(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From Citizen Link:

In a show of solidarity, a coalition of 11 Christian student groups at Vanderbilt University issued a joint statement Monday, declaring they will not bow to administration pressure to allow non-Christians to hold leadership positions within their organizations.

“For decades, Vanderbilt acknowledged what most Americans hold to be self-evident: A faith-based organization cannot be properly led by people who do not profess the group’s faith,” they wrote. “Most perplexing, a university founded by Methodists is prohibiting religious groups from selecting religious leaders while simultaneously allowing fraternities and sororities to discriminate in selecting their leaders and members. If Vanderbilt will give fraternities and sororities a broad exemption from its policy, why won’t it give religious groups a narrow exemption?”

Response: The Christian students make some very good points in their statement. The only way this makes any sense is if the university administrators really do not want active Christian groups on campus. My guess is it is not politically correct in the progressive universe that many educators live in. One excuse is as good as another but it is surprising considering the background of the school. The new ‘non-discrimination’ policy is the latest in PC progressive agenda dictum to gain momentum and spread to colleges and universities all across America.

Two Catholic groups have already moved off campus and the rest of the Christians groups will follow suit rather than allow the university directives to neuter their leadership.

In the real world, religious organizations in America have a constitutional right to define their own beliefs and standards for leadership. The University demands seem ridiculous when one considers that leaders could be chosen under the new directives who actually oppose and carry out programs that are contrary to Christianity and the original objectives and reasons the student groups were formed in the first place.

I continue to wonder if any Muslim groups on Campus will also be forced to comply? Somehow I seriously doubt it.              *Top

Related Posts?:

1. -Catholic Student Group at Vanderbilt U. Forced Off Campus
2. -Update on Vanderbilt U. ‘Nondiscrimination Policy’ Directed Against Christian Groups

(Photo by Brent Harris/WORLD on Campus)

An atheist student group set up a booth on a Texas university campus offering to exchange pornography for Bibles and other religious materials including Qurans.

According to Kyle Bush, the president of the student group- Atheist Agenda:

"The point is not to hand out porn, but rather the primary purpose is to get people to come talk to us so we can get our message out. We want to spread atheism and bring it more to the spotlight. We offer another alternative to people who might not fit in anywhere else."

The atheist group collected five Bibles, one Encyclopedia of Islam, and one Quran in exchange for porn during the 2 day event. Not exactly a raging success. They did create a little bit of attention for their cause but nothing like their first exchange in 2008 that gained international press.

Interestingly 30 yards away a Christian student group sang praise songs and bathed the event in Prayer.

Response: Events like this somewhat backfire on atheist groups. Rather than promoting their ideas in a forum of debate, events like this which ridicule the faith of others merely create attention but not necessarily good attention.

Do the atheists in this group really want to give the impression that they support porn as something that is good for society? Probably not. Do they really believe that porn is better than religion for our culture? Maybe, maybe not.

However, we do support their right to free speech and also the right of the Christian group nearby to sing and pray on campus. Hopefully the current rage on University campuses to regulate student leadership (called ‘anti-discrimination’) does not reach all the campuses across America and student groups remain free to express their views everywhere, including conservative non-PC Christian groups and even atheist groups which I obviously do not support.            *Top

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A Catholic student group has been forced to leave Vanderbilt U. after refusing to comply with the school’s so-called ‘Non-Discrimination Policy. The policy mandates that all may attend student groups and no specific religious qualifications can be maintained when it comes to group leadership.

Therefore under the new rule, non-Catholics could be voted in to lead the group including atheists, homosexuals, or even Muslims. Other Christian groups are faced with the same choice and may soon follow suit. Here’s the story:

The ruckus over Vanderbilt University’s non-discrimination policy and regulations that require campus Christian groups (among others) to allow non-believers to serve in leadership roles continues. This week, Vanderbilt Catholic, one of the largest faith clubs at the school, has announced that it will not comply with the newly-enforced rules.

The Catholic group’s decision will mean that, as of the end of the year, it will no longer be an official university group. Instead, it will serve as an off-campus ministry. The Rev. John Sims Baker, a chaplain at Vanderbilt Catholic, said on Tuesday that the group has been forced to make the rash decision to leave campus. It is the first Vanderbilt group to make such an announcement.

<Read the rest for more>

Response: We have been following this story for some time and others like it. It is now the rage all across America for colleges and universities to mandate an open ‘non-discrimination policy’ when it comes to membership in student groups. The problem for religious groups comes when the open policy is also extended to the group leadership. Christian student groups usually maintain religious requirements and standards for their leadership.

I have read of several instances where Christian student groups have been ‘taken over’ by folks promoting progressive issues that are anything but Christian in nature. These new policies only seem to be targeting Christian groups which do not square with the progressive PC attitudes of the university administrators.

I can only conclude that these new mandates are being used to still the Christian influence and voice on university campuses. It is not only an issue of freedom of religion but also freedom of speech. One reason that I believe that it is really all about Christian groups is that the Muslim student groups that should be affected by these same mandates seem to ignore the new rules and are not being forced to comply.            *Top

Related Posts?:

1. -Vanderbilt U: Christian Student Groups Issue Joint Statement
2. -InterVarsity to be Revoked as a Student Group at SUNY Buffalo?

                                       (Image via Wikipedia)

Muslims students at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC have lodged an official complaint of discrimination against the private Christian university.

Their major complain revolves around not having an official prayer room on campus and all of the Christian symbols including crucifixes in the classrooms which they find offensive. The official allegations claim that CUA:

“does not provide space – as other universities do – for the many daily prayers Muslim students must make, forcing them instead to find temporarily empty classrooms where they are often surrounded by Catholic symbols which are incongruous to their religion.”

Muslim students would also like to form an official student group on campus.

Also, another complaint of discrimination, involving female students, has been lodged against the university practice of maintaining traditional same-sex residence halls on campus. Many universities across the country has gone with coed and mixed sex dorms.

The District of Colombia Office of Human Rights (OHR) is reviewing the allegations. According to reports, the DC office maintains the strictest discrimination laws in the country.

Response: This is incredible. It is a private Christian university after all. Muslims say they like to go there because they feel safe and accepted yet are offended by the Christian symbols so want to change the place? Why not go to a secular school instead where there are no offending crosses or symbols? 

The school is allowing the students to pray in empty classrooms so where is the real discrimination? If the Catholic school is forced to take down the crosses and allow a room for Muslim symbols to be put up instead than real discrimination would be taking place. It is not a public school after all but a Christian institution. The symbols should be expected and the school should not be forced to make room for an entirely different religion.

Also, are traditional same-sex dorms discriminatory? Again, this is a Catholic institution which is trying to maintain some semblance to Christian morality. Christian colleges and universities all across the country still maintain the ‘old-fashion’ separation of the sexes in the dorms on campus rather than the modern hedonistic mixed dorms found in most public universities.

What really would be discriminatory is if the CUA is forced to make changes in their Christian environment to accommodate another religion or secular morality.            *Top

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At Western Hills High School in Fort Worth, Texas, 14 year old Dakota Ary was sent to the principal’s office and suspended for telling a classmate that he believed homosexuality was wrong.

According to Fox news this is how the event unfolded:

Dakota was in a German class at the high school when the conversation shifted to religion and homosexuality in Germany. At some point during the conversation, he turned to a friend and said that he was a Christian and “being a homosexual is wrong.”
“It wasn’t directed to anyone except my friend who was sitting behind me,” Dakota told Fox. “I guess [the teacher] heard me. He started yelling. He told me he was going to write me an infraction and send me to the office.”

The Principal originally sentenced Dakota to 1 day in-school suspension plus 2 days of full suspension. After meeting with Dakota’s mother and an attorney from Liberty Counsel, the additional 2-day suspension was dropped.

Dakota’s mother, Holly Pope, noted that Dakota was an honors student who played on the football team and was active in his church youth group. She said the following in an interview about her son and the situation:

“Dakota is a very well-grounded 14-year-old. He’s been in church his whole life and he’s been taught to stand up for what he believes.”

“He should never have been punished. He didn’t disrupt the class. He wasn’t threatening. He wasn’t hostile. He made a comment to his friend and the teacher overheard it.”
“My son knows people that are homosexual. He’s not saying, ‘I don’t like you.’ He’s saying, ‘I’m a Christian and I believe that being that way is wrong.’”

Liberty Counsel attorney Matt Krause claimed that the teacher may have inappropriately addressed homosexual issues in a German class:

“There has been a history with this teacher in the class regarding homosexual topics. The teacher had posted a picture of two men kissing on a wall that offended some of the students.”
“He told the students this is happening all over the world and you need to accept the fact that homosexuality is just part of our culture now.

“In German class there should be no talk of being pro-Gay or homosexual topics.”

Krause also indicated that Liberty Counsel would continue to monitor the situation.

Response: It is hard enough to get through high school without getting caught up in a incident like this. I really feel for the kid. Dakota was not picking on another student or challenging the teacher but only commenting to a friend about his religious beliefs in regard to homosexuality.

Talk about an over-reaction by the teacher and the principal. I could understand a student getting in trouble for taunting, bullying, or mistreating another student who might be homosexual. But in this case Dakota was only expressing his Christian Biblically-based beliefs.

Teachers and school administrators all across America are now being taught to be on the look out for potential bullies, particularly when it comes to homosexuality. Especially after one middle school student in California shot and killed a homosexual student sitting in front of him in a classroom.

Christian parents need to be on the look out for school teachers and administrators going over-the-top on this issue. Also, parents and pastors need to be sure and teach their youth to stand up for their faith on one hand but also be sure to extend the love of Jesus Christ to everyone and to never be involved in taunting or bullying anyone for any reason.

Has it really come to this? Is there no longer any freedom of religion and expression in this country when it comes to the issue of homosexuality? Have folks with traditional Christian beliefs about homosexuality become a pariah? Is Biblical teaching no longer tolerated? Has part of the Christian canon become ‘hate speech’?

In the UK and even in Canada pastors have been arrested for expressing a Biblical view on homosexuality. Christians need to stand up in this country and not allow that to ever happen here.

Fortunately conservative Christians still have a great deal of support in America and we are blessed with organizations like Liberty Counsel, Pacific Justice Institute, and Alliance Defense Fund to help out when our freedoms and rights are challenged.             *Top

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(Talmud via Wikipedia)

The Jewish Talmud is a best seller in South Korea. Not only that, it is also required reading in Korean public schools and most Koreans have The Talmud prominently displayed in their homes.

At the same time there are no Synagogues and it is extremely difficult to practice Judaism in S. Korea which has a historical Buddhist background and where over 30% regularly attend Christian churches.

However, there also is no anti-Semitism to speak of. Quite to the contrary, Judaism is held in high regard but it is not the religion that is sought after, but the example of Jewish family practices which lead to continual success in education and business.

The Koreans are turning to The Talmud and other Jewish teachings for principles of success.  Noting that Jews have been successful even under the most trying of cultural conditions for thousands of years. The Koreans see some parallels in their own history and want to emulate that success and particularly want to apply some of those principles in training and encouraging their own children to seek higher education and better occupational opportunities.

One Korean mother, Lee San-sook, explains  that Jews raise their children are viewed as positive in Korea:

“The stereotype of Jews here is that they are ultra-intelligent people. Jews have come out of nowhere to become business chiefs, media bosses, Nobel Prize winners – we want our children to do the same. If that means studying Talmud, Torah, whatever, so be it.”

Response: The South Koreans have been a success story in the last couple of generations. It is interesting the role that Jewish teaching has played in their success along with the conversion of nearly half of the population to Christianity.

While most of the world is backing away from support from Israel, the South Koreans are far more supportive than anyone might expect. The influence of The Talmud in Korean society also brings some unexpected implications for Korean foreign policy.           *Top

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According to Doug Clark, a spokesman for the national SYATP 2009 organization the theme for this year’s observance-= "Engage: Go and pray"- is taken from II Kings 22:

“…it’s a great story to look up and…to refresh and build your vision for this generation, because Josiah, the king of Israel, was 16 years old when he began experiencing an awakening in his own life. And that led to him being part of one of the greatest revivals and awakenings in the Old Testament…."

Response: What a great event and one that can help to change the spiritual climate on school campuses all across America. This is a ‘student-led’ movement that is allowed through the equal access laws in this country. Contrary to popular belief, while ‘official school prayers’ have been banned in American schools, students are still free to pray on their own at any time.    *Top

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