{"id":9231,"date":"2015-08-31T20:46:06","date_gmt":"2015-09-01T01:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/frenchrevolution\/?p=9231"},"modified":"2015-08-31T20:46:23","modified_gmt":"2015-09-01T01:46:23","slug":"duke-freshmen-assigned-graphic-sexual-novels-heres-why-one-student-refused-to-read-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/frenchrevolution\/2015\/08\/31\/duke-freshmen-assigned-graphic-sexual-novels-heres-why-one-student-refused-to-read-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Duke Freshmen Assigned Graphic Sexual Novels – Here’s Why One Student Refused To Read It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
\"fun-home-4\"<\/div>\n
As a UK fan, I\u2019ll take any opportunity to criticize Duke\u2026 \u00a0and the university has given us a good reason to shake our heads.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
A Duke incoming freshman, Brian Grasso, was given\u00a0a graphic novel assignment for incoming freshman which included \u201ccartoon drawings of a woman masturbating and multiple women\u00a0engaging in oral sex<\/a>.\u201d \u00a0He refused to read it, saying it violated his faith.\u00a0 He was subsequently mocked in the media and online for his stance. But this brave freshman had the last and best word.\u00a0 Showing true tolerance he wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Post<\/a>, he wrote:<\/div>\n

My choice\u00a0had nothing to do with the ideas presented. I\u2019m not opposed to reading memoirs written by LGBTQ individuals or stories containing suicide. I\u2019m not even opposed to reading Freud, Marx or Darwin. I know that I\u2019ll have to grapple with ideas I don\u2019t agree with, even ideas that I find immoral.<\/p>\n

But in\u00a0the Bible,\u00a0Jesus forbids his followers from exposing themselves to anything pornographic. \u201cBut I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart,\u201d he says in\u00a0Matthew 5:28-29. \u201cIf your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.\u201d This theme is reiterated by Paul who warns, \u201cflee from sexual immorality.\u201d [\u2026]<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t believe my position will limit my exposure to\u00a0essential lessons in history, philosophy or literature.\u00a0I assume that having to view graphic images of sex for a class will be rare. If it does happen, I will avoid any titillating content and encourage like-minded students to do the same. And I believe professors should\u00a0warn me about such material, not because I might consider them offensive or\u00a0discomforting, but because I consider it immoral.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Showing who is truly arguing for open-mindedness, he wrote:<\/p>\n

I recognize, of course, that\u00a0Christians on campus and throughout the country have an important responsibility, too. We need to learn how to dialogue across differences. Over the past couple of days, I have received many encouraging messages from a new friend, who considers herself bisexual and a Buddhist<\/a>. She and I became friends after she saw my Facebook post. Instead of criticizing me, she asked me to explain my beliefs. I, in turn, asked her to explain the Buddhist perspective on sexuality. This is how diversity is supposed to work. We each shared our perspective, and walked away from the conversation with a deeper understanding and compassion for each other.\u00a0That<\/em>\u00a0is what college is really about.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here\u2019s the thing, Duke. \u00a0When was the last time you assigned a significant conservative book? \u00a0One that espoused the wisdom of traditional morality?<\/p>\n

Crickets.<\/p>\n

Chirping.<\/p>\n

I understand that students will\u00a0be exposed to things that make them\u00a0feel uncomfortable. \u00a0But for students at most universities, the discomfort only\u00a0runs one way.<\/p>\n

Read more on the\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Patheos Faith and Family Channel<\/a>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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