Sunday, August 28, 2011

Mennonite College Bans National Anthem -- Too Violent


A tiny, 1,000-student Mennonite school in Indiana first banned the words to the National Anthem.  Now however, Goshen College has banned the song in its entirety — melody and all.

According to Goshen’s president, Jim Brenneman, the words to The Star-Spangled Banner were “too violent.” The reasonable explanation being that the Mennonite faith reportedly endorses pacifism.

Hey, if this college wants to ban violent music, maybe they should look at:

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.

How about:

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see His banners go!

Mennonites are supposed to follow the teachings of Christ, but Jesus was hardly a pacifist. How about when Jesus said:

“But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.

How about:

“Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

 And then there was that whole driving the money-lenders out of the Temple incident:

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.  “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.”

Remember when kids went to college to get a HIGHER education??

1 comment:

Vigilis said...

Can anyone name a famous, living, American Mennonite? Would you believe Matt Groening, creator of the television series, 'The Simpsons'?

Identification with the general public appears more problematic for U.S. Mennonites these days, despite their reputation as stalwarts of nonviolence and disaster relief, than their presence has ever been a problem for the rest of us.

Wouldn't it be nice if, instead of a cartoonist, one of them became a distinguished journalist who help could help LR hold our vital fourth estate accountable?

Just a thought.