On Nov. 14, 1997, Merrill J. Bateman, President of BYU Provo, issued a statement explaining why BYU had excluded 4 statues from the Rhodin art exhibit in the Museum of Art and apologizing for the delayed response, which should have come a few months earlier. I wholeheartedly support that decision and here are my reasons why:
-First and foremost: The nude statues were not appropriate for this or any other art exhibit. One statue showed a male "in the act of self-gratification" and the others brought similar distracting thoughts and obscenities to mind. Many in the world may have lowered their moral standards to almost nothing, but just because they have does not mean that God has or ever will. I stand by that
-#2: BYU and the art museum carry the name of the Savior's church and they would do well to try and represent him in every way possible.
-#3: The majority of individuals who frequent the art museum include families and often young children in the community. Although it may be appropriate for students to study such material under certain guidelines and contexts, it is not appropriate to parade such a thing around for the public eye to see.
-#4: The sculptures had nothing to do with the main theme of the exhibit (Rhodon's handiwork) and their absence did not detract at all from it.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Quotes from Juvenal's "Satire III", corresponding to Social Problems
#1 Breaches in Morality
"Let those remain who turn black into white, to whom it comes easy to take contracts for temples, rivers or harbours, for draining floods, or carrying corpses to the pyre, or to put up slaves for sale under the authority of the spear.[4] These men once were horn-blowers, who went the round of every provincial show, and whose puffed-out cheeks were known in every village; to-day they hold shows of their own, and win applause by slaying whomsoever the mob with a turn of the thumb[5] bids them slay; from that they go back to contract for cesspools, and why not for any kind of thing, seeing that they are of the kind that Fortune raises from the gutter to the mighty places of earth whenever she wishes to enjoy a laugh?" (21)
#2 Religious Intolerance
"At Rome you may produce a witness as unimpeachable as the host of the Idaean Goddess.--Numa himself might present himself, or he who rescued the trembling Minerva from the blazing shrine--the first question asked will be as to his wealth, the last about his character: 'how many slaves does he keep?' 'how many acres does he own?' 'how big and how many are his dessert dishes?' A man's word is believed in exact proportion to the amount of cash which he keeps in his strong-box. Though he swear by all the altars of Samothrace or of Rome, the poor man is believed to care naught for Gods and thunderbolts, the Gods themselves forgiving him." (126)
#3 Discrimination
"Here in Rome the son of free-born parents has to give the wall to some rich man's slave; for that other will give as much as the whole pay of a legionary tribune to enjoy the chance favours of a Calvina or a Catiena, while you, when the face of some gay-decked harlot takes your fancy, scarce venture to hand Chione down from her lofty chair." (126)
#4 Illegal Immigration
"The Syrian Orontes has long since poured into the Tiber, bringing with it its lingo and its manners, its flutes and its slanting harp-strings; bringing too the timbrels of the breed, and the trulls who are bidden ply their trade at the Circus. Out upon you, all ye that delight in foreign strumpets with painted headdresses! Your country clown, Quirinus, now trips to dinner in Greek-fangled slippers, and wears niceterian ornaments upon a ceromatic neck! One comes from lofty Sicyon, another from Amydon or Andros, others from Samos, Tralles or Alabanda; all making for the Esquiline, or for the hill that takes its name from osier-beds[8]; all ready to worm their way into the houses of the great and become their masters." (58)
#5 Education
After much searching, I could not find any reference to education in Juvenal's "Satire III."
"Let those remain who turn black into white, to whom it comes easy to take contracts for temples, rivers or harbours, for draining floods, or carrying corpses to the pyre, or to put up slaves for sale under the authority of the spear.[4] These men once were horn-blowers, who went the round of every provincial show, and whose puffed-out cheeks were known in every village; to-day they hold shows of their own, and win applause by slaying whomsoever the mob with a turn of the thumb[5] bids them slay; from that they go back to contract for cesspools, and why not for any kind of thing, seeing that they are of the kind that Fortune raises from the gutter to the mighty places of earth whenever she wishes to enjoy a laugh?" (21)
#2 Religious Intolerance
"At Rome you may produce a witness as unimpeachable as the host of the Idaean Goddess.--Numa himself might present himself, or he who rescued the trembling Minerva from the blazing shrine--the first question asked will be as to his wealth, the last about his character: 'how many slaves does he keep?' 'how many acres does he own?' 'how big and how many are his dessert dishes?' A man's word is believed in exact proportion to the amount of cash which he keeps in his strong-box. Though he swear by all the altars of Samothrace or of Rome, the poor man is believed to care naught for Gods and thunderbolts, the Gods themselves forgiving him." (126)
#3 Discrimination
"Here in Rome the son of free-born parents has to give the wall to some rich man's slave; for that other will give as much as the whole pay of a legionary tribune to enjoy the chance favours of a Calvina or a Catiena, while you, when the face of some gay-decked harlot takes your fancy, scarce venture to hand Chione down from her lofty chair." (126)
#4 Illegal Immigration
"The Syrian Orontes has long since poured into the Tiber, bringing with it its lingo and its manners, its flutes and its slanting harp-strings; bringing too the timbrels of the breed, and the trulls who are bidden ply their trade at the Circus. Out upon you, all ye that delight in foreign strumpets with painted headdresses! Your country clown, Quirinus, now trips to dinner in Greek-fangled slippers, and wears niceterian ornaments upon a ceromatic neck! One comes from lofty Sicyon, another from Amydon or Andros, others from Samos, Tralles or Alabanda; all making for the Esquiline, or for the hill that takes its name from osier-beds[8]; all ready to worm their way into the houses of the great and become their masters." (58)
#5 Education
After much searching, I could not find any reference to education in Juvenal's "Satire III."
Friday, July 13, 2012
Top 5 Social Problems in America Today
#1 Breaches in morality becoming normal and accepted (such as gay marriage, abortion, immodesty, foul language, etc.)
#2 Religious intolerance and persecution
#3 Discrimination
*whitecivilrights.com
#4 Illegal immigration
#5 Too little funding for education (slashing music and arts programs)
#4 Illegal immigration
#5 Too little funding for education (slashing music and arts programs)
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Wise King Latinus
As I was reading selected chapters in the "Aeneid" by Virgil, I was struck by the choice that a certain King, Latinus made, with regards to his own history and the future of his people. When Aeneid and his men landed up the shores of Italy near the mouth of the Tiber river and the kingdom of Latium, he receives a sign from the gods that this is the place where he and his men are to settle. Latinus, the King of Latinum, also receives an indication from the gods, when he is told that his daughter is to marry a foreigner. Thus, when Aeneas comes before him, he makes, in my opinion, one of the best choices as King of the people. He chooses to greet Aeneas as if he were a welcome friend, give him his daughter to marry and allow him and his people to settle. These are the words he greets Aeneas with: "May the gods give their blessing to what we begin today and to their own prophecies! You will receive what you ask, Trojan, and I do not refuse your gifts. While Latinus is king, you will have rich land to farm and you will never feel the lack of the wealth of Troy." He then offers his daughter in marriage and shows this by sending a gift to Aeneas: one of his best chariots and horses. I was impressed with this passage because of the faith that this man had in the fates, or in other words, the gods. He accepted these foreigners, not only into his kingdom, but into his family, without even knowing them or taking the time to build a trust with them, simply because he had been told to do so. If only we could all have the faith and conviction of this man when we are told to do something!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Parallels between ancient Roman society and modern U.S. society
Just like the Greeks, the Romans still influence greatly our way of life today. Here are some examples and their parallels in our society:
1) Res Publica (the Roman free government) - The United States government
2) Roman senate - U.S. senate
3) Roman paved roads - modern roads and highways
4) Roman cities were planned, some with a grid-system - Our modern cities are planned and many have grid-systems
5) Running water - Our running water systems are much more advanced, but they had the idea first!
1) Res Publica (the Roman free government) - The United States government
2) Roman senate - U.S. senate
3) Roman paved roads - modern roads and highways
4) Roman cities were planned, some with a grid-system - Our modern cities are planned and many have grid-systems
5) Running water - Our running water systems are much more advanced, but they had the idea first!
Monday, July 2, 2012
The role of law in a free society according to the Greeks
The Grecian school of thought included many aspects of politics, philosophy, mathematics, religion and science. One common topic which many Greeks wrote about is the role of law in their communities and societies. Here as some of the things that they said:
Thucydides speaking about their constitution: "Its administration favours the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy." He went on to explain that every man in the Greek society is involved in politics and not just in voting. Each one was a politician. Each one took part in discussions and meetings to determine laws and city ordinances. Each one took a turn serving in the government. Ideally this is how it worked, although it wasn't quite this perfect. The main effect of this type of law is the empowering of each man, be he poor or rich. Each man had an equal opportunity to go somewhere in his life.
Plato in the Crito: Here Socrates speaks about the Laws in Athens. He states that they should not be disobeyed or nullified or they will lost importance and the state will fall into chaos. His most important assertion is that the state is only held together by the laws and that the laws are only binding if they hold no matter the circumstances.
Sophocles: In "Oedipus Rex" Sophocles shows how important the law is to the King Oedipus because he was willing to kill himself rather than have his name shamed because he broke the law.
The way the Greeks view law is quite different from our view, but some things do remain the same. When Thucydides describes how each man in the city participates in government I am reminded of how we each have the opportunity to participate in government by voting, although, the Greek way of participating was much more involved than ours. I can also relate to Plato's statement about how laws hold the state together and keep them from falling to chaos. I feel like laws still do that today.
Thucydides speaking about their constitution: "Its administration favours the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy." He went on to explain that every man in the Greek society is involved in politics and not just in voting. Each one was a politician. Each one took part in discussions and meetings to determine laws and city ordinances. Each one took a turn serving in the government. Ideally this is how it worked, although it wasn't quite this perfect. The main effect of this type of law is the empowering of each man, be he poor or rich. Each man had an equal opportunity to go somewhere in his life.
Plato in the Crito: Here Socrates speaks about the Laws in Athens. He states that they should not be disobeyed or nullified or they will lost importance and the state will fall into chaos. His most important assertion is that the state is only held together by the laws and that the laws are only binding if they hold no matter the circumstances.
Sophocles: In "Oedipus Rex" Sophocles shows how important the law is to the King Oedipus because he was willing to kill himself rather than have his name shamed because he broke the law.
The way the Greeks view law is quite different from our view, but some things do remain the same. When Thucydides describes how each man in the city participates in government I am reminded of how we each have the opportunity to participate in government by voting, although, the Greek way of participating was much more involved than ours. I can also relate to Plato's statement about how laws hold the state together and keep them from falling to chaos. I feel like laws still do that today.
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