Posted on 08/29/2021 5:46:56 AM PDT by Kaslin
Harvard University was founded as Harvard College in 1636. Its stated purpose was: “To train a literate clergy.” Among its mottos were, “Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae” (truth for Christ and Church) and “In Christam Gloriam” (to the glory of Christ). Now, Harvard has hired an atheist as its chief chaplain. And no, this is not a poor joke.
As reported by the New York Post, “This spiritual leader doesn’t need a higher power.
“Harvard University’s organization of chaplains is getting a new president to coordinate the campus’ Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and assorted other religious communities. Only the new president, 44-year-old Greg Epstein, does not identify with any of those traditional religions himself.
“He is an atheist.”
But how can an atheist be a university chaplain?
Epstein explained to the New York Times, “There is a rising group of people who no longer identify with any religious tradition but still experience a real need for conversation and support around what it means to be a good human and live an ethical life.
“We don’t look to a god for answers. We are each other’s answers.”
The only problem with Epstein’s explanation is, well, everything. He may believe in God or not. He may follow a religion or not. That’s his own business. And he may have some great ideas about living an ethical life.
But to be a chaplain, by definition, means to be a religious leader, not simply a department head or an administrator or someone who believes in ethical living. And so, to appoint an atheist to be chief university chaplain is like appointing a Christian evangelist to head up the university’s atheist club. Or a devout Muslim to head up the university’s Judaism club. It is a total contradiction in both purpose and logic.
As for Epstein’s appointment being controversial, that’s not how Harvard’s leadership felt, voting to elect him unanimously. What a perfect choice! Couldn’t think of anyone better!
The Merriam Webster website offers these four definitions for chaplain: “1: a clergyman in charge of a chapel; 2: a clergyman officially attached to a branch of the military, to an institution, or to a family or court; 3: a person chosen to conduct religious exercises (as at a meeting of a club or society); 4: a clergyman appointed to assist a bishop (as at a liturgical function).”
According to Dictionary.com, a chaplain is: “1. an ecclesiastic attached to the chapel of a royal court, college, etc., or to a military unit. 2. a person who says the prayer, invocation, etc., for an organization or at an assembly.”
And a military website states that, “The chaplain's responsibilities include performing religious rites, conducting worship services, providing confidential counseling and advising commanders on religious, spiritual and moral matters. Chaplains are commissioned officers stationed wherever there are military members, including combat environments.”
But if you don’t believe in God, you cannot perform any of these functions.
Really now, how can you conduct a worship service if there is no God to worship? How can you perform religious rites, all of which presuppose the existence of a deity, if there is no deity?
To whom do you pray? What hope can you offer regarding the world to come? How can you help someone connect to the spiritual, unseen, eternal realm? Who, outside of the human race, forgives your sins or empowers you to change?
And if you yourself are convinced that there is no God, doesn’t that mean that you view all religious believers as being in serious error, not to mention deeply deceived?
It’s one thing if Harvard said, “Rabbi Epstein does a great job of bringing people of different religions together.” Terrific. Then hire him as an administrative coordinator for the chaplain’s department. But don’t hire him as your chief chaplain. To do so only heaps further scorn on Harvard’s wokeness.
As for Epstein being a rabbi, that is just as absurd as being a chaplain, if not more so. (For the record, he “received ordination as a Humanist Rabbi from the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism.”)
Without God, there is no Judaism, since Judaism is the story of God choosing the Jewish people for Himself, rescuing them from bondage in Egypt, and giving them His Torah. Thus, to have Judaism without God would be similar to having Christianity without Christ. It simply cannot be.
But why let truth and facts and logic get in the way? Let’s just set our own standards and, to cite the title of Epstein’s 2009 book, which has suddenly become a bestseller, let’s just be good without God.
In the end, if someone wants to try and be good without God, that is their choice. Just don’t call that person a rabbi or a chaplain. To do so, to say it once more, is a total contradiction in terms.
As for the Harvard of old, in order to graduate with the most basic degree in Arts (not Theology, which came later), the student had to be able “logically to explain the Holy Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testaments…and…be blameless in life and character.”
Among the “Rules and Precepts” of Harvard to be observed by the students were these: “Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life.”
And: “Every one shall so exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day, that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein, both in Theoretical observations of Language and Logic, and in practical and spiritual truths . . . .”
As for the Harvard of today (in terms of its spiritual condition and worldview), need I say more?
It’s too early to even THINK of reading this article.
Bookmarked.
The good thing about today’s climate in America is that about 1,000 Twilight Zone episodes could be written from the goings on.
It’s too bad Harvard can’t afford to hire 2 people — a Chaplain who isn’t an atheist, and a counselor who is an atheist. But, since Harvard seems to be watching her pennies, I guess they’ll have to go with a Chaplain who pisses on religion.
From where does “good” come, if not from God ?!
Harvard has fallen into the abyss
Good to see you posting again...wondered what had happened to you in these perilous times.
I could not have said it any better.
“We don’t look to a god for answers. We are each other’s answers.”
Humans are quite fallible. But we have been given the greatest wisdom and ethics from the Word of God in the Old and New Testaments (which include, of course, the Torah.)
Harvard is no longer an elite institution. Every time I hear Liz Warren speak this is reinforced.
Isn’t an ‘athiest chaplain’ a contradiction in terms?
I bet he prays to Gaia which makes him a pagan. This appointment is a communist insult to religion. Can we call commies godless atheists now?
This type of thing is why we have no borders, terrorists are flown into America at our expense and fires rage out West. Also, it is my understanding that a hurricane is headed for Louisiana that will be a cat 4 when it makes landfall. God apparently has lifted his hand of protection from America.
“Good to see you posting again...wondered what had happened to you in these perilous times” ~Covenantor
I’ve wondered the same & was worried about you dp0622! Good to see you posting again, hope all is well with you.
I’m waiting for the diversity officer to be a healthy, white, heterosexual, Republican male.
This is Harvard, folks. Why any surprise? Harvard is openly racist in their admission policies. They discount your application if you are asian. Been doing it for years.
If they are willing to do that, why not anything else?
Right on schedule?
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
What, they couldn’t find a cleric or Satanist?
Who knew Francis was hiring himself out.
Meanwhile Yale continues to honor a horrific slave trader by refusing to change it’s name.
This is the Woke mentality. There is nothing higher than them. Being good is what they say is good. This is their little joke amongst themselves at cocktail parties: “Did you know Harvard is atheist? Hahaha... / Yes, dear boy, that’s because the Devil and the Marxists are here teaching the students. Hahah.”
The Woke don’t care about contradictions. Being a contradictory is a sign that you are a ruler who rules on whim, on how you are feeling at the moment, with no higher standard to conform to or give an account to.
This is them saying,”We have the power to fly in the face of a nonexistent God. We have the power to change institutions, we have the power to be GODS!” It is Barack Obama writ LARGE. Community organizers playing God.
Harvard, best education you can buy.
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