Liberty University un-recognizes College Democrats
posted at 2:49 pm on May 22, 2009 by Allahpundit
Notre Dame redux: To what extent should a private Christian university lend its imprimatur to people or groups that are pro-choice?
And what if they’re not really pro-choice?
Diaz said he was notified of the school’s decision May 15 in an e-mail from Mark Hine, vice president of student affairs.
According to the e-mail, the club must stop using the university’s name, holding meetings on campus, or advertising events. Violators could incur one or more reprimands under the school’s Liberty Way conduct code, and anyone who accumulates 30 reprimands is subject to expulsion…
“He said it wasn’t us. It was the national Democratic Party,” which the campus club’s constitution supports, Dervish said. The campus club also opposes abortion and supports the traditional view of marriage, Dervish said.
“His bottom line was, ‘You can’t be a Democrat and be a Christian and be a university representative,’” Childress said.
Hine denied saying that…
Hine’s e-mail said, “The candidates this club supports uphold the platform and implement it. The candidates supported are directly contrary to the mission of Liberty University.”
Not sure why the school suddenly decided to act on this now; maybe they were inspired by the bishops who came out against Obama’s ND degree or maybe it’s a reaction to the number of states that have legalized gay marriage recently. Needless to say, had a secular private school de-sanctioned the College Republicans for supporting “immoral” practices like war and capital punishment, we’d be up in arms. Is the only difference here that Liberty derives its morality from religion? Or are we agreed that this is a bad precedent?
Blowback
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Loxodonta, hope you’re feeling better! Some days we’re just not meant to walk and chew gum at the same time. I’ve got to take off. Hope your evening goes well.
maverick muse on May 22, 2009 at 6:22 PM
Liberty is a private university. It can un-recognize whoever it wants. We can all have our personal opinions about this action, but what skin is it off the nose of anyone not associated in some way with Liberty U?
J.E. Dyer on May 22, 2009 at 6:24 PM
We’d be up in arms, and we’d huff and puff, but there probably wouldn’t be much we could do about it. Most campuses are the refuge of every zany moonbat idea as it is.
So, sexual “immorality” is the standard for non-Christians? I thought non-believers usually decry attempts to say that morality is impossible outside of religion.
When a man is a man, it usually involves non-sexual qualities like commitment, integrity, honesty, courage, decency and consistency. Those are Christian values; so, yeah, maidenhood should be safe around them.
However, I know you may have been goaded into such a, shall we say, intemperate and ill-thought-out remark.
ddrintn on May 22, 2009 at 6:28 PM
By the way, who’s defining “rational”? Jack the Ripper or St. Francis?
ddrintn on May 22, 2009 at 6:35 PM
Oh well… you said it well enough
Jamson64 on May 22, 2009 at 6:35 PM
Seems many Christians have no problem finding out how to have several kids and luckily so. Just look at Britain. In 50 years you will hardly recognize it because it has become less Christian and more secular. Oh and more muslim.
Jamson64 on May 22, 2009 at 6:39 PM
What you’re seeing … is a hardening of the “poles”. American is more polarized now than it has ever been since the Civil War.
Another Civil War is coming – and my evidence of this is precisely this “polar hardening” … not overtly violent acts – just solid political “hits” delivered to the other side to let them know they’ll get a lot more if they cross the line.
Precisely what we saw before the Civil War – when the Abolitionists and Pro-Slavery sides each elevated their rhetoric and political actions to downright levels of hatred of the other side.
At some point – the “rhetoric” stops – and the shooting starts. This is EASY to predict – though Allah will say I’m a nut for stating this.
What will accelerate it – is the bankruptcy of America. Once people feel the American dream is gone – they will become angry – and it will begin.
HondaV65 on May 22, 2009 at 6:46 PM
I am a lifelong Catholic with membership in the Knights of Columbus. I even went to the seminary to become a priest before I dropped out because it became too expensive for my family.
I have become very, very conflicted over the Catholic religion and had been considering leaving the church because of their liberal leanings and innaction on pedophile priests. Also their silence on the abortion debate really grated on me.
I discovered Johnathon Fallwell and his “Live From Liberty” program and am very impressed by the Rev. Fallwell.
The recent Notre Dame debacle and this action by Liberty University has me almost convinced to leave the church.If you believe in God your actions are more important to Him than your religion.
Vince on May 22, 2009 at 6:54 PM
I don’t think it’s bad precedent at all. While private universities should still value free thought and free speech, they are well within their rights to put their own views above those of others,even if this means enacting policies to enforce this. Btw, I’ve always thought that it is impossible to be both a Democrat and a Christian.
davenp35 on May 22, 2009 at 7:04 PM
Wrong. Through the ages, the Catholic Church has maintained the integrity of the Bible, and has worked hard to assure its inerrency through. The ability to obtain a personal copy of the Bible (and the ability to privately interpret same in contradiction to Scripture) didn’t occur until the invention of the moveable type printing press. Until such time, Bibles were laboriously copied out by hand, and the expense of such an endeavor assured that only churches, kings, and the very wealthy had any chance of owning their own Bible.
That is why the Mass, in a three year cycle, reads every line of Scripture to the people. Even if they could not afford to own a Bible during those times, they could still Hear the Word in community with other believers.
Before you dither on in uninformed fashion, consider technology.
unclesmrgol on May 22, 2009 at 7:10 PM
I have been saying this for some time, HondaV65, and I certainly believe it will be along ideological lines rather than geographic. You are absolutely correct when you talk about the hardening of the polar opposites. When wacked-out liberals get together on sites like HuffPo, Kos or DU, you get a real feel for what they are really all about. I have read numerous posts on those sites where they relish the idea of imprisoning conservatives, banning them from public discourse, or outright killing them. This kind of thing cannot continue for long without something bad happening. It is only a matter of time.
jdawg on May 22, 2009 at 7:12 PM
But maybe they should change their name from Liberty University to something else to avoid the irony.
mycowardice on May 22, 2009 at 7:59 PM
Finally! Somebody gets it right.
All of scripture screams against the foundations of what has become an evil organization. Since Democrats, by and large, haven’t a clue what’s actually IN the Bible they wouldn’t understand a quite logical statement like that.
Mojave Mark on May 22, 2009 at 8:00 PM
Please list the recent conservative speakers at Harvard. You may want to read some of Mike Adams columns to find out how conservatism is treated on college campuses.
peacenprosperity on May 22, 2009 at 8:14 PM
But you can be a Republican, right?
mycowardice on May 22, 2009 at 8:41 PM
At present, yes you can. As soon as the GOP has abortion as one of its foundational party planks, I’m out.
Mojave Mark on May 23, 2009 at 1:18 AM
As a LU student back in the ealry 90′s, I remember a very small group of people that tried to start to restart an already defunct Democratic Club, but it was pretty much dead on arrival. I don’t recall what led to it’s demise, but I do know their ability to get members was almost impossible. I thought it was a joke when I first heard they were trying to start the club. Considering the views/beliefs of LU, I find it hard for a Dem. club to exist. I don’t mean that as a cut on Democrat Party, but as already stated buy others, when Dems. seem to be “controlled” by the extreme left wing, it just seems impossibe for this club to exist at LU.
Fast foward to today, when I saw this on Fox News scroller, I was more suprised that this club existed, more so then that it was getting shut down.
albuddy on May 23, 2009 at 2:42 AM
I for one think it is a perfectly fine precedent for a private institution to run itself how it sees fit. It’s freedom, baby, yeah! Very groovy!
If another private university banned a Republican club, I wouldn’t care. If they were at the same time hypocritically bragging how they were full of open minds and free thinking and diversity of opinion and such, I would drill them for hypocrisy, but if they are private, they can do what they want, and people can associate themselves with them or not.
However, it is very difficult to reconcile a desire to attend Liberty University with a political affiliation with the Democratic party. The two don’t mix. How can you be socially conservative, pro religion being allowed in the public square, and pro Christian education, and be a Democrat at the same time. And if you are not for those things, why in the world are you attending Jerry Falwell’s university?!
willamettevalley on May 23, 2009 at 5:30 AM
Liberty derives it morality from the Person of Jesus Christ, religions do not. Do the sinners at Liberty always follow the teaching and commands of Jesus? No. And I say that with some authority, having sent my daughter there.
Atheists tend to dump Christianity into the same trash can with “religions” and reduce Jesus to just another philosopher. HE isn’t.
oldleprechaun on May 23, 2009 at 10:15 AM
And what if they’re not really pro-choice?
Democrat party aparatchik are by definition pro-choice.
I R A Darth Aggie on May 23, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Would a private Israeli university allow neo-Nazis to form a group on campus? Would BYU allow an athiest club? If a student group espouses a message that runs entirely counter to the mission of the private university, then they have every right to shut the group down. It is simply not possible for someone who supports the Democratic Party, and therefore mass infanticide, to be a real Christian.
davenp35 on May 23, 2009 at 10:23 AM
My Alma Mater is saying that you can no longer be a Democrat and not place yourself in danger of separating yourself from God. As an Evangelical private university, they have placed themselves at the opposite end of all the fashionable progressive schools that are not honest enough to state their own agenda.
May God continue to bless LU.
Hening on May 23, 2009 at 11:25 AM
Liberty is doing the same thing as the Pope was asking Notre Dame to do before they went against his wishes concerning the Catholic teachings. Not sure why defending your religion has negative overtones.
volsense on May 24, 2009 at 6:16 PM
This sort of reasoning doesn’t mean a whole lot to somebody outside of the christian circle, I think.
If you’re under the impression that Jesus is just another philosopher, claiming that Liberty’s morality is derived from his person means that its moral derivation is relative to the thoughts of another human being and nothing more than that.
On another note, why ban this group at all? Each member realizes what constitutes violations of LU’s policies for conduct; if they do not violate them they should be free to hold whatever political view they wish, and do so with others as part of this club.
thequeball on May 26, 2009 at 3:09 PM
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