Mr. Krist Adams
English
Extra Credit
Directions: Read the fake article taken from the Magazine “Religion and Culture.” Be careful to look at what is said. Some of the statements made may not be true. You are to then write a response to the writer expressing your feelings towards his opinions. Remember that straight out criticism is not always the best way to go about a response. Pointing out the good traits is just as helpful as correcting the mistakes. Remember this is a FORMAL letter and to use language as such.
Christians: Masking Intolerance With Morality
By Falleen Sendel
(Taken from Religion and Culture magazine, August 2004)
As Universities prepare for the flood of students returning from the ‘fun in the sun’ summer break, and just as many joining the collegiate ranks for the first time, it’s vital for us as a nation to expose the one thing that stands in offensive to the high virtues of tolerance and diversity that we must all hold to.
For such a long time, there have been campus organizations parading their brand of morality and their virtues. Yet ‘their brand’ of morality is just a guise—one that hides the truth. Behind the propagation of their morality (as they call it) we will find the truth: intolerance of the highest level.
You guessed it. I’m talking about Christians. Almost every day, if you look hard you will find these people walking around proclaiming ‘the truth’ that Jesus died on the cross for all of us and for all of our sins. I for one find it offensive that anyone would say that I even have sin. I’m a good person. I give to charities, help little ladies across the street, and even buy Girl Scout cookies when they stand outside shoving them in your face, even though they are some of the worst cookies I have ever personally tasted. I haven’t ever killed anyone, yet they presume that not just me, but all of us have sinned and need to get right with God.
Though they appear to care for people, using their morality as a justification, which is only a guise to hide their true attitude: INTOLERANCE. How dare they say that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Do they even understand how offensive that statement is to Hindus, Muslims, Jews, and a slew of other religions, not to mention the millions who have never even heard who Jesus is? Yet they continue to prance around spouting out profanities like ‘homosexuality is a sin and wrong,’ ‘you must be born again,’ and other such degrading remarks. Jesus was a loving person. Wasn’t the Nazarene tolerant of all religious views? And how dare they twist His message to form their own intolerance and destroy the diverse culture that the Founding Fathers of America intended.
How they can live with themselves while attacking the way people were born and calling it a ‘sin’ and an ‘abomination’ is beyond me. Yet the saddest part of all of this is that they disguise their intolerance with morality. How dare them tell me what is moral. I know what is moral. Just as the next man knows what is moral to him. Jesus may work for you—great. But that doesn’t mean He works for me. Morality is a personal thing, just as religion is. If it works for you—great. If not—try something else. But quite frankly I am tired of seeing Christians propagating their intolerance while masking it with morality and their supposed-caring nature. It was Christianity that brought us The Crusades. It is their brand of morality that makes our society what it is. It tries to change people from what they really are and “make them better” as the Christian proclaims. Yet all it does is destroy the diversity and tolerance that we all have worked so hard to create. And I for one am getting tired of it. Until next month.
Graded on:
- Writing and Grammar: since you can take this home, it should be near perfect. NEAR.
- Arguments and opinions: How good your arguments are against/for what has been said. This is graded just so you don’t say stuff like “I think you’re wrong.” And “That’s stupid.” Give reasons.
- The use of Formal language and NOT informal language
- Length: The response must be at least one full page in length. How this is determined: typed-single spaced. Written-one full page, single spaced. This is not too important, yet I do not one three paragraphs. Minimum: 250 words. The article is 555 words, so at least half of that should do.
Mr. Krist Adams
English
Extra Credit Example
Name: Krist Adams
Response to “Christians: Masking Intolerance with Morality”
Dear Mr. Sendel,
My name is Krist Adams and I am writing in response to your article in the August 2004 edition of Religion and Culture magazine. First off, let me commend you on some very well thought out opinions. However I must agree with most of it. Let me first assure you that it is not my intention to offend you, but just clarify some things that I personally see wrong. Let me just state some examples so you can see what I am talking about. First you say that Christians are intolerant. We must all first realize what the word “intolerant” and “tolerant” means. Tolerance is the acceptance of other lifestyles, beliefs, etc. As an example, Christians accept the lifestyles of homosexuals. That is easy to see because we don’t have millions of Christians going around and killing homosexuals. But what tolerance has come to mean in our culture is not just the acceptance of a lifestyle of belief, but also the approval of. The actual meaning of tolerance is not an approval. Yet today it has come to mean as such in our twisted society. That is why Christians are called intolerant, because they will not approve of certain things. In the same manner though, homosexuals are intolerant of accepting and approving of Christian lifestyle, and the same for Muslim, Hindu, etc, and vice versa.
You must also realize that all religions are intolerant and closed off to one another. They all hold to certain truths that cannot mix with other religions. Yet this is rarely brought up in the marketplace of ideas. And alone Christians are mocked and ridiculed on this ground.
You do have it right that Jesus was a loving person. He was also a merciful and graceful person, but as a man of justice and truth. However, unlike how you state, He was not tolerant of all religious beliefs. In fact, Jesus Christ was probably the most intolerant person to walk the Earth.
Also, your point about the founding fathers desiring diversity and tolerance is also untrue, although the truth of the founding fathers has been kept in the dark for the past 60 years or so and changed into one like you have stated. For further reading on this matter, I suggest the book “American Mainstream Media Hates Christianity.”
I also want to comment on your remark about truth and morality. You stated that both religion and morality were personal matters. It sounds like, if I am understanding you correctly, that you don’t believe in absolute truth: than one moral code may be good for one person, but not another. But isn’t murder wrong no matter where you go? Are you sure there is no such thing as absolute truth?
Please answer this question because in this answer you find the truth: If you answer “Yes, I am sure there is no such thing as absolute truth” you have proven an absolute. Where as if you answer, “Yes, I am sure there is absolute truth” you agree there is and again prove an absolute.
You bring up the issue of The Crusades, yet Christians did not give us that, people posing as Christians did. It was a result of Christendom, not Christianity. There is a difference.
Finally I wish to leave you with this: there is a reason that Christians are called intolerant, but aren’t. That is because tolerance is a false love that assumes the purpose of life is just to coincide with one another. Whereas Christians, holding to the principle of love your neighbor as thyself, believe that life is for much more than just coinciding. WE believe it has a greater purpose. While tolerance is a false love, we hold to the truth. The holding of these views herein set forth has already won for me the scorn, contempt and ridicule of some of my fellow man. But Truth is Truth and though all the world reject it and turn against me, I will cling to Truth still.
Thank you for your time Mr. Sendel and I ask that you consider some of the thoughts I have offered.
Sincerely,
Mr. Krist Adams
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