3
ÏÎHE CkckAMAS P r ÌNT
What is evil and where does it come from?
JOEL P. SHEMPERT
Feature Editor
Evil is prevalent in our society. The Springfield inci
dent is but the latest incident of children slaying one
another that has been enshrined in
the press. Add to this the even more
startling statistics reported in the
media that today’s kids are more
likely to kill themselves or be killed
by their elders than to kill each other.
And these are only the most extreme
examples. Nearly everyone, every
where believes something perpe
trated by his fellow man to be wrong,
immoral, unjust—evil.
But what is evil?
even
I believe one factor of evil’s per
self-
vasiveness is the popularization of
a simplistic concept of evil. We tend
destruc
as human beings to paint evil, as we
tive
do everything else, with too wide a
ones rare i brush, desiring a clear-cut definition,
and end up labeling only the worst,
acts of
most vile acts as wrong while miss
self-
ing entirely the “smaller,” more
subtle kinds of evil.
interest.
It is often that one will hear, in
Joel P. Shempert art and in life alike, about an “evil”
man or woman. Likewise do we hear
Feature Editor
talk of “good” individuals. But what
do we mean when we say this? That
a good man does no wrong or an evil
man does no right? Again, it is too broad a brush. We
draw artificial lines to reassure ourselves, wanting des-
perately to call the Joseph Stalins, Jeffery Dahmers and
Adolph Hitlers of the world “evil,” while entertaining
the notion that “at least I’m okay.”
This mood is, in my belief, a direct byproduct of the
humanist tenet that “man is basically good.” This flies
in the face of all available evidence, as history of the
world unfolds to us a tale of death, murder, betrayal,
oppression, unfaithfulness, cruelty, and pain. If man truly
is good at his core, what a rebellion against his nature
have been the last six thousand-odd years!
In the Christian perspective, we see no such illusion.
Christ Himself dealt not with humanity’s goodness, but
its evil. “O generation of vipers, how can you, being
evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaks,” He declared to His enemies,
while to His very own followers He posed the question,
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more shall your Father in
Heaven give good things to those that ask Him?”
Whether Jesus’ response to humanity was stern (“You
have turned my Father’s house into a den of thieves!”)
or tender (“Go, your sins are forgiven”), he ever acknowl
edged the evil in our hearts and offered the way to com
bat it, not in human strength, but in submission to God.
When a friend of Ludwig von Beethoven’s signed a
manuscript copy, “With God’s help,” the composer is
said to have scribbled irritably, “O man, help yourself.”
Yet Beethoven himself died bitter and unfulfilled, and
when the young Franz Schubert visited him on his death
bed, he proclaimed, “Truly this Schubert has the Divine
Fire.” Schubert, the man of God, possessed something
that Beethoven, a self-made man, lacked.
Theologian Ravi Zacharias relates a conversation in
which a companion of his said to a prosperous construc
tion baron who was asking questions about evil in the
world, “Since evil seems to bother you so much, I would
be curious to know what you have done about the evil
you see within you.” As the popular psychological axiom
says, admitting you have a problem really is the first
step. I, as must as the other six billion people on this
globe, must take responsibility for my evil thoughts and
actions.
Is it any wonder, then, that in this increasingly rela
tivistic society, we cannot solve the problem of evil
in society, since with no consensus of right and wrong,
we cannot identify the evil in ourselves? One cannot
remove the objective basis for morality, and then ex
pect moral behavior out of society. Relativism is a
social cancer. It is what killed Greek society, it is
what killed the Roman empire, and it is ultimately
what will kill us.
So what, then, is evil? A complete discussion is im
possible here. But suffice to say that evil is, in the Chris
tian view, simply rebellion against the will of God. Thus,
the source of evil has always been attributed in our the
ology to pride—the exaltation of se//above all else, even
the Creator. Nearly all evil acts, even self-destructive
ones, are acts of self-interest.
Songwriter Steve Taylor hit the nail on the head when
he penned a pivotal verse of the song, Violent Blue: “And
I don’t believe it’s the way you were raised, or the cards
you were dealt, or a poor self-image. I think you love
yourself too much, don’t you?” Ours is a theology of
Compassion but also personal responsibility.
This same theology claims that man was once indeed
“basically good,” but is now in a corrupted state, locked
in a struggle between the conscience and the evil na
ture. Alone, it is a struggle we must ultimately lose.
My Mormon friends display emblems proclaiming
CTR— “Choose the Right.”
I believe that right is found in Jesus Christ. I show
you a more excellent way.
Farewell and 'Thank You* to CCC
CHRISTINA MUELLER
Co-Editor-in-Chief
*
After two years at Clackamas, I will
be moving on next year to Marylhurst
College. Clackamas has provided me
with a comfortable atmosphere and the
best education possible.
When I was a senior in high school
deciding which college to attend,
Clackamas wasn’t at the top of my list.
I chose to attend Clackamas only for
the low cost and convenient location.
So I clearly wasn’t expecting much
from my years at Clackamas. Day one
on this campus my expectations
changed for the better.
I will never forget my first class:
English 104 with Mike Kepler. He
scared me half to death, but later I re
alized that he was one of the best teach
ers I’ve ever had.
The connection I made with the
Clackamas Print got me involved in
campus activities early in the term. I
never expected a community college
to provide such activities. When I
thought of a community college, I
thought of older students attending
classes and going home. I never could
have imagined all of the clubs, pro
grams and activities a person could get
involved in. I had no idea that Clacka
mas was such a student-driven insti
tution.
As if the extra-curricular activities
weren’t enough to get me excited
about attending Clackamas, I was even
more pleased by the small classes.
One of my classes even had five
people in it. The lack of students in
that class provided me, as well as the
other students with any extra help that
we needed throughout the course.
Now that I am prepared to leave the
college I can look back and feel
pleased with my first two years. I con
sider myself lucky that the cards fell
in the right place and I ended up at
Clackamas. I don’t think I would have
been as happy elsewhere.
I encourage anyone who is just start
ing out in higher education to attend
Clackamas. I know the doubts that
you’re feeling. You’re thinking that
maybe it would be more fun to live in
a dorm with your friends, or that if you
go to a four-year school now you won’t
have to hassle with transferring in two
years. And my biggest fear of coming
to Clackamas was my diploma from a
Finals
four-year school would be different
from everyone else’s because I went
to Clackamas first. Let me assure you
that your diploma will look exactly the
same, but you will have paid a lot less
for it.
I also encourage everyone to get in
volved in student activities. Join a
club, join the Print, or become a mem
ber of Associated Student Govern
ment. These things will make your
Clackamas experience 10 times better.
You will meet so many new people and
make so many new friends. I couldn’t
imagine what it would be like to go to
school, attend classes and go home.
Now that I’m moving on to a college
that doesn’t have a student paper, I’m
worried about what I will do to get in
volved.
I wish to thank everyone at Clacka
mas for making these two years so
memorable. Thank you to ASG for
providing me with the opportunity to
go to Washington D.C., and thank you
for organizing such great clubs and stu
dent activities. And a special thank
you to Linda Vogt for teaching me so
much about journalism, apostrophes
and life, and for giving me all the mo
tivation I needed.
/
8
June 8-13
Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes: exam days will be Monday, June 8 or Wednesday, June 12.
2-3
8-9
10-11
12-1
M2-4
M8-10
MI0-12
M12-2
Itaesday/Thursday classes: exam day will be Tuesday. June 9.
Class Time
8-9:30
11-12:30
3-4:30
ExamTime
T8-10
TI2-2
T4-6
Conflicts: Monday, June 8 or Wednesday, June 10.
Exam Time
M4-6
Evening classes: exams will be at regular class times during exam week.
3-6 p.m. classes: exams will be 4-6 p.m. on regularly scheduled class day during exam week.
Classes meeting at ? a.m. (or other unlisted hours): exams may be scheduled during the "Conflict" times < » any other
time that does not conflict with the regular exam schedule.
Class Time
ExamTime
priera
Anthropology 242: Introduction to Field Archaeol
ogy will be an exclusive course offered Summer Term.
Learn how modern archaeology research is carried out
by participating in the college’s first archaeological
field school. The course is scheduled from 9 a.m. to
2 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for four
weeks, running June.30-July 23. Some visits to other
archaeological projects may require either a longer
day or Saturday because of scheduling and/or distance.
Contact Bob Keeler at ext. 2339, or stop by his office
in M224.
The college’s Summer Writers’ Workshop for Writ-.
èrs of Children’s Literature and Young Adult Fiction will
be held at the college July 10 and 11. Instructors Becky
Hickox, Susan Fletcher and Linda Crew will run work
shops and critique manuscripts for participants. Manu
script deadline is June 22. The fees are $15 without a
manuscript and $25 with a manuscript. For more infor
mation contact Allen Widerburg at ext. 2359.
The Streeter Computer Lab will be open Sunday,
June 7, from noon to 7:30 p.m. and Monday, June 8,
from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
The college’s literary magazine, Synethesia, is host
ing a “Celebration of Writing,” a series of staff and stu
dent readings on Thursday, June 4 and Friday, June 5
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Skylight Dining Room.
Each reader will have 15 minutes to present his/her work.
The magazine, will be distributed at that time.
English Instructor Diane Averill will read poems
from her new book, Beautiful Obstacles, today at 3
p.m. in the Skylight Dining Room.
Two of the college’s faculty members, Janet Martin
and Peggy Faulkenstein, will hold a concert Friday, June
26 at 8 p.m. at the McGuire Auditorium. Tickets are
$10. More information can be obtained by calling (503)
557-9127.
GOODLUCK!
Wednesday, June 3, 1998