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In the News

Here are two stories that made the news this week.

First: A motorist in Montreal came across a car that had gone into the ditch and rolled. Fearing that someone was seriously injured, the passerby stopped his car and got out to offer assistance. When he did that, four people emerged from the rolled vehicle, ran up to the highway and stole his car.

Second: On April 26, 2008, the Western Oregon women’s softball team was playing against Central Washington University. During the course of the game, Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky hit the first homerun of her college career. She was so excited that she missed touching first base, so her coach yelled for her to turn around.

As Sara turned to go back, she blew out her right knee. Crying, she tried to crawl back to the base. Her teammates came to help her, but the umpires informed them that if they touched her, she would be called out. They also told them that if they put in a pinch runner, the homerun would be disallowed and it would be counted as a single. That is when it happened.

Central Washington’s first baseman, Mallory Holtman, asked, “What if I help her?” The umpires said that was fine so Holtman and teammate Liz Wallace carried Tucholsky to each base and helped her touch each one of them with her foot, counting the homerun against their own team. Central Washington went on to lose the game and was knocked out of the playoffs.

Afterwards, when asked why she helped an opposing player, Holtman said, “She hit the homerun. It should count. It was only fair”.

I am a little surprised that those stories made the news, because the “moral component” is the only thing that makes them noteworthy. Interestingly, in spite of our “Politically correct – anything goes” society, people still recognize right and wrong when they see it.

Therefore, maybe the Bible is not so out of touch when it reminds us to, “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).

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