From: Jay Willingham (jaywillingham@cfl.rr.com)
Date: Fri Jul 18 2003 - 11:18:41 EDT
A story that might be of interest, albeit obliquely....
I had some participation in the 1960's with the creation of a now very
prestigious prep school in our area.
It was started by a senior cleric of the Episcopal Church. At the time,
the founder
elected to place some distance between the church and the school, making it
more autonomous. While he was there, priests held senior positions and a
chapel service was held every day.
Some 20 years later and long after he retired, this same cleric appeared in
my office in "full battle dress" and asked me to accompany him to the school
to meet with the powers that be to discuss with them the secularization of
the school, evidenced by a move to change the name of the school yearbook
from "Chi Rho".
Today, the school has grown enormously. The chapel now is essentially a
tiny windowless room used primarily for private music instruction.
I have yet to find the school chaplain on campus in my recent visits.
Prior to his recent death, the founder told me the biggest mistake he had
made was placing such distance between the church and the school, which
eliminated the school's accountability and encouraged its move toward
complete secularization.
At the school's 25th anniversary, I read the scriptures at the mass held at
the cathedral in celebration.
Afterwards, the school fundraiser approached me and asked me to head a fund
raising committee. I said I would do if the purpose was to build a
dedicated chapel and endow a teaching position in sacred studies. He
declined saying it would offend a large East Indian contingent that had
started sending their children to the school.
Jay Willingham
----- Original Message -----
From: "Howard J. Van Till" <hvantill@chartermi.net>
To: <Dawsonzhu@aol.com>; <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 9:45 AM
Subject: Re: Clarification -- Re: Dawkins dissembles?
>
> >From: Dawsonzhu@aol.com
>
> > Walter Hicks wrote:
> >
> >>In the past, I have noted from the Humanist web
> >>site the names of their prominent members. Quite
> >>often they are the leaders in the organizations
> >>cited. Such a high correlation implied to me that
> >>they are using these media to expose their
> >>atheistic viewpoints. (e.g. Sagan, Asimov, etc.)
> >>It's just a suggestion -- I offer no proof.
> >
> > The fact that they are in these positions is not
> > so much the question I think. The question is,
> > "how did things end up this way".
>
> Wayne,
>
> That's my question also. It is clear that the university (representing
> institutional education) and the cathedral (representing institutional
> religion) have had a parting of the ways. How did things end up this way?
Is
> it all the fault of one of the parties (those atheists, perhaps)? Is the
> blame to be shared more equally? Or, is it, as some on this list seem to
> believe, a sinister and racially specific evolutionary strategy that needs
> to be exposed?
>
> Howard Van Till
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