Quite a slippery slope.

– Hemant

On the other hand, like Siamang, I support their right to define their own membership requirements. I think it’s rather goofy for the University to tell all the other campus groups that they have to let any and everyone join. Should the African-American group be forced to let a white supremicist join? (Please note, I’m not intending any comparison between gays and white supremicists… just making a situational analogy.)

However, if those are the rules that apply to all the other groups then they should apply to the Christian group too. The rules should be consistent across the board. Either every group is allowed to pick and choose their members or none of them can. No special exceptions.

Just my .02

-Mike

I’d like to see the place in the Bible where Jesus said he didn’t want to be around gay people. I would SO like to learn the citation for that…because it doesn’t exist.

I’d like to know how excluding some people – even if they seem to be “sinners” of one sort (not, as David said, of other allowable sorts) – is reaching out to the community or striving to follow Jesus Christ in all things.

I’d like to know why, if other groups on this campus cannot restrict their membership one iota, why this group can. (I can’t open the Chicago Tribune article, have to be registered w/ them.) Seems to me not unreasonable for campus groups to have explicit criteria for membership, & expect that members would meet those criteria…and anyone who felt excluded could appeal to Administration on an individual basis, or certainly could start his/her own group. Why treat these folks with kid gloves?

In preparation for our move to the deep south, my husband and I were setting up appts to look at houses to rent. I rejected one that was in our price range based on the owners comment “well this is a fine christian neighborhood and I want to keep it that way.” Now…for those of you who don’t know me, I am a christian. sometimes I’m fine, and sometimes I’m not…but this man’s comment was a red flag to me. What I heard is “we don’t want no body who aint our own kind livin’ heah.”

In one of those truth is stranger than fiction twists, my husband contacted the same man, and made an appt. to view the house. We fought the urge to turn around and leave when we drove down the street — past rusting washing machines in the front yards and sagging chain link fences. The owner talked exclusively to my husband, completely unaware that I was the one with the credit history and the veto power, until it came to the newest upgrade to the house…just for the little lady, a dishwasher. Which opened into the dining room, for even greater convienience. keeping that guffaw down hurt. Chris and I figured what the heck, skip rinsing the dishes, just let the dog lick ‘em and then pop em in the dishwasher.

anyways, the point of my rambling story is this: its easy to dismiss ignorance when it occurs lower down the socioeconomic ladder. this man and his small ideas and small world didn’t pose any real threat to me; the worst thing that happened was I almost choked on my laughter. but when a professional group does the same thing, that concerns me more. and when they do it in the name of the Lord, that infuriates me.

I however think what they did with this right is despicable.

The college campus may further be within its rights to expel the group, as they have a first amendment right to choose which organizations belong as an official campus group.