Liberty University has decided that Democratic Party platform is incompatible with the school’s moral principles. As the result, the College Democrats club has been decertified by the school, which was founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. In an email to the club president, the VP of Student Affairs basically says you can’t be a Democrat and be a Christian:
Even though this club may not support the more radical planks of the democratic party, the democratic party is still the parent organization of the club on campus. The Democratic Party Platform is contrary to the mission of LU 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).
Strange definition of “Christian doctrine” there. Certainly not the Christian doctrine of loving thy neighbor, turning the other cheek, or the “let he who is without sin cast the first stone” that I’m familiar with. And all four candidates for Governor – yes, even Republican Bob McDonnell – disagree with LU.
Once again, the national spotlight is on Virginia and the picture is not so flattering. From the Rachel Maddow show:
So much for liberty at Liberty.
jerry would be so proud, where ever he is!
Posted by silver donkey | Monday, May 25, 2009, 7:34 amJerry is nowhere, of course. He’s dead. But if his imaginary universe existed? My money would be on it being pretty hot.
Posted by MB | Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 9:23 pmIt is quite understandable that L.U. would not want its name attached to a group that supports homosexuality and abortion.
Posted by Anon E. Mouse | Monday, May 25, 2009, 10:12 amThat’s it, Anon. LU just aborted the group. They were pro-choice, and chose to abort it rather than keep the group.
Democrats should be applauding, rather than wanting to force the school into keeping the group.
Posted by Brian Kirwin | Monday, May 25, 2009, 1:00 pmHow can students who support the Democratic platform waste their tuition money going to Liberty U? Maybe Liberty U needs to reconsider their name.
Posted by fran roehm | Monday, May 25, 2009, 6:14 pmWhy would students who support the Democrats’ platform go to a Christian college?
Posted by Anon E. Mouse | Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 5:06 pmAre you saying what LU said, that you can’t be both Christian and a Democrat?
Posted by vjp | Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 5:25 pmThe two do have diametrically opposed positions on several issues. One could, perhaps, be a member of the Democratic Party and repudiate those parts of the platform that run counter to Christianity. That does not seem to happen very often.
Posted by Anon E. Mouse | Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 5:52 pmMethinks you need to go back and read your bible, Mouse.
Posted by vjp | Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 6:01 pmI do so every day, Vivian. Do you believe that Christianity supports abortion-on-demand or same-sex marriages?
Posted by Anon E. Mouse | Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 7:27 pmAnon, can you be a Christian and support the taking of life, that is, the death penalty?
Posted by JeffConn | Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 12:27 amMany Christians see the death penalty in the Mosaic Law and conclude that capital punishment is not only acceptable, but prescribed. The Commandment is against murder. Killing a convicted murderer is not murder.
Also, studies have shown that for every execution, three to five innocent lives are saved through the deterrence effect. Would you rather three innocent people die that on guilty person?
There are Christian reasons that I do not support the death penalty, but they do not counter the argument that capital punishment is a good deterrent.
Posted by Anon E. Mouse | Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 8:45 amThe Old Testament is full of righteous polygamists. So much for a union of one man and one woman.
Posted by Randy Klear | Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 1:21 amI entirely agree.
Polygyny, at least, is not a sin. In fact, in the case of a man’s dying without “issue,” his brother was required to marry the widow and give her children to raise in the dead brother’s name. This goes to the question given Jesus, when he was asked about the widow who had the seven brothers as husband. Jesus Himself told the Parable of the Bridegroom and the Ten Virgins — they were to be his wives.
Posted by Anon E. Mouse | Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 8:53 amTrying to track down an electronic copy of an article by Brian Kaylor that appeared in this morning’s Virginian Pilot. Kaylor is a Baptist minister, and a Republican. The headline for his article is almost identical to mine.
In the article, he says that the Democratic club’s constitution says that it “will take a pro-life stance and support the traditional form of marriage.”
Posted by vjp | Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 9:34 amI’d like to read that. As I said, those are the two major conflicts between the Democratic Party and Christianity. There is also the issue of the so-called “wall of separation,” but that is more of a Constitutional issue that affects religion, rather than a religious issue in itself.
That does not remove the problem of guilt by association. The Club’s parent organization does support those positions that are antithetical to the mission of Liberty University, and that association overshadows the specific positions of the Club.
Posted by Anon E. Mouse | Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 9:50 amThis article in Ethics Daily may be what you are looking for:
The Pilot does not print much original material.
Posted by Anon E. Mouse | Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 9:56 amActually, that’s not the same article. (I found that one, too.) Still looking for a copy of the one that was in the paper.
Posted by vjp | Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 3:36 pmThe following article seems like a pretty good take on this kerfuffle.
http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/10644.html
Posted by Brian | Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 3:34 pmWell, what does Kirwin have to say about Bob McDonnell being against the jack-booted-thug tactics of Liberty? Is McDonnell wrong too? How can that be? Has Kirwin started attacking his cherished Republicans too? Is nothing sacred? McDonnell thinks LU is wrong, yet Kirwin wants to dismiss anyone who dares to disagree with him on the issue! The blog-o-sphere is aghast at Kirwin slamming his own candidate. One that he claims he “consulted” yet! Is this Bizzar-o world?
Posted by Melody Thord | Thursday, May 28, 2009, 9:38 amHere is the link to the official press release from Liberty University’s chancellor.
https://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=18495&MID=8373
Posted by kelculp | Thursday, May 28, 2009, 7:07 pmjerry would be so proud, where ever he is!
Posted by LW | Thursday, May 28, 2009, 8:25 pmWhen I agree with other Republicans, I’m attacked and called a hack and a mouthpiece. When I disagree, I’m attacked for that too.
And by someone whose last comment was about a grand jury investigation of SPSA.
Sometimes this is too easy.
Posted by Brian Kirwin | Friday, May 29, 2009, 11:04 amI think LU just needed some publicity. After all the keep bombarding me with chum to go to their holier than though school. Last time I check Jesus was a liberal. Besides what happened to the students right to free assembly?
Posted by Last Laugh | Saturday, May 30, 2009, 3:06 pmOne of the fastest-growing colleges in VA needs more publicity? Right.
Jesus a liberal? Not the modern-day, no morality, no personal responsibility, government runs our lives liberal, no.
Free assembly? They have it. They do not have the right to subsidized assembly.
Posted by Anon E. Mouse | Saturday, May 30, 2009, 6:36 pm