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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1972-03-23, Page 11Opinions on controversial questions are given, this week, by Rev. Donald Beck, Hensel, United Church; Father John Mooney, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and St. Peter's Church, and Rev, Harmen Heeg, minister of Bethel Reformed Church, Exeter. This is the second of a series of articles. Question: Does the use of profanity in films, .books, news media, TV etc. bother you? fr; Mr. Heeg : Yes it does! And here is why. Not one of us would like it if someone slandered our names. We know that words are powerful between man and man, They are even more powerful between man and God, God uses words to communicate to man. In the midst of a world like ours God has revealed Himself to us by giving Himself the name 'Yahweh" or "The Lord." He did this so that we could call upon Him for help in time of need, and enter into a worshipful and uplifting fellowship with Himself. His name is a sign of His presence with us. In the light of the third commandment, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain," cursing and swearing are definitely an insult to God. It was a deadly sin in the Old Testament. It's like saying "NO" to God, And I think that the more you swear, the further you'll be away from God. We must watch our words. The media is no exception. God's name is holy. If instead of the profanity on our lips God's name is in our hearts, then the help we seek will come, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe." That's Proverbs 18:10. Father Mooney: I don't know how widespread the use of profanity in the media really is. I really do not watch television very much. Vulgarity in any media betrays a lack of • taste and good breeding. Four letter words and vulgar words do not appear in the works of the great essayists. You will not find vulgarity in the works of McCauley, Newman and Chesterton. These men were • great, they did not find any need for lowering themselves or their standards. When a person is lac:king in ability then, I suppose the temp- tation to use shock gimmicks is always present in order that the person can sell his material. Some would defend the vulgarity in the name of "telling it as it is," of being realistic. I hope the day will never come when TV will be able to broadcast smells. I would wonder what Roy Jewell could do with the Sunday afternoon farm show. He could 7 c take us on one of his tours through the piggery, or farmyard and broadcast the local smells into our living rooms in the name of telling it as it is or in the name of realism! When the second rate broad- caster or entertainer begins to use the name of God in vain, I think I must drawa line, Freedom of expression? If this means that he can continue to attack my Faith and offend my sensibilities, I believe that it also means that I can defend my position. I don't want to be updated in these matters. I think that lovely Canada is not improved by this kind of pollution. I do not think that a few 'artistic personalities' in the media are the proper persons to dictate to me what is acceptable • in our culture today. Mr. Beck: Initially one thinks in terms of profanity from a broader point of view than merely the use of certain "unmentionable" words, Rather, it is the way of living that is idealized both sexually and non-sexually in certain television productions, books, and movies that could well be considered profane. Surely this whole question of the use of profanity in the media, however, is tied to the larger problem of the responsibility of the media to society and con- sequently censorship. The extent to which our life style today is influenced by the media, and television in particular, is somewhat frightening and should not be taken lightly either by the media or by society. Ideally it is the media, and, failing that, society that has the responsibility to set the kind of standards whereby the product that reaches the public will have a positive influence for good and create a wholesome atmosphere in which to live, What is and what is not an acceptable moral standard? Who is it that becomes the moral guardians of our society? These questions arise and immediately disagreement ensues, therefore censorship becomes almost an impossibility, But surely society itself should determine its own limits, and the most effective means it, has of doing this, is to refuse to buy the Development is... PEOPLE... • Seeking Justice • Creating Change • Discovering Education • Sharing Relief DEVELOPMENT IS ANOTHER NAME FOR PEACE This Easter... GIVE GENEROUSLY Through Your Church's Fund For World Development and Relief Encourage Your Children To Share By Using Their Pop Can Banks For World Relief MEASURE YOUR GENEROSITY BY THEIR NEED ... NOT BY YOUR ABUNDANCE Leadership Irrigation Training Small Industries Health & Welfare Emergency Basic Community Agriculture Relief Education Development & Fishing THIS MESSAGE SPONSORED BY THE FOLLOWING CHURCHES Calvary United Church, Dashwood Caven Presbyterian Church Elimville United Church Emmanuel United Church, Zurich Exeter United Church Hensall United Church Lucan United Church Charge (Lucan and Clandeboyc Churches) Our Lady of Mount Carmel Thames Road United Church Zion United Church, Creditor) Three ministers' opinions Times-Advocate, March 23, 1972 Page II Welfare recipients should work product, It is very easy to turn the television set to another channel or shut it off altogether. If those people controlling the media, on the other hand, were to see themselves as the guardians of common sense or would recognize their moral obligations, the problem would be lessened considerably, One doesn't have to use those four letter words to communicate his message. In fact, it is mostly out of habit and a lack of good taste that he does at all, Question: Do you feel that people on welfare should be required to work if jobs can be found for them? Father Nooney: Yes, here is a real difficulty. We are faced with people on welfare rolls, a rising tax rate, and the dignity of human beings. What is our attitude? The solution is not easy, A person must approach the problem with a sense of com- passion for one's fellow human being, as well as a sense of justice. In many emergencies, there is no problem, A person receives payment from the public purse, and in a short while ht returns to his own means of self- support. Sometimes we see persons on the welfare rolls and wonder why they do not work, or seem to be unwilling to work. In a few in- stances they were trained to expect welfare assistance, and to be improvident. They were raised in a home where welfare assistance was the accepted thing. Perhaps this person was so conditioned to expect assistance, that in this matter he is an emotional cripple. Perhaps he can't work, or at least persevere at his work over any length of time. While we must not make an idol out of work and success yet at the same time we must be just, It would not be fair that the welfare costs continue to rise placing a greater and greater burden on some taxpayers while other citizens take advantage of their generosity. If a man is able to work, he should not be a burden on his friend. Paul was quite blunt. In Thessalonians he says: "Keep away from the brothers who are living a lazy life . . . We say this because we hear that there are some people among you who live lazy lives, who do nothing except meddle in other people's business . . . they must lead orderly lives and work to earn their own living." How to apply this in certain cases will be difficult. Mr. Beck: The matter of welfare recipients working if jobs can be found for them is being dealt with to some extent by present and proposed welfare legislation. Whether or not it can ever be completely solved is questionable. The new unemployment in- surance legislation provides a means of giving assistance to those unable to work for various reasons. This along with proposed guaranteed annual income legislation could insure basic income levels that would meet the needs of persons otherwise unable to do so and at the same time allow them to work, or even require them to work when work can be found. Some of the past regulations have discouraged welfare recipients from working because their welfare support could be cut off by an income much lower than their welfare benefits would be placing them in a position of not desiring that income. Although most people would prefer to earn their own living, there are always those who are quite content to let someone else do it for them, It is for their own benefit as total human beings that these individuals should be encouraged to stand on their own two feet, and make their own way. It may be necessary to require these people to go to work in order to accomplish this, but the end result would be well worth it not only in so far as welfare costs are concerned but also in what it would do for those individuals. Mr. Heeg: Definitely so. To keep people on welfare while they are physically able to work and while there is a job waiting to be done would only lead a welfare recipient into a deeper sense of his own inadequacy, inferiority or what have you. To keep them on welfare would not help them to help themselves. Question: In your view what is the most serious problem in Canada today? Mr. Beck: At a time when the need is for more co-operation, more problem sharing, more willing- ness to negotiate, more sharing of resources; at a time we are becoming more inter-dependent than ever before, we find our country tending to separate into isolated units: the west, Quebec, the Maritimes, Rather than seeing ourselves as part of the whole, we tend to see ourselves merely in terms of our own problems and limited circumstances, Because of the vast and varied geography of Canada, it is extremely difficult for a person living in British Columbia to appreciate the problems of a French speaking citizen of Quebec and accept him as a fellow citizen. This kind of isolationism is not healthy either at a national or international level, If we are to seek a common understanding with people on the other side of the globe in order to establish peace and good relations with them; if we are to develop some form of world federalism or some greater degree of international understanding in order to avoid destroying one another, then surely we must find ways and means of coming together rather than apart in Canada. Surely we in Ontario must learn to understand the people and the kind of difficulties facing the Maritime fishermen, the French Canadian in Quebec who is struggling to maintain his identity, and the western farmer, as well as our own problems and help to solve those problems wherever they might be. Mr. Heeg: It's the breakdown of moral standards and absolutes, Many tell us that we can't be sure of anything in the way of religion or morality. Truth to many is subjective. Hence, to many people outside the church as well as in the church, sad to say, there are no absolutes anymore. Allow me to illustrate by using the contemporary discussions on abortion as an example. The claim is made even by church councils that since we don't know when life begins we ought to liberalize our abortion laws. It seems to me we do know when life begins. One medical doctor once said: "As soon as the chromosomes of the sperm have united with those of the egg, then the independent life of the fetus starts." In 1948 the General Assembly of the World Medical Association demanded that its members agree with the following: "I will maintain the utmost respect for human life, from the time of con- ception; even under threat I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity." The Code of Ethics issued by the Canadian Medical Association eight years ago stated: "The induction or procuring of abortion in- volves the destruction of life. It is a violation both of the moral law and of the Criminal Code of Canada, except when there is justification for its per- formance. The only justification is that the continuance of pregnancy would imperil the life of the mother." Why then, do we say that we don't know when life begins when this is so clear? The difference between right and wrong is so great that Christ died for it. This breach of the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is not the only moral absolute that is ignored today. The Biblical in- junctions regarding adultery, lying, stealing and respect for authority are taken very lightly with serious consequences. As the divorce rate increases, more and more children become the victims of broken homes. Suspicion, fear, skepticism and mistrust have crept into our relationships. We need moral absolutes. And Tax reforms for farmers' estates Recent federal tax reform should make farm estate plan- ning "somewhat easier," more than 100 farmers at the first session of a three-day Huron county agriculture conference were told Tuesday in Clinton, "For once, the government has treated us a little easier," Lealand Hill, manager of the Victoria and Grey Trust Com- pany in Goderich, said. "Most estates won't be subject to taxation when they are passed between husband and wife." He told the farmers they should start estate planning when they are 25 to 30 years old and not wait until they are 75 His comments came during a panel discussion and question- and-answer session on how the tax reform, which took effect Jan, 1, will affect farmers. The conference, sponsored by the Huron Soil and Crop Improvement Association, continued Wednesday and then adjourns until Thursday, March 30, God has given them, Father Mooney: There are many national problems in Canada today but I think one of the most serious is the loss of the sense of the ab- solute or of unchanging stan- dards. There should be a national purpose, a balanced national pride and a sense of integrity. There are many many things that we can accept as common to us all, We should return to a belief that there are certainly sound moral principles that never change, There are virtues so important that our country cannot survive without them. Honesty, uprightness and sincerity are virtues that we should resurrect. Sometimes on a talk show or an interview segment, one sees a moderator interviewing a person who has made the news for the strangest of reasons. The in- terview gives the person a sounding platform for the strangest philosophy, for the most far-out activity, etc. It would be a relief to see a public figure who has ac- complished something noble, who is personally honest, upright 'and sincere, given time on these interview programs. It is true that normal people can be very exciting too, and would make an exciting program. I think we see, too often, the departure from the normal rather than the normal, Right is right if nobody is right and wrong is wrong if everybody is wrong. There are some basic things that should be held very dear by us all. These things should be considered as beyond! our power to vote in or out. What is truth? Pilate would not wait for an answer. DISTRICT CLERGY OFFER OPINIONS: Participating this week's opinions of ministers of different churches on important questions of the day are Rev. Donald Beck, Hensall United Church; Rev. Harmen Heeg, Bethel Reformed Church, Exeter and Father John Mooney, R.C. priest at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. T-A photo