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The Rice Thresher
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Backpage should not mock Christianity To the editor: Last week's Backpage article ("Jesus graces Night of Decadence," Nov. 3) ranks among the most offensive and juvenile pieces of writing I have ever encountered. Apparently, Backpage Editor Ben Johnson has no respect for others' beliefs. Though I am a Christian, I don't take this article personally or as a serious intellectual attack on my faith (after all, it's not). I do, however, find it offensive - it ridicules my faith and slanders a man whose life is best known for its purity and selflessness. To put this in perspective: Suppose another religious figure had been attacked, perhaps Mohammed or Buddha. Rice would be up in arms, myself included. Rice would face national criticism. The Thresher might face serious consequences. None of that will happen now. Why? Despite "political correctness," Christianity is still seen as fair game. Indeed, the article was intended to provoke anger: The fine print reads, "Send your angry letters to backpage@rice.edu." It failed. I am offended, but I am not angry. I am sad. I am sad that some in our "tolerant," "enlightened" society cannot tolerate my faith and still consider it humorous to ridicule another person's beliefs. This brand of disrespect has no place in our university or the Thresher. If you wish to discuss others' beliefs, please do so in a mature and intelligent manner. If you cannot do so, please do the university and your classmates a service and leave the Thresher.
Ed Cottrell Baker senior
'Thresher' unfairly attacks Christians To the editor: This year, the Thresher has published several articles containing anti-Christian sentiment: articles poking fun at religious beliefs and practices, name-calling of Christian groups attending Night of Praise and student disgust at flyers being posted around campus. It seems harsh to me that any group of people at Rice should be the center of such childish name-calling and critique. If Rice is supposed to be a place where you can freely express your beliefs and ideas, this should include all campus groups, even the large ones. Night of Praise is an opportunity for people of the Christian faith to come together in fellowship on a night surrounded by Night of Decadence. For most, NOP is not a chance to make a list of sinners attending NOD and burn it in the eternal fire. In fact, most of the people I talked to attended both and enjoyed both experiences. While I personally did not attend, I did not feel the need to dissuade others from going because of my beliefs. Part of the Christian doctrine is morality, but another part is not judging others' actions. The Backpage of the Nov. 3 Thresher, "Jesus graces Night of Decadence," was in poor taste. A story mocking the miracles of Jesus and insulting the being of God and the Holy Ghost isn't funny, even if you're not Christian. As a Christian, I don't go around making jokes about Buddha or quoting the Ramadan incorrectly at attempts to be funny. Those are part of people's fundamental beliefs and should be respected, not derided. I'm not asking for people to censor their thoughts or to convert to Christianity. All I'm asking is that people think before they publish something that is distasteful in a poor attempt at humor. Perhaps there is no way to avoid offending everyone, but a stronger attempt could be made to show some respect for your peers. Make Rice a safer place for people of all walks of life: Watch out for people's toes.
Lee Cagle Lovett sophomore
Lubawy misses point of Zyp's column To the editor: In the Nov. 3 Thresher, Andrea Lubawy's column "Acting engineers enrich college theater," supposedly contained a valid refutation of Victoria Zyp's Oct. 27 column "Theater needs quality, not quantity." Lubawy presents a compelling case for disliking Zyp; however, she accomplishes this by using untruths and misrepresentations. Lubawy's refutation makes one wonder if she finished the column, let alone attempted to comprehend its intent. Lubawy focuses on Zyp's introductory anecdote of crying over the thought of acting engineers to which, as an acting engineer herself, Lubawy clearly took personal offense. However, Zyp writes, "Rice has to remember why theater is important to this campus - it brings the benefits of creating theater to people who will move on to become engineers, lawyers, teachers and doctors." Zyp's personal anecdote only served the function of illustrating how personal experiences with Rice theater have completely changed her mind. Lubawy also criticizes Zyp for having no appreciation of the residential college system despite straightforward evidence to the contrary. As a member of the Martel Founding Committee, Zyp has volunteered to devote a sizable amount of time to the continuing success of the residential college system. Lubawy even refutes the main argument of Zyp's article, that there is too much theater for Rice's community to be able to support, by saying that Zyp is not helping the situation by starting a theater program at Martel. She overlooks the fact that Zyp's intentions for Martel's theater program do not include multiple productions a year and do involve Martel carving out its own niche in Rice's theater community. These are exactly the objectives Zyp's column champions. I would encourage Lubawy to keep in mind that Zyp has participated in five Rice productions in three semesters, is founding the Martel program, wrote a play that was performed at the Alley Theatre and is about to begin her second internship in three semesters at the Alley Theatre. No one, including Lubawy, should question that level of dedication. Jennifer Canada Wiess sophomore
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