The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree does it?
Liberty University bills itself as the largest Christian school in the world. In October a group of about 30 students gained recognition for their Democrat Party Club, and garnered some media attention when they announced their club status was being yanked.
Jerry Falwell Jr wasn’t going to let this one go.
The VP who wrote the students explaining why their clubs official status was yanked hasn’t been heard from. Instead Falwell has chosen to do the talking.
He demanded apologies from media for saying the club couldn’t meet on campus. He demanded an apology from a political candidate who spoke up (Republicans also spoke up) and now he is demanding an apology from the students.
Liberty Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. has demanded that the group retract and publicly apologize for accusing a school administration of saying Democrats couldn’t be Christians. He also wants an apology for the group’s claims to the news media that the school told club members they couldn’t hold meetings on campus.
The story started this week when the group reported that Liberty University would no longer recognize it because the national party’s platform goes against the conservative Christian school’s moral principles. There doesn’t appear to be much dispute about that. But they also said they were getting tossed off campus and accused Liberty administrator Mark Hine of saying Democrats couldn’t be Christians.
This is what Mark Hine emailed the students. Liberty U told the revoked club they could be a recognized one issue club if they aligned with a certain group in the Democratic Party.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a complaint with the IRS since Liberty U accepts federal money.
And so Falwell threatened them.
It’s easier to play smoke and mirrors than address the main issue. It’s easier to engage in double speak.  Jr. learned well from his father.
Liberty Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said the university would, in turn, ask the IRS to investigate the complainers, whom he called “a Democratic front group.â€
“We are planning to file a complaint against AU,†Falwell said, because the group has the same tax-exempt status Liberty holds under IRS code 501(c)(3) for religious and educational groups, Falwell said.
“AU seems to only file complaints against other 501(c)(3) groups that don’t support AU’s liberal agenda,†Falwell said.
“We have noticed a pattern of them favoring the Democratic Party over the years and we have documented that pattern,†Falwell said.
If Falwell threatens a group of adults doing it’s job, how are these students going to be treated?
Stats don’t bear out Falwells bluster, but this isn’t about facts is it?
Reading comments around the web many people don’t feel badly for any student at Liberty U.
I do. I don’t think all 11,500 on campus students chose to be there, if parents are footing their education, as I’ve said earlier, some students have very narrow choices. The students who Falwell is publicly spitting at aren’t going to have an easy time of it. The demerit points alone that could be slapped on them for any reason would have them off campus in no time. The faculty doesn’t get tenure, it would be no surprise if Libery U decides staff advisor Maria Childress has to go.
Whether or not VP Mark Hine actually said Democrats aren’t Christians is a moot point, Falwell grabbing media time and opening his mouth says it all. The students and their advisors are going to issue a retraction.
The club also is drafting an apology to the school and a retraction of some statements it made to the news media last week after the university revoked the club’s official recognition.
Maria Childress, the club’s staff adviser, said Falwell and other administrators criticized the club for its comments to the news media. A meeting of club representatives and university administrators lasted almost two hours today.
The retraction and apology probably will come within 48 hours, and members are deciding what to say in the statement, Childress said.
The club is expected to retract a statement that accused university administrator Mark Hine of saying a person could not be both a Democrat and a Christian, Childress said.
Like they have a choice?
One can only wish the apology reads something like:
“Dear President Falwell,
We are deeply sorry that you are such a complete douche bag and that this so-called school is such a pathetic indoctrination camp for the Christian right. As a result of our attempts to buck your ham-handed attempts to shut down any semblence of free speech on campus, we have all been offerred full scholarships at real schools where we will get a real, fact-based education. Enjoy being the big frog in your ever shinking pond, you fascist numbskull. Toodles.
yours in Jesus
The former members and faculty advisors of the Liberty University Democrats
PS: Enjoy the coming IRS audit
Life is a series a choices. Unlike the representation of a map, of the selected features of our earth, we need to choose our respective relationships. With this in mind, we choose to map out a career.
So, there will always be disagreements in life. It’s all up to each individual, how they want to be distinguished from thoughts and actions. With this in mind, where is Jesus being glorified in this situation? With Jesus at the center, why such confusion?
Maybe some of these so called leaders and students, need to remap thier respective relationships, an ask themselves some important questions like, “What is my direction and where am I going with this issue?” “Who will this really impact and why?” You guys think of some questions.
Now, is it to much to ask for well cilvilized, educated persons to behave like an adult, and get back on the straight and narrow road. Search out your directions, find your exit ramp, get off on the correct exit, then take off to the straight and narrow highway, where this mess is far away from ya. Then proceed on with real life like feeding the poor, care for the sick, love your neighbor, care for the elderly, and so forth. Is it so hard for some people to keep focused?
I hope I said something to someone that can help. Remember, we all have to share this great big planet.
From Liberty U:
http://www.liberty.edu/news/index.cfm?PID=18495&MID=8375
“At the crux of the discussion were statements made to the press by the club’s staff sponsor — statements the administration says did not explain the situation in enough context for the media to report accurately on the action taken by LU officials to drop endorsement of the group as a Liberty University club.
At the meeting, LU officials urged the sponsor to issue a public apology based on information given to the press implying that LU had banned the Democrat Club and that the club could not meet on campus, when in fact it was given full rights to meet on campus just a few days earlier.”
But it get’s better, Liberty is saying the staff member said it.
And I bet everyone in that meeting can spell intimidation and belligerent. Maybe even truculent.
“Dr. Hine reminded the staff sponsor that it was actually her who threw the sarcastic statement (‘You can’t be a Christian and a Democrat?’) at him a week ago, to which Dr. Hine at that time immediately responded by saying it would be ridiculous to imply such or to believe that one could not be a Democrat and a Christian,†Falwell said. “Dr. Hine has been subjected to ridicule in the national press for a statement he did not make and, in fact, refuted when the staff sponsor suggested it. The staff sponsor did not challenge Dr. Hine’s recollection of their conversation one week before.â€
I never did get demerit points when I was attending university. I did get placed on fire probation for staying in my residence room during a fire alarm. It was 2 a.m. and it was snowing. I should have gone outside. At least my friends who were standing in two parallel rows across the street were throwing snowballs at the toy cops–the university police. The front row would act as a screen while the back row would throw snowballs at the cops.
How can it be a university if it doesn’t allow free speech?
How can it be a religion if there is no free speech and
enquiry on the part of believers?
Or is the believer’s mind like an empty pitcher to be
filled with whatever the demand and situation require?
That’s a university?
Are the Southern Baptists proud of their intellectual
stifling?
Democrats aren’t Christian? How does one explain
John F Kennedy and Jimmy Carter, to name just two?
Isn’t it time to take the “religions” and “universities”
under the light of analysis, and where needed, pull
their special status? Too many institutions profess
falsely and get away with it and we’re left to pick
up the pieces and comfort the afflicted afterwards.
You might enjoy this post by Douglas Todd on how the religious right co-oped language deliberately targeting the word and idea of ‘liberal’ with negative psychological language starting about 30 years ago.
http://tiny.cc/JUw62
Terms like: (quote): “elitist,†“big government,†“pro-abortion,†“special interest,†“tax-and-spend,†“anti-God,†“soft-on-crime,†“free market tinkerers,†“wimpy,†“welfare-loving,†“cut-and-run,†“unpatriotic†are part of everyday language in the culture us/them conservative lexicon.
You see these derogatory terms used on conservative sites all the time without a second though, the marketing strategy has been very effective and a generation has grown up using them.
Liberty U is fundamentalist, dominionist, reconstructionist, Christian identity based and is a law unto itself. Is the Pope Catholic?
Read their distinctives, a couple are a muddled intellectual/theological mess.
The conservative resurgence in the SBC and independent Baptist churches isn’t over. It will only be over when enough adherents say enough and toss out leadership. Given the fear based stranglehold of the ‘Baptist mafia’ it’s not going to happen.
As long as Liberty U (which has over a 94% admittance acceptance rate) meets the regional Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools standards and have friendly rich fundamentalist Republican donors, they can do whatever they want to anyone who steps on their property.
No different than ORU, it was bailed out by a very rich man.
Bob Jones U can do whatever they want to people also.
You’re correct they have left a lot of afflicted in their wake.
Oh PS Torontonian”
Canada Christian College students can transfer their credits to ORU and Liberty U.
That says about all that needs to be said about calling themselves a Univerity.:^)
Notice something about the following words/phrases:
“elitist,†“big government,†“pro-abortion,†“special interest,†“tax-and-spend,†“anti-God,†“soft-on-crime,†“free market tinkerers,†“wimpy,†“welfare-loving,†“cut-and-run,†“unpatrioticâ€
———-
Each is meant to stir up a negative emotion. I call it “churning”.
In their own way, each phrase or term evokes negativity
because of the emotionallly charged nature of the phrase.
These are the cowardly way to express oneself and is akin
to name calling such as is used by cowards and those who
cannot satisfactorily express themselves or those who wish
to pander to a base instinct in his/her audience.
Think of Hannity, Coren , McVety, Robertson, to name a few,
not forgetting the champion name-caller Bill O’Reilly.
Notice the common denominators of these people and
one begins to see how fundamentalism and dominionism
are hurting the rest of us by its very ability to overwhelm
the intellect of the most vulnerable.
———–
I looked at Regent University admission requirements and
a 2.5 Grade Point Average is good enough for them.
That’s about a B- or a C grade. And remember that
they have a Law School (not Faculty) and they have
been turning out “graduates” for the last number of
years. Remember Monica Goodling? She and about
149 others entered the Bush administration(!) and
look what America has had to deal with.
May 15th should be a national holiday, that’s when Jerry Falwell dropped dead at his desk.
Nearly 2 1/2 years gone. Does anyone miss him yet?