Hinn crusade benefits attendees

It is a shame that in this day and age there are people who take advantage of innocent people. I truly believe those people will surely be repaid for their bad deeds. However, the actions of one cannot be the determinate for the whole. To assume that every man who claims to be a messenger from God is true would be naïve, but there are good people out there.

In his Tuesday letter to the editor, Steven Bedell made a groundless accusation concerning Pastor Benny Hinn and his ministry. Bedell basically stated that Hinn was a crooked preacher out for money, and he compared Hinn to the obnoxious, misinformed, babbling fools who were located outside Cooper Hall last week.

First of all, those men who shouted condemnation upon students were clearly not messengers from God because it clearly states in the Christian Bible “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1).

Also, if you familiarize yourself with the story of Jesus, you would find that he did not go around judging people but showed love. Hinn was not associated with these men nor would any true Christian think of their message as one from God.

Therefore, Bedell’s comparison there is not accurate. Secondly, Bedell’s assumption as to how some of the crusade attendants felt was a very good anecdote but was based on his opinions and not facts.

Unlike Bedell, who gathered his observation by merely passing by, I volunteered at the crusade and conversed with the people. I was at the crusade from its beginning to the very end. I want to know if Bedell had interviews with these people who he claimed “prayed that God’s healing light might reflect off of some of Hinn’s jewelry and blast away their sickness, make their legs new, and carry them into the promised land.”

The jewelry Bedell spoke of must have been imaginary because, besides Hinn’s wedding band, I did not see any jewelry on him.

Out of all the testimonies I heard from attendants of the crusade, not one person stated they came to have “Hinn spew God’s healing power upon them,” but attendants said “they came in faith and knew “they were going to receive healing from God, and not a man.” Benny Hinn has no healing power, and he never stated he did. The only person who heals is Jesus, and attendants came to be in His presence.

April S. Walker is a junior majoring in psychology and Africana studies.

Newspaper should report on all sports

As an avid Oracle reader, I was quite disappointed to see that the ice hockey team was so praised for its efforts as a club sport. What about the rest of USF’s club sports?

Maybe you should start recognizing all the club sports on campus that are working hard to make USF a well-rounded university. Did you even know that USF has a women’s rugby team that practices 5-7 p.m.every Monday and Wednesday (even during the winter break)? There are also many other club sports (that I could not list here) that are doing a great job of representing USF. Maybe The Oracle should do the same and give every club sport equal recognition.

Mandi Minnick is a junior majoring in biology.

NCAA should allow Toren to play

I am writing in response to the article about Raphael Toren being considered an amateur or a professional in Wednesday’s Oracle. I don’t think that it is right to put him through all this drama. All he wants to do is play basketball for USF, and what is so wrong with that? He has followed all the NCAA’s rules and yet, he still can’t play. I am a USF basketball supporter. We already have a great team and adding Toren could make us even better.

Toren might have played while serving in the Israeli Army, but “professional team” for people overseas doesn’t mean the same thing as it does in the United States. It’s not like he played for the Magic or the Lakers. If the NCAA believed that he was considered a professional then why did they agree to let him play if he sat out for 20 percent, or eight games, in the season?

If the NCAA didn’t feel that he would be eligible then they shouldn’t have let him sign up at all. After all this trouble, he deserves to play. He went by all the rules and did everything they asked him. Denying him the right to play is morally wrong. You can’t just say one day, “Do everything we ask and you can play,” and the next, reneging on your previous agreement.

In conclusion, Toren has earned his right to play basketball for USF for at least the rest of this season. I’m sure all the other basketball supporters feel the same way. Maybe the NCAA doesn’t want him to play for USF because USF could possibly be better than University of North Carolina or Duke in the future. Just give him a chance to show everyone what he can do. Toren, you have my support, and I know that a lot of people feel the same way I do. Go Bulls.

Camille Rivera is a freshman majoring in communication sciences and disorders.

Woman should wear veil in license photo

I am writing in response to the editorial in Friday’s Oracle about the Muslim woman who filed suit against the state of Florida, because she couldn’t wear her veil when getting her state identification card. How could any person honestly believe that he or she should be able to wear anything when getting an identification photo made?

If she were allowed to wear her veil for an identification photo then technically I should be allowed to wear a hockey mask or a football helmet. Maybe I should even be able to paint my face in red and pewter (Go, Bucs, by the way) for the picture. This would be unacceptable because in the event that I needed to be identified, it would be very difficult for someone to tell who I was. This would also open up the opportunity for other people to be able to use my identification card. Ultimately, it creates an open opportunity for fraud. Imagine wanting to cash a check and having to present identification.

I think the Department of Transportation definitely needs to make some reforms in its policies on everything from obtaining a driver’s license to renewing it. But trying to take advantage of the system with the argument that people don’t look the same after a haircut or a shave, or even six years, is what is really ridiculous.

Steven Gwaltney is a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering.