Posted on 09/02/2009 10:32:22 AM PDT by CMoran325
We all know we should be wary of viral videos and forwarded emails or messages -- well, everyone except my dad, unfortunately. (Love you Dad, but you have to be more discerning!) It often turns out that the info imparted is not entirely accurate, if at all.
So here's the latest video that was passed on to me by a friend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piuoGb-Nhfw
As someone who would have loved to have been that student, and fully believes we should never fear standing up -- I have to report that according to Snopes (yes, I know they're left-leaning, but they're pretty reliable although the snarky comments were totally unnecessary) this story is fictitious and its origin is decades old.
But still, that doesn't make the story -- even if it is just a parable -- any less compelling.
There are professors out there who need to be challenged, and our young people need to stand up to them. I was happy to see this story on the news earlier today. Who knows for sure what impact these students will have, but they at least are standing up to unnecessary political commentary by their educators. It's a lesson that we should pass on to all students at every level.
As I watched this video, I wondered if I would have stood up to that professor. I like to think I would. I did stand up to a prominent professor during a lecture in a religion class once.
The subject of abortion came up and one of my classmates -- who I knew was a conservative Christian -- weakly brought up the notion that we should allow abortion in the case of rape. The prof responded, can we really expect a woman to continue such a pregnancy? I was stunned when no one spoke up.
So I said, "Are you being rhetorical, or do you really want a response?" he said that he was speaking rhetorically but if I had a response...
I said that the baby had just as much right to live as any other, and that -- as a victim of such a horrible crime -- the mother should be supported in any way she needed to get through the pregnancy and afterward. Financially, emotionally -- whatever she needs.
I don't know if I changed any minds -- but that day, I stood up. No one should fear doing so. If you have children -- no matter what age -- teach them well to respectfully disagree. Show them this video, give them the courage.
But I would add this to the parable -- There was another option: I wouldn't have stood by and let the chalk drop -- I would have marched up there and took it from his hand and declared "God made me do that. His will stopped it from dropping... Who's the fool?"
Sometimes it's not enough to step back and let God take care of everything -- sometimes just standing up isn't enough either. Sometimes, we need to be his instruments and take action.
Don’t know why I can’t make that a live link to the video — can anyone help? (or go to the blog to see it)
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