I write in response to Christopher Drummonds' Sept. 29 letter, itself in response to a letter by John Spofforth. Mr. Drummonds seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulders; his call for folk to pay a little more respect to his religion is useful and admirable. I have written letters to The Post on this subject more than a few times (and miraculously the editors continue to publish them), so I will not reiterate my agreement too much that religions should respect one another.
This is hard to do, however, given this repetitive and rather worn-out trope that I've noticed both Mr. Drummonds use in his letter (and Leah Hitchens on several occasions) which is the trope of I am the last Christian on campus. It is remarkable to me that Christians, in a nation where almost three-quarters of the population professes Christianity of some sort or another, have the gall to call themselves brave for ña profession of their faith. Is there anything else Christians do anymore? Where are those who recognize they share space with other faiths?
In Athens alone, there are Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, Pagans and God (by whatever nomer he goes) only knows how many else. I will call such loud statements of faith brave only when they accompany true persecution: Zoroastrians persecuted in Iran for professing their faith are brave, Christian missionaries in faraway lands are brave, Muslims who worship openly in the United States are brave. Ms. Hitchens and Mr. Drummonds might as well declare their faith from their mother's arms, from the safest place imaginable. And I won't even touch Mr. Drummonds' statement of the Bible has yet to be proven false. When the Bible is treated as an article of faith, it is 100 percent true. As an article of scientific fact, 100 percent false. As a historical document, which it greatly is, there is no such thing as true or false. I call for Christians and non-Christians alike to stop treating the Bible as though its validity must be tested on one absolute criterion. It is a book of holy writ, to be believed or not to be believed, and to substantiate that belief you must reasonably abandon some things and take up others. It needn't be scientifically proven or disproven to be valid.
Jesse Pyle is a junior studying English.
4 Opinion
Letter to the Editor
