Should campus religious groups be allowed to require their leaders to actually — you know — hold the beliefs of the faith-based organizations they seek to lead? Carol Swain, author of the new book Be the People: A Call to Reclaim America’s Faith and Promise and professor of law and political science at Vanderbilt, has published an op-ed criticizing the university for attacking religious freedom in the name of political correctness. She writes:
Vanderbilt University’s Office of Religious Life quietly deferred its annual approval of several mostly conservative Christian organizations.
Groups affected included the Christian Legal Society, InterVarsity and the graduate chapter of Campus Crusade. These organizations face an uncertain future because of a new policy that prohibits religious organizations from requiring that their leaders share the same beliefs and goals of the organizations they seek to lead. The policy goes one step further by hamstringing Bible studies.
According to a letter from the acting director of the Office of Religious Life, Bible studies are suspect because they “would seem to indicate that officers are expected to hold certain beliefs.’’ The letter goes on to explain: “Vanderbilt policies do not allow this expectation/qualification for officers.’’
If this policy is implemented, it will make it harder for the students to have on-campus fellowship with like-minded believers and it will make it more difficult for them to grow in or even maintain their faith while on campus. The policy sends a clear message to students: religious associations are not a valued or respected part of the university’s ideological diversity.
This hastily conceived policy has the potential to destroy every religious organization on campus by secularizing religion and allowing intolerant conflict. Carried to its logical extension, it means that no organization can maintain integrity of beliefs. Christians can seek to lead Muslim organizations, Muslims can seek to lead Jewish ones, and Wiccans can seek to lead Catholic fellowships. The policy encourages people holding antithetical views to infiltrate organizations they seek to destroy.
Universities and colleges around the country are increasingly seeking to impose secular ideology upon religious organizations under the guise of political correctness.
It’s a typical ultra-P.C. story — advancing intolerance in the name of tolerance.
This policy is ridiculous. Here's at least one Vanderbilt grad that won't be making any contributions ...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAgreed. First the hiring of Houston Baker (re: his actions during the Duke lacrosse case), and now this (and there's probably been more, I'm just not aware of it).
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI definitely support that DCatty. As a suggestion, you might want to let the university know why you won't be making any contributions. They are much more likely to listen to you then...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell, an enterprising group of Vandy Christians could reverse this policy in a heartbeat. Get 200 of your closest Christian friends, and have them join the Vanderbilt Association of Hispanic Students (or other identity group). Then have everyone show up at the annual elections meeting and vote in an entire slate of conservative Christian non-Hispanic officers.
Then sit back and watch the fun as the Libs argue that you have to be Hispanic to run the Hispanic club, but you don't have to be Christian to run the Christian club.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHow many Vanderbilt students does it take to change a light bulb?
Two. One to change the bulb, and one to explain how he changed it just as well, if not better, than someone who got into an Ivy League school would have changed it.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is necessary as getting ideologically opposite individuals in the senior ranks of philanthropic organizations was how they undermined many conservative trusts so that they now fund programs opposite of the founder's beliefs. The rule being imposed opens up these campus organizations to the same usurpation.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLogic, it seems, is not taught to Vandy administrators. But Fascism is.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWant to bet that Muslim organizations end up being exempt from this?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseVanderbilt's in Tennessee. Remember the Clintons in the '90s demagoguing black church burnings down South? Turns out it was projection.
The Lefties sure have religious zeal. I'd be far too timid to keep a Jew from the Torah, a Christian from the scripture, or a Buddhist from the dharma. That's just the kind of thing there might be severe discomfort for...down the road. The Lefties have a religious faith that there can't be any comeuppance ever.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBetter yet, grab those two hundred white students, join the African American Student group and vote in all Caucasians. Watch the liberals heads explode.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThen vote to hold one of those "Affirmative Action Bake Sales"! The ensuing hilarity would be riotous!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm a 1997 graduate of Vanderbilt (PhD in mathematics) and a founding member of Graduate Christian Fellowship while I was there. Even back in the mid-90s, these kinds of issues were beginning to come up -- Can GCF receive funding for club events if we have such strict religious beliefs? etc. -- but to their credit, the Religious Life people always listened to us and did the right thing, and everybody got along, at least nominally. I'm hopeful things haven't changed that much since then in this regard. I'd certainly be disappointed if they have.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMore than that. It is how you shut down groups you don't like. Send your people in, vote your guy the leader, have the leader move to close the club...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is a civil rights violation in the same sense as Jim Crow laws, only against religion. Best solution is to a) $0 their Federal funding and b) smash them in court on 1A grounds.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhile I think the policy here is clearly wrong-headed, it doesn't have to mean the end of Campus Crusade or any other student religious organization. It just means that these groups, to keep their integrity, will need to organize off-campus. I've been a member of an off-campus college bible study numbering in the hundreds, so it can work.
It would be better to be off-campus and faithful, than on-campus and watered down.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBets on their enforcement of this policy on - say - a Muslim or Wiccan group?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI thought Vanderbilt was a girls' school.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAt Texas A&M political correctness is defined as the belief that you can pick up a turd by the clean end.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNo -- take over the Muslim Student Association and pass resolutions affirming the existence of Israel, opposing the creation of a Palestinian state, condemning sharia, and declaring the Qu'ran to be false. Then dare Vandy to take any action against the newly elected leadership.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIn Jan, a Mississippi woman filed a complaint against Vanderbilt with the Dept of HHS Office for Civil Rights because the nursing school application violated the Church amendment which prohibits federally funded instititions from compelling students or trainees to participate in abortion. The application read (it has been changed since the case),
"If you are chosen for the Nurse Residency Program in the Women’s Health track, you will be expected to care for women undergoing termination of pregnancy. It is important that you are aware of this aspect of care and give careful consideration to your ability to provide compassionate care to women in these situations...If you feel you cannot provide care to women during this type of event, we encourage you to apply to a different track of the Nurse Residency Program to explore opportunities that may best fit your skills and career goals."
Also at Vanderbilt, 10/19/11 Van Jones is to give the Harry Howard Lectureship founded to "bring an outstanding scholar to Vanderbilt annually to deliver a lecture on a significant topic in the humanities." The choice is far fetched on 2 counts.
Michael Moore will speak at Vanderbilt on 10/4.
And as pointed out above, the Duke faculty leader in the rush to judgment against its Lacrosse players falsely accused of rape, Houston Baker is now University Distinguised Professor in English at Vanderbilt and remains unapologetic of his prejudicial views while at Duke.
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