Rebecca Knapp
The Religion of Peace
This September, in a speech at the University of Regensburg in Germany, Pope Benedict XVI quoted an ancient source that identified Muslims as violent. “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new,” wrote the 14th century Byzantine emperor quoted by the Pope, “and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” It is unclear whether the Pope intended to endorse this quote, or to himself imply that Muslims today are violent. What is clear is that Muslims responded with violence. They attacked churches, burned the Pope ineffigy, kicked the ashes, and possibly even killed a nun (though it was not proven that this murder was specifically motivated by revenge against the Pope).
Legalize The American Dream
Illegal immigrants are pouring into the United States. Pro-immigration rallies and anti-immigration rallies alternated with equal fervor this spring, while the number of illegals living in the country continued to grow towards 10 million. Pending legislation threatens to make illegal immigration a felony and to build a wall across the southern border. A group of armed civilians calling itself the Minutemen Project patrols areas where illegal immigrants frequently cross into America, while southwestern talk radio stations voice their shrill support for the Minutemen. Illegal immigration is present and it is growing. Americans need to decide what to do about it.
The Backward Strategy of Democracy
This January, the Islamic terrorist organization, Hamas, won the Palestinian elections by a landslide. It now effectively controls Parliament. President Bush responded to the election by complimenting the democratic process. “You see,” he said, in a line quoted by Time Online, “When you give people the vote, give them the chance to express themselves at the polls and they’re unhappy with the status quo, they’ll let you know…I like the competition of ideas. I like people who have to go out and say, vote for me, and here’s what I’m going to do. There’s something healthy about a system that does that.”
There is nothing healthy about Hamas.
Campus Commentary: Religious Tolerance Blights Campus Culture
Religion is becoming a political issue in the culture at large. Abortion, stem-cell research, euthanasia, homosexuality, intelligent design–even the “war on terror”–each of these debates is linked to religious beliefs. With the conservatives strengthening ties to the Christian religion and a Supreme Court that has become predominately conservative, religion is maneuvering its way into a real position of power within American politics. We at The Undercurrent, being staunchly opposed to every form of mysticism, religious or otherwise, wondered how religion has been faring on campus. Hoping to discover some pro-reason sentiment, we surveyed a range of publications at major universities.
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Objectivism
The Undercurrent's cultural commentary is based on Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism. Objectivism, which animates Ayn Rand's fiction, is a systematic philosophy of life. It holds that the universe is orderly and comprehensible, that man survives by reason, that his life and happiness comprise his highest moral purpose, and that he flourishes only in a society that protects his individual rights.Event Calendar
