in any of the disputes I offer a few things to ponder. A. Political activism is different from sidewalk counseling and from praying outside a clinic. As such it may require a very different rhetoric and approach. B. Provocative speech is not as such uncharitable, look at some of the things Jesus says in John. C. Regardless of personal feeling, it is still a sin to spread unkind or unverified ru~MCP mors.

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