|
| |
| DEAN'S LIST |
The Passion Of The Christopher
04-16-2004 |
 |
|
 |
| The Atlanta Journal Constitution's Curtis Bunn is outraged by "that unseemly NBA subculture." |
"The Passion of the Christ" isn’t the only fodder for religious dialogue in pop culture these days. During a recent segment on ESPN’s "Outside the Lines Nightly," Dwight Howard II, the potential top pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, said he'd “like to see the cross on the NBA’s [Jerry West] logo.” His positive intentions aside, there’s nothing positive about a future celebrity not understanding the value of separation of church and state in America. ...
So what if Howard doesn't believe he's actively imposing his religious will on others. He must be taught that public promotion of spirituality to any degree will be largely interpreted as an aggressive imposition of faith and a defiance of secularism. Clearly, young Dwight Howard could benefit from a few more years of education. ...
But the passion of the Christopher for discouraging "parochial schools" of thought doesn't stop there. In a column in yesterday’s Atlanta Journal Constitution, Curtis Bunn recapped the events of send-off reception held in Howard’s honor at the Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. ...
The laudatory nature of the piece was overshadowed only by the “strength” of its religious bias and self-righteous undertones. To be clear, the Constitution is not a religiously-affiliated publication, at least not publicly. A few edited, but not manipulated excerpts from the article follow:
“If you ever had any anxiety whether Howard will be swallowed up in that unseemly subculture of the NBA, your concerns were eased. He comes off, convincingly, as grounded and true. … And yet, Howard has shown to be the manliest of teens. … He is sensitive enough to break down into tears when his teammates gathered around him for a prayer. … He is steeped enough in religion to thank God first and foremost. He is diverse enough to play the piano. ... But his father, Dwight Howard Sr., understands the magnitude of the decision: ‘This is one of the [family's] greatest moments. … But don't stop praying for us. This is a long journey.’”
 |
| High-school senior and future NBA lottery pick Dwight Howard needs a thorough schooling in the notion of secularism. |
Ironically, Mr. Bunn has his head up his ass with respect to at least a few notions:
The fact that he is an African-American man does not excuse his sweeping generalization that NBA players constitute “[an] unseemly subculture.” ...
Compounding the issue is his untimely use of the modifier “that,” which expresses an unquestionable and hence questionable disdain for this alleged “subculture.” ...
Still, the very idea that there’s something manly about weeping during prayer is funny enough to bring most men, including myself, to tears. ...
Speaking of total disregard for secularism, Bunn’s claim that Howard should be praised for “[thanking] God first” gives a black eye to the media regardless of the religious climate of Atlanta and the South at large. ...
And to Dwight Howard Sr., please be advised that I can't stop praying for you - I never was in the first place. …
While the preceding scolding of the Howards and reaming of Bunn may be viewed as anti-Christian and/or anti-religion in general, my feelings are simply pro-American and anti-anti-secularist - or secularist - in nature.
The name of the game is Aquatic Beings: Mardy Fish ... Tim Salmon ... Flipper Anderson … Eric Swann … Brian Leetch ... Goose Gossage … TJ Duckett … Steve Trout … Kevin Bass … Ray Knight…Aaron Sele … and Catfish Hunter. Have a ... good Friday. I'm Dean Christopher. |
|
|
| |
|
|
