For instance, one can deflect an accusation of lying, no matter how egregious the falsehood, by requiring the accuser to state what the meaning of “is” is.
Is St Louis University a Catholic institution? You guessed it—it depends on the meaning of "is."
If “is” means disqualified from receiving public funding for a new sports arena ($85Million), then the answer is No.
If “is” means permitted to require employees (such as high profile basketball coaches) to adhere to the Church’s anti-abortion position, then the answer is Yes.
This St Louis Post-Dispatch article covers the local Catholic bishop’s call to discipline SLU’s new head basketball coach, Rick Majerus, for his public statements supporting women’s choice and stem cell research. The second half of the story recaps “Jesuit” St Louis University’s effort to snag tax dollars to fund a new sports arena by denying that it’s a religious school.
The Jesuits are so well educated and so intellectually competent that they can show how SLU both is and isn’t a Catholic institution, plus if you have a few minutes, they’ll tell you how an $85Million sports arena comports with a preferential option for the poor.
[A: Sobrino says Theology shouldn’t be written in air-conditioned rooms. He doesn't say anything about basketball.]
Eventually, Bill Clinton pled guilty to perjury. Some judges aren't fooled by the is-is thing.
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