HAVE THE PC POLICE GONE TOO FAR?
By: Allen Domelle
I recently read an article where a Utah school district decided not to select a cougar as a mascot because they believed that the word was disrespectful to a certain group of women. Jennifer Toomer-Cook, a spokesperson for the school said, “We heard from folks who were worried about the connotation of the word ‘cougar’ as it pertains to the current vernacular — in a derogatory manner.”
Canyons School District in Utah is opening a new school in 2013. They asked the students to vote on what they wanted their mascot to be, and the cougar was their top choice. However, because the district board felt the it was offensive, they overrode the student vote.
As I read this, my thoughts immediately were that the politically correct (PC) police had gone too far. For years schools have used cougars as their mascots. Now, because society has used “cougar” to describe a certain group of women, the PC police have once again deemed we can’t use this word in its normal context. To show how far the PC police have gone, I was typing on my Mac when it underlined a word and said that the word is offensive to a certain group of people. It is frustrating because it is getting to the point where you wonder what you will be able to say as to not offend someone in the crowd. What do the Scriptures teach concerning the PC crowd?
The Scriptures are very clear that we should be kind to people. Ephesians 4:32 says, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” God goes further in Romans 12:18 when He says, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” Yes, the Scriptures teach that we should not say or do things that would hurt or offend people. However, that is within reason. Notice that God says, “...as much as leith in you,…” There is no way that you will always be able to please everyone, but you must do what you can to get along.
However, I do believe our society has taken this too far. God says in Psalm 119:165, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” In other words, if you love the Word of God you won’t expect everyone around you to live in a PC world. Our society has taken PC so far that you can’t say anything about any group of people. However, if our society would get back to loving and using the Word of God, then our society would not be so concerned with being PC.
Furthermore, when being PC contradicts truth, then being PC is wrong. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” When being PC is not preaching against sodomy, then being PC is wrong. When being PC wants you to stop calling out sin because it may offend someone, then being PC is wrong. God said in Malachi 2:17, “Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?” Yes, God is tired of a PC society that doesn’t want us to call out sin because it may offend a group of people.
When you look at the life of Jesus Christ, you can see very plainly that He was not concerned with being PC. Notice what Jesus said about the Pharisees in Matthew 1:23, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,” Jesus became stronger when He said in verse 33 of the same chapter, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” I am very sure that what Jesus said to these religious leaders was very offensive to them. Was Jesus wrong when He described the Pharisees in an offensive way? Definitely not! Jesus never sinned. Therefore, you must admit that Jesus was not PC. The PC police would have had a heyday with Jesus. Was Jesus kind to people? Sure, He was, but not to the degree of compromising truth.
According to the Scriptures the PC police have gone too far. Yes, we should be kind to people, but people need to stop wearing their feelings on their shoulders. They need to stop being offended every time someone says something about them. If you love the Word of God, it won’t bother you what people say about you because you are not the issue, rather truth is. Don’t let the PC crowd cause you to cower from proclaiming truth, but boldly stand for truth even if standing for truth offends someone.
