Let's just drop the university pretenses

[Chuck Bao]

For heavens sake, have people gone mad?

Or, maybe Liberty University was just so jealous of that famous Catholic school making the news about President Obama's commencement address and the protests.

Here I was thinking that the whole reason for a university is stimulate intellectual thought and debate. I guess I was wrong. It is not a university. It is a kindergarten.

If Baylor does something similar, I'm going to boycott supporting the football team. And, I really mean that.



May 22, 2009

Liberty Univ. Bans Democrats

By Amita Parashar

Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., will no longer recognize its Democratic Party club, saying it opposes the school's fundamentalist Baptist mission and "promotes the LGBT agenda."

The club's leaders were notified on May 15 in an e-mail from Mark Hine, vice president of student affairs, that was obtained by the Lynchburg paper The News & Advance .

Part of Hine’s e-mail read, “The Democratic Party platform is contrary to the mission of Liberty University and to Christian doctrine (supports abortion, federal funding of abortion, advocates repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, promotes the 'LGBT' agenda, hate crimes, which include sexual orientation and gender identity, socialism, etc.)”

The campus Democratic club, according to leaders, in fact opposes abortion rights and supports "traditional" views of marriage. Brian Diaz, president of the banned organization, said Hine met with the club and claimed to have made his decision based on the stance of the national Democratic Party, not the club's specific views or actions.

Terry McAuliffe, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, held a conference call this morning to respond to the decision and allow reporters to talk to club leaders. According to The News & Advance, the call largely concerned issues stemming from censorship, with McAuliffe voicing his support for free speech.

According to the e-mail from Hine, Liberty University has ordered the club to stop using the university's name, holding meetings on campus, and advertising events.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

Liberty University: UINO

[Dio]

There were Democrats at Liberty?

[Curly Bill]

We'd all be better off if we banned democrats entirely! :D

...well except for those of you with marxist inclinations. :(

[SicEmBaylor]

There were Democrats at Liberty?

That was my reaction. Talk about a sheep hanging out with a pack of wolves...

[SicEmBaylor]

Just so Chuck doesn't worry, College Democrats are flourishing right now at Baylor. They're actually stronger than either of the conservative/GOP organizations including College Republicans which has barely had a pulse in the last 5 years.

However, we do not allow homosexual organizations.

[Fraggle145]

I refuse to recognize Liberty as a university.

[swardboy]

Good grief, can't a private organization be allowed its own beliefs? You liberals are the most intolerant of all groups. Gotta cram your worldview down everyone's craw....

[SanJoaquinSooner]

Good grief, can't a private organization be allowed its own beliefs? You liberals are the most intolerant of all groups. Gotta cram your worldview down everyone's craw....

Good point. If those liberals keep criticizing Liberty, that "University" will qualify for victim status.

[John Kochtoston]

http://www.amny.com/media/photo/2008-02/35867853.jpg

"Liberty University offers neither Liberty, nor a University. Discuss."

[Okla-homey]

Good grief, can't a private organization be allowed its own beliefs? You liberals are the most intolerant of all groups. Gotta cram your worldview down everyone's craw....

Precisely and spek. The simple fact is, a lot of folks consider LGBT-ism abhorrent and sinful. Unless they changed the Constitution and I didn't get the memo, those same folks are entitled to that opinion, caveated with the fact such an opinion doesn't entitle them to conduct some bloody purge of LGBT-ers.

I would like to point out, for the record, there are faith-based student orgs at various state-supported universities that have been denied the funds that are otherwise available to non-faith-based student orgs.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

Good grief, can't a private organization be allowed its own beliefs? You liberals are the most intolerant of all groups. Gotta cram your worldview down everyone's craw....

Who is suggesting it be disallowed? Can't an individual boycott according to his/her own beliefs?

[bluedogok]

Just so Chuck doesn't worry, College Democrats are flourishing right now at Baylor. They're actually stronger than either of the conservative/GOP organizations including College Republicans which has barely had a pulse in the last 5 years.
Kind of like the RNC.....


Good grief, can't a private organization be allowed its own beliefs? You liberals are the most intolerant of all groups. Gotta cram your worldview down everyone's craw....
I do agree with their right to do that, I think it was stupid but do agree with their right to commit what I perceive as a stupid act.

If you go to Liberty (Falwell Memorial U) or pretty much any Bible college, you should pretty much know you're going to a restrictive school who wants followers and not leaders. They also don't want the rebellious types and to FMU the Dims would fall into that category.

[Fraggle145]

Good grief, can't a private organization be allowed its own beliefs? You liberals are the most intolerant of all groups. Gotta cram your worldview down everyone's craw....

I dont care about that. I just think when you teach that humans and dinosaurs lived together that you dont qualify as a university.

[LosAngelesSooner]

I have no problem with Liberty University denying the Democratic Club to exist as long as they no longer qualify under Tax Exemption status and no longer get Federal Funding.

[SicEmBaylor]

I have no problem with Liberty University denying the Democratic Club to exist as long as they no longer qualify under Tax Exemption status and no longer get Federal Funding.

I'm not sure they were ever tax exempt or got Federal funding. Baylor isn't tax-exempt because it's a "for profit" institution, and I'm sure Liberty is the same way. I'm pretty sure the only Federal funding we get is in the form of Federal student loans. Not sure how much we get for research, but since we're historically a teaching University and not a research institution I doubt we get that much. Liberty University sure as hell isn't a research institution, so I'd guess the Federal funds they get is very limited.

In any case, I agree. They should be able to do whatever they want so long as they're a private institution.

[Frozen Sooner]

They are not-for-profit. So say the mash notes they keep sending me for their junior college level law school.

[TAFBSooner]

I dont care about that. I just think when you teach that humans and dinosaurs lived together that you dont qualify as a university.

Spek

[TAFBSooner]

They are not-for-profit. So say the mash notes they keep sending me for their junior college level law school.

I hope they include an SASE so you can mail the non-addressed part of their . . . material . . . back to them.

[Frozen Sooner]

Let's just say that every time I get one of their letters I giggle a bit and think "Wow, do YOU have the wrong guy."

I fired off an e-mail to their Dean of Admissions last night to please remove me from their mailing lists because I don't want anyone to think I have any association with them.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

[QUOTE=SicEmBaylor;2619328]Just so Chuck doesn't worry, College Democrats are flourishing right now at Baylor. QUOTE]What do you suppose they discuss in their meetings?

[Frozen Sooner]

Good grief, can't a private organization be allowed its own beliefs? You liberals are the most intolerant of all groups. Gotta cram your worldview down everyone's craw....

That's an odd statement to make, considering that Liberty is the one curtailing the free exchange of ideas here.

You conservatives sure seem to have a hard time understanding that your right to hold a view doesn't exempt you from criticism of your statements and actions.

[Chuck Bao]

Good grief, can't a private organization be allowed its own beliefs? You liberals are the most intolerant of all groups. Gotta cram your worldview down everyone's craw....

If you can’t defend, then go on the offensive.

Liberty can do anything that they want and I don’t really care. As Bluedogok pointed out, if you go to a bible college then you should know what you are going to get. I was just making the point that it seems really silly to me to ban an organization affiliated with the major political party in the US and that goes against my idea of what a university should stand for.

That is not cramming my worldview down anyone’s craw. It is pretty much just the opposite. I am actually advocating for free speech and freedom of discussion.

Surely our young Christians, affirmed in their faith, shouldn’t shy away freedom of discussion and the occasional test of their faith. If not, what good are they when they go out into the real world?

I taught business courses at Hong Kong Baptist University for one year, like 25 years ago. Okay, it was a college back then and it set its sights on university status and under a British administration before the ’97 handover that was not easy with those high church folk and after the handover to China it was much less easy with that Baptist name. The administration works extra hard to improve the university status so the current students and alums get their recognition for their degrees.

I don’t agree with the Catholic faith, but I have to admire the Catholics and their drive to set up schools around the world. In Thailand, there are about 15 Catholic high schools, all extremely prestigious, and one very good university. Besides the religion courses required, they aren’t like banning or boycotting anything.

I have to say that I would prefer to hire someone from one of the Catholic schools than someone from Liberty.