Confuscius said,
”
Pray not to live in interesting times.
”
But these days we do live in interesting times.
Confuscius said, “Pray not to live in interesting times.” But these days we do live in interesting times. In February, Gilroy had the honor of a visit from Terrence Roberts, who, as a 15-year-old 11th grader in 1957, became one of the first nine black students to go to a formerly segregated public high school in Little Rock, Ark. This month, Gilroy has the honor of hosting another notable guest lecturer, Santa Clara University professor Dr. Carmichael Peters. Originally from the Caribbean, he holds a doctorate from the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley. A former Jesuit Priest, he is an expert in systematic theology, Christology and ecclesiology. He teaches in the religious studies department at Santa Clara University, a college known for its rigorous undergraduate curriculum and nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Established in 1851, it is California’s oldest institution of higher learning.
Dr. Peters has been giving a series of free talks open to the public during soup suppers on Wednesday evenings to mark the Easter Season. (Soup is planned at 6 p.m. with a talk beginning at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, April 9th at the Gilroy United Methodist Church, 7600 Church St.) He has been examining serious questions about ethics and issues of violence. He began by describing alternative ways of thinking ethically and will conclude with his discussion of modern advocates of non-violence.
Can you imagine Jesus flipping the switch on the electric chair? If one can’t imagine that with a good conscience, then one cannot claim to follow him and still support the death penalty. Is Bush leading the United States in a just war (purely an act of self-defense) or a holy war (a war for religious reasons)? Jihad is not just a term relegated to Islam; the United States has had its own holy wars, such as the one waged against Native Americans, in which the idea that Native American babies would just grow up to kill white people anyway was used to justify soldiers killing them in an act of systematic genocide. Blankets infected with the smallpox virus were sent ahead to wipe out whole villages before soldiers even arrived – early American biological warfare.
Dr. Peters points out the three ways we can respond in the challenging and frightening times we face: a world accepting response is one. Apathy keeps you disinterested in social change; it’s easier to just keep legitimating the current social order by remaining silent. Go with the flow. The second response is a world denying response: just withdraw and avoid the world as much as possible in order to save your soul. Or, finally, you can take a world-transforming attitude, such as activists like Gilroy’s own Women in Black do.
Speaking of our response to the world, are you aware that Easter baskets are being sold with war toys in them? These war toys include Machine Guns, Hand Grenades, Missiles with Warheads and Military Combat Sets.
Nationwide, various Kmarts, Rite Aids and Wal-Marts are selling such prepackaged Easter Baskets. Several stores have removed them from their shelves after being asked to do so by many folks.
Contact: Kmart at (800) 63-KMART, www.bluelight.com; Rite Aid at (800) Rite-Aid, www.RiteAid.com; Wal-Mart at (800) 330-8649, www.Walmart.com
This is not an issue of whether one supports the current war on Iraq or not. I support our troops in Iraq, but weapons are not what I want my child to find on Easter morning. Weapons do not convey the Easter message of hope, resurrection and rebirth. I hope that you will call, write, and stop by the Kmarts, Rite Aids and Wal-Marts and ask the managers to remove these Easter baskets from their shelves.
Kat Teraji’s column is published every Thursday in The Dispatch. You can reach her at ka****@ea*******.net.
