PUBLIC FORUM : WHAT `SUBMIT' TO HUSBANDS REALLY MEANS.In response to the article by Kathleen Parker Kathleen Parker is a conservative U.S. columnist whose columns frequently focus on family, sex roles, and race. Her column is syndicated nationally by The Washington Post Writers Group. in Opinions on Oct. 1, ``Saturday faceoff promises to be gender classic'': She speaks of the conflict between Promise Keepers Promise Keepers is an international Christian organization for men, based in Denver, Colorado, United States, self-described as "a Christ-centered organization dedicated to introducing men to Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, helping them to grow as Christians". and the National Organization for Women in such a way that some seem to feel it is impossible for the two to coexist in the same society without the fight continuing. I am not a supporter of Promise Keepers, nor am I a supporter of the National Organization for Women. A major source of conflict can be seen in Parker's comment: ``As for (St.) Paul (who said wives are to submit to their husbands), the word is no. We don't do submission in the '90s.'' This is a false basis for the conflict. I don't think Paul's comments about ``submission'' are reflected in NOW's worry, and since Promise Keepers is a religious movement, I would hope they would understand the Greek term Paul used and what it means. It does not mean abasement, capitulation CAPITULATION, war. The treaty which determines the conditions under which a fortified place is abandoned to the commanding officer of the army which besieges it. 2. , surrender of the will, obeisance or servility ser·vile adj. 1. Abjectly submissive; slavish. 2. a. Of or suitable to a slave or servant. b. Of or relating to servitude or forced labor. . When we look at the famous verse in the Bible, we see that in the Greek, the term ``submit'' is not even to be found. Our translations carry and repeat the term ``submit'' from the previous verse, which was addressed to the people as a whole, and it reads ``submit to one another.'' We go with the sense of the English translation, but we must understand that we are dealing with a translation, and we were not in Paul's head as he wrote this. We could paraphrase from the Greek the verse in which the term ``submit'' is used: ``All you people out there, put the other person ahead of yourself, and do this out of respect for Christ.'' How can a leader lead if he is subject to the other person? His leadership is based on doing that which is right for the other person over himself. A leader who leads out of simple dominance is not following this principle very well. Then, because we decline to ``do submission in the '90s'' (Parker's phrase), we have people in our society who look inward and ask, ``What about me?'' rather than looking outward and asking, ``What about you?'' Because we have ``leaders'' who do not understand that leadership is a sacrificial act but think it is an act of domination, we have problems and problems and problems. We even have a bold public statement: ``I can always pack up my G.I. Jane doll and go play somewhere else'' (again, Parker's words). We have a society that is pulling in many directions and pulling itself apart at the same time. Gender conflict is not the only one that rears its ugly head on account of this lack of biblical values and standards. Being willing and able to say ``I can always run away if I'm unhappy in my domestic relationship'' bespeaks other and even more significant problems in our society today. That husbands create environments within which wives feel they need to be able to leave is an even more significant problem. And on it goes. While much of what Parker writes makes sense and is worth reading, I would submit - no pun - that we need to understand Paul's statements of submission in the way in which he meant them. - The Rev. James W. Page Pastor Gethsemane Gethsemane (gĕthsĕm`ənē), olive grove or garden, E of Jerusalem, near the foot of the Mount of Olives. In the Gospels, it is the scene of the agony and betrayal of Jesus. Lutheran Church La Crescenta Facts about guns Here are some facts Dan Walters (``Gun control evolving as state issue in '98,'' Opinions, Oct. 1) wants. It's a fact that guns are made to kill; they serve no other purpose - just as cars are made to get from one location to another. There is a gun-control lobby. It is strong, and the National Rifle Association National Rifle Association (NRA) Governing organization for the sport of shooting with rifles and pistols. It was founded in Britain in 1860. The U.S. organization, formed in 1871, has a membership of some four million. Both the British and the U.S. can mobilize its forces almost at once. Most of the guns advertised are being manufactured in other countries that do not allow their own people to have them. If you want to talk emotion, the NRA NRA (National Rifle Association of America) organization that encourages sharpshooting and use of firearms for hunting. [Am. Pop. Culture: NCE, 1895] See : Hunting speakers use it all the time, and in doing so, make up their own facts and figures. Fact: The NRA has never met a gun and bullet it didn't love. Biggest fact of all: Criminals cannot buy guns legally. They get them from the black market, which gets them by stealing them from gun stores and law-abiding citizens. - Ira J. Horn Studio City Garcetti rebuked Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County District Attorney Gil Garcetti's refusal to rule out the death penalty in the extradition case of David ``Spooky'' Alvarez is an example of posturing and hypocrisy at its worst. Garcetti, ever eager to appear ``tough on crime'' by embracing the barbaric practice of capital punishment capital punishment, imposition of a penalty of death by the state. History Capital punishment was widely applied in ancient times; it can be found (c.1750 B.C.) in the Code of Hammurabi. , seems willing to risk letting an accused murderer go free in Mexico rather than adhering to the terms of the U.S.-Mexican extradition treaty, which preclude the death penalty. If Garcetti is so intent on striking a heroic pose for the public, then let him show his political courage by indicting O.J. Simpson for the obvious and frequent perjury perjury (pûr`jərē), in criminal law, the act of willfully and knowingly stating a falsehood under oath or under affirmation in judicial or administrative proceedings. he committed during the civil trial. Now that would show some guts. - Ronald O. Richards West Los Angeles
No deal with Polanski Let me get this straight. Roman Polanski, who was convicted of having sex with a 13-year-old and who is a fugitive from justice An individual who, after having committed a criminal offense, leaves the jurisdiction of the court where such crime has taken place or hides within such jurisdiction to escape prosecution. , seeks to have a plea bargain plea bargain n. in criminal procedure, a negotiation between the defendant and his attorney on one side and the prosecutor on the other, in which the defendant agrees to plead "guilty" or "no contest" to some crimes, in return for reduction of the severity of the and reduction of sentence. Despite protestations, a distinct possibility of leniency le·ni·en·cy n. pl. le·ni·en·cies 1. The condition or quality of being lenient. See Synonyms at mercy. 2. A lenient act. Noun 1. could be offered to this darling of the Hollywood intelligentsia. It was fortunate for Polanski that he escaped to a country where pedophilia pedophilia, psychosexual disorder in which there is a preference for sexual activity with prepubertal children. Pedophiles are almost always males. The children are more often of the opposite sex (about twice as often) and are typically 13 years or age or younger; is not only an accepted national pastime but also not an extraditable ex·tra·dit·a·ble adj. 1. Subject to extradition: extraditable fugitives. 2. Making liable to extradition: an extraditable crime. offense. America has no shortage of child molesters, and I believe it would be best if he remained as a national treasure for France. If he does return, he should be punished for his past crime and tried for his flight. - Sidney Gold Granada Hills AIDS Walk L.A. I want to tell you how happy I was to see your very comprehensive coverage of AIDS Walk L.A. last month. Your very complete story and excellent photographs conveyed beautifully a very meaningful and important show of concern by 26,000 walkers and many tens of thousands of contributors to AIDS Project Los Angeles AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV disease, reducing the incidence of HIV infection, and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy. . Your AIDS Walk coverage and your magazine's ``To Life'' story performed a wonderful service to remind your readers of the continuing struggle against HIV-AIDS. Thank you again for your compassionate coverage. - Marvin E. Shulman Los Angeles Blame the courts Your editorial of Sept. 30 (``Patient neglect; closing the Reseda Convalescent con·va·les·cent adj. Relating to convalescence. n. A person who is recovering from an illness, an injury, or a surgical operation. convalescent 1. pertaining to or characterized by convalescence. 2. Hospital without warning never should have happened'') is a prime example of the ``rush to judgment, place the blame fast at any cost'' school of journalism so rampant today. Think it out before going off half-cocked. Blaming the police for crime is ridiculous. Blaming the regulators for the way bankruptcy courts handle patient-care facilities is ludicrous. The courts seem to feel there is no community interest to be considered beyond their own. If these courts continue to handle patient-care facilities as they do any other business, looking out for the dollars only, we can expect more of the same abrupt patient relocations. The courts must change their thinking and allow the state licensing agency to become the appointed receiver, at least until an orderly closure can be arranged. Victor Arkin, chief of the local office of the licensing agency, and his staff should be commended for the yeomanlike manner in which they pitched in to effect the transfers of patients, with their medical records, medications and belongings, into the wee hours of the night. Without their professional behavior it could have been much more disastrous. I doubt that a resident inspector in every health-care facility could have prevented the recent circumstances. State receivership and/or bonds posted by a prospective receiver to cover expenses for continued operation until an orderly closure can be arranged must become the standard in these cases. - J. Bamberg Van Nuys Incapacitated in·ca·pac·i·tate tr.v. in·ca·pac·i·tat·ed, in·ca·pac·i·tat·ing, in·ca·pac·i·tates 1. To deprive of strength or ability; disable. 2. To make legally ineligible; disqualify. interchange Thank you for your series on the gridlock Gridlock A government, business or institution's inability to function at a normal level due either to complex or conflicting procedures within the administrative framework or to impending change in the business. at the 101-405 interchange. It was long overdue. Most cogent was your point that the situation at this interchange, and at a number of other interchanges in the freeway system, is completely inexcusable. I find that I disagree with your diagnosis of the problem on the southbound 405. The crucial bottleneck occurs under the 101 Freeway. This choke point In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint) is a geographical feature (such as a valley or defile) which forces an army to go into a narrower formation (greatly decreasing combat power) in order to pass through it. brings even light volume to a standstill. During the morning drive, it can cause a wave that affects the 405 southbound as far back as the 118 Freeway interchange. You identified the 5 percent grade on the hill as the major problem. That is a third-order issue, not even as important as the crossover of the extra uphill lane at Mulholland Drive. Under the 101, there are only three lanes. That is insufficient to carry the morning volume from the 405 alone. The on-ramps at Victory and Burbank boulevards add nearly two lanes of volume to that. Your plan does nothing to solve the problem with the westbound 101 transition to the southbound 405, which is most the crucial problem in that interchange during the morning drive. - John Daly Northridge No bucks for books I recently received an answer from the Los Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California. regretting that it cannot furnish a book I requested. Books and libraries take a back seat to the political ambitions of the City Council members. The budget is in the billions, yet they have no money for items to serve the general taxpayer. They are still punishing us for Proposition 13. - Theodora Howell West Hills CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: A worker prepares the stage for Saturday's Promise Keepers prayer meeting in Washington, D.C. Associated Press |
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