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Show opinion/ A Letter from a Soldier How we have become worshipers of a tainted and commercialized escapism To believe or not to believe That is, in fact, the question when it comes to the existence of God. The subject has been contemplated, debated, explored and dissected for thousands of years, and yet here we are, in 2005-the age of computers, postmodernism and reality TV.-and the discussion rolls on with as much passion and fervor as ever. The latest surfacing of this ancient inquiry is an offshoot of a political debate over whether •'intelligent design" should be taught in science classes in addition to the theory of evolution. The argument is for "bala n c e " ^ our educators give one explanation for our existence, why not another. The counter-argument is, of course, that evolution is based on science, while intelligent design or Creationism (a more literal, biblically based view) lacks actual empirical evidence. Well, the debate seems pretty simple to me: if it's science, teach it in a science class; if it's not, don't. How many people change their world views in a biology class anyway? The deeper issue, however, that seems to be lost in the pontificating and sighing and eye-rolling arrogance is this: God can't be proved or disproved by science. I'm reminded of a painting by the eccentric 19th century poet/artist William Blake, in which he depicts the worldrenowned scientist Isaac Newton hunched over at the bottom of the ocean with a compass in hand, measuring, examining, calculating. The point of Blake's painting is to show the limitations of science. As Blake himself explained it: "Reason, or the ratio of all that we have already known, is not the same that it shall be when we know more. . .He who sees the Infinite in all things, sees God. He who sees the ratio only sees himself only." I don't mean to discredit science; I am merely showing its role. Science can do many things, but it can only shrug at the questions of God's existence or life after death or whether anything has a purpose. People sometimes forget that evolution and intelligent design need not be mutually exclusive. Both could be true together in a way we can't now completely comprehend. I say keep God out of science class. But when it comes to how life beganwhetherGod indeed created it or whether it just came together on its own accordthe answer is likewise up to each individual to decide. Either way takes a leap of faith. I believe that television and cinema are mining literature in our world today. Because we love the instantaneous oh so dearly, the emphasis that was once placed on stories about the human character, stories that essentially teach us how we ought to live, is lost. Ok, so Harry Potter is a clean and clever series of novels. A little guy named Harry who is not so loved in his own realm is swept away to a magic school where he is loved, where he is unique and talented and praised. Harry Potter fans, please don't throw this newspaper at the wall right now. I do not mean to belittle these books. I think they can be inspiring novels. Escapism is not always an unhealthy thing; but if we take a look at popular culture we might see that the worshiping of escapist art is a mighty and probably unhealthy epidemic. It is pretty mucti the only thing we choose to partake of. Does that sound too bold? Well, what is popular in the world? What makes the most money when it comes to books and films? To name a few, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Spiderman, Star Wars, Batman, and once Star Trek-all escapism! There is no balance between the realistic and fantastical in what we watch and read. What we watch and read is what trains us to think and, in tum, how to live. The literature our society loves is not teaching us to deal with our problems, so much as it is just helping to whisk us away and forget all about them. Novels that are worthwhile, that represent people and things exactly as they are, that truly express the beauty and sorrow of life, and I mean truly — are not being read anymore. Books are a venue for pure intellectual, spiritual, and emotional growth. But our favorite books are on an eighth grade reading level - not enough mental growth is taking place. I'm not saying we should abolish movies or sitcoms or the genre of fantasy. I'm not saying realist art is the only thing we should ever consume (shyeah, and monkeys will fly out of my butt). But realism is what we really need today. We need to acknowledge that reality is not always exciting. Marriage and work and health and politics and school are not always exciting. Maybe if we could learn to acknowledge the dreariness of life to a small degree, we'd be a less obese, less violent, and less ridiculously consumerist people. Entertainment is important. But so is learning. The media we breathe in day to day should be a balance of these two things. So far, it's just a lot of Hexxus, and not enough of saving the rainforest. — Whitney Mower MONDAY* SEPTEMBER 12*2005 I've noticed you guys need some Right Wing input to help balance everything out. Here is an extensive essay on the right wing. Walking <Jown the Airport terminal in Chicago, heading to my connection to Denver, with a cast on my right leg, and a crutch on the corresponding shoulder, I hear things like "baby killer!" and "murderer!" shouted at me. Why? Because I am wearing Army Dress Greens. I just wanted to head home in peace, see my friends and family, and have a couple of weeks off. But some people just don't understand what is going on entirely. I'm here to give everyone a fresh view of current (and past) affairs. "Except for ending slavery, Nazism, Fascism, and Communism, War has NEVER solved anything!" -Protestwarrior.com. Yeah, I suppose that's true. War is useless. Unless of course you're putting things to rest that should have never come to be. It's okay that Hitler killed 6 million Jews, and caused pain and suffering to countless others. We don't need silly little WAR to fix that! It's absolutely fine that Communism has killed over 100 Million people over the course of its life. Let's give it another chance! Seriously, listen to yourselves for one second! The war in Iraq is bad? Maybe I'm misinformed, but last I checked Saddam Hussein killed 300,000 of his own people, using the same, and more brutal techniques as Hitler himself, such as gassing (oh that reminds me of um... what was it called, oh yeah, THE HOLOCAUST!) and torturing children in front of their own parents. I don't know about the rest of you, but I would not be able to stand seeing my children getting tortured. That would be pure torture. So we shouldn't have gone to Iraq for what reason again? Oh yeah, everyone complains about that whole WMD thing. Well, we DID find countless other things against U.N. Sanctions; a machine that takes uranium and plutonium and turns it into weapons grade material, NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) suits, this would be understandable if there were a Hospital that offered chemo Therapy; however, these suits were found in a hospital, amongst a stockpile of weapons, and no Radiation ward to be found. Don't kid yourselves, Saddam had WMD, we just made the mistake of giving him fair warning of our invasion, so he deported them to other terrorist sympathetic countries. How many of you knew that the authorities were coming, so you ditched your weed? I think it's kind of the same thing here, he knew he was guilty of possession, so he ditched his illegal weapons. 1,800 soldiers have died in Iraq. Considering we've been there for nearly three years now, that is phenomenally low. Consider this: in the first day of the battle of Iwo Jima in WWII, we lost 14,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen. By the end of that battle alone, we lost 25,000 men. Over the course of three years, less than 2,000 dead. That is exceptionally good. Having done the math, our casualty rate over three years, is .0017% that of one day of one battle of WWII. Don't get me wrong here, a life is a Dear Editor, I'm not going to pull any punches here. I have nothing but contempt for organized religion. I hold the Bible at about the same level I hold Beowulf and the Epic of Gilgamesh. It's all mythology and folklore to me. So how do I feel about the western world's take on creationism? Honestly, I can't believe there are grown adults suggesting that the universe was created in six days by some mythical being who has always existed, that Adam and Eve had only one rib each, and that the entire population of the world was spawned from two people. Doesn't genetics show us that a diverse gene pool is essential to avoid harmful mutations? How can two people create the diverse gene pool that exists in the world today in only a few thousand years? Wouldn't that make us all the product of thousands of years of incest? Incest creates all kinds of harmful genetic mutations, and it's something that almost all religions condemn, including Christianity. If God exists, does He/She/It make exceptions to the rules? Would God forgive incest so long as the survival of the population depended on it? Most religions teach that God's word never changes, but don't we see that happening all the time in the Catholic, LDS, Anglican, and so many other churches? God commanded Mormons to practice polygamy up until the point that they wanted to be considered an organized religion, and to have Utah be granted the status of a state. And it was okay for them to exclude blacks from being full members, being given the priesthood, and being allowed into the "celestial kingdom" until 1978. But then all of a sudden God supposedly gave the world a revelation that -such discrimination was no longer necessary. My blind faith can only go so far. Now, I have no problem teaching creationism in schools under the proper context. If they want to present it as a theory that some religions hold, I'm all for it. That is how I feel evolution should be taught. But if the world was created in such a manner, there are a lot of holes that need to be patched up before I'll subscribe to this drivel. -Adam Streeter Visit us online at www.netxnews.net life. It is a valued thing. Every time I hear word of one more of my friends dying over there, it hurts me. It hurts me because it's my friend, and I can't be there fighting with them. 1*11 never forgive myself for taking time off to go to school, and letting them tough it out on their own, but this is something I have to do. Tell me again why we shouldn't be in Iraq. "We're killing innocent people!" Well, Saddam killed 300,000 of his own people (and we're still counting graves), I think that takes a bit more precedent. This is war. War has an ugly face. But this is war; innocent people die. It's unfortunate, but it happens. But in return, we've built 38 new schools, we've renovated 3100 schools, and 263 more schools are under construction. There are 70 higher education centers (colleges, i nsti- tutes, a n d research centers) all currently operating. The reformed Iraqi Government employs over 1.2 million people. There are 15 hospitals under construction, 63 -; public din- C ics, 93 water facilities, and 69 electrical facilities. 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled into primary school. Phone use has gone up 158%. Baghdad Stock Exchange opened last year. You know why you didn't know all of that? Because our biased media doesn't want you to know. All they do is show the negative, never the positive. There are some facts, all of which are verifiable on the Department of Defense Website. The left just needs to shut up. In all honesty, who of you have talked to an ACTUAL Iraqi? I'm talking in person, face to face. Not someone you met on MySpace or MSN messenger or some chat room, a REAL Iraqi. Until you all see Iraq for yourselves, until you've been there and seen first hand that the Iraqis DO want us there, shut up. You are way out of line saying the things you're saying. Look it up, do the math, figure it out. If you don't like the way things are run, leave. We don't want you here. — SPC. Tom Leishman U.S. Army Idler/ lo Ihe editor Dear Editor, I can't believe what's happened to the Writing Center. They are now a third of the size they were last spring. Talk about being downsized. You can't even hear yourself think in there now, you're crammed in so little space. Apparently this move was slyly made while the Writing Center was without a director. Peer tutoring should have just stayed where they were. It's way too hectic up there, and this is just the beginning of the semester. Poor decision, whoever made this one. -Brian Baker LETTERS TO THE EDITOR * E-Mail letters to uvscopinions@hotmail.com * The NetXNews room is located on campus in SC220. * All letters become properly of NetXNews and may be edited for content, specifically clarity, length or other concerns at the discretion of the Opinions Editor. * Letters between 50-250 words are encouraged and those letters marked by their succinctness are more likely lo be published. * Letters must be accompanied by full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes (contact information will not be published). Occupation, title or major is optional. 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