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Faith Based Opponents Are Killing Us
NMB, Florida October 14, 2001 A.H. Schectman
THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on Issues, Ideas and Reflections on the Times. Published Now and
Then. Opinions Pro or Con Are Welcome.
FAITH BASED OPPONENTS ARE KILLING US
I got to thinking that there no longer is the ideological war between
Communism (loser) and Capitalism (the clear winner). The war that is
cranking up even as this is written is "Faith Based" on the side of the
aggressor. It is a contest, not of our choosing, between differing
approaches acknowledging a Supreme Being. On the one hand we live in a land
of choices and contrasts. On the other, Faith Based opponents offer no
choice, no opposition, no freedom and one gray color that fits all.
We went to a concert last night at the University of Miami where the Naples
Philharmonic Orchestra (Naples Florida) augmented by a brass section of the
University, lifted our spirits high with flag-waving and non-faith
religiosity of music. Carol and I joined the audience in clapping, tapping
toes and responding to the spirit raising music billed as the 75th
anniversary of MU and its music department. The content was a stirring
"Pop" celebration of introductions and smashing conclusions of the foot
stamping sort of very loud renditions of "Stars and Stripes Forever."
I got to thinking during the never dull or smarmy choices that the very
large orchestra of mostly young people playing the notes of music from all
over the world was symbolic of the kind of civil society we have created
here. It is also a metaphor for the idea we have of life itself and the
constant change that life is subject to. We have learned from the past but
are not chained in it. We live and love in the present for this is the only
life we have. We look to the future because that is where we are headed.
And, we do not know the author of all of this except that we ourselves
created it with the gift of life that is there for every human on this
earth.
While faith-based opponents ARE killing us we are celebrating the
creativity of life itself and should protect ourselves from the stultifying
single-vision world-view that has brought us to war once again. We live in a
civil society that has developed civilization to where creative minds of the
best of us have gifted us. We are free to create and serve up the best in
us to the whole world. We are open and we hope that Faith-based narrowness
will never become the ideal of free peoples everywhere.
Carol's Evaluation: 10 out of 10.
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