Christian Groups Excluded on Campus. Effect of Radical 'Equality' Policies

The Christian Legal Society at Hastings College of Law brought suit against the school for denying it access to official university recognition.At Hastings, no student may be restricted from participation, voting rights or leadership positions under any circumstances if the group wishes to be officially recognized.  So that means a neo-Nazi may join the Jewish group, practicing homosexuals or atheists may join the Christian group, and pro-lifers may join a pro-abortion group. 

ARLINGTON, VA (Catholic Online) - Recently, the Christian Legal Society at Hastings College of Law brought suit against the school for denying it access to official university recognition, unless it compromises its values.  This case has worked its way up to the Supreme Court, which is sharply split on the case (as of April 19, 2010 testimonies by the justices').

It all began at Hastings College of Law in the University of California, where teaching law has given way to practicing law.  The school gained attention recently for its non-discrimination policy which would jeopardize the mission and values of the Christian Legal Society on campus, if the organization was to be officially recognized. 

According to the Washington Post, when Leo P. Martinez, dean and chancellor of the school, was asked if a Jewish organization would be required to allow a Nazi sympathizer to join, he answered yes.  The Post quoted him saying, "That's a necessary consequence of being nondiscriminatory.we accept students of all stripes."  He went on to explain that no part of the school should be foreclosed to any student.

These types of policies are nothing new, but they have recently undergone a new wave of testing.

At Hastings, no student may be restricted from participation, voting rights or leadership positions under any circumstances if the group wishes to be officially recognized.  So that means a neo-Nazi may join the Jewish group, practicing homosexuals or atheists may join the Christian group, and pro-lifers may join a pro-abortion group. 

The leaders and members of these groups can do nothing to prevent these people from joining, if they want to be officially recognized by the university.  If the campus group chooses to ignore these rules, as ridiculous as they seem, they will be denied the use of the Hastings name and logo, access to a Hastings email address and network, facilities, grants, and university funds.

The Hastings policy is similar to the Congressional bill known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or "gender identity" for non-religious private organizations. 

The most recent version of the bill was introduced by Representative Barney Frank and included protection for "transgendered" individuals amongst those seeking protection.  As an aside: the term "transgender" is an fluid and undefined word that in many contexts includes people who wish they were of another sex and those that delusional believe that they actually are of a sex other than what they physically express (as was the case in the successful 2008 Colorado bill, SB 200).

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When anti-discrimination laws (or school policies) deny the very end they are designed to serve, then we must look with great skepticism as to whether or not they should exist.  Since unnecessarily testing a law seems to be in vogue with gay-rights groups and radical leftists, perhaps groups of alternative "stripes" will join in the fun.
 
I can imagine a hypothetical scenario in which atheists overwhelm a Christian organization with such high enrollment of membership, that their voting ability would stock their leadership council with people who disagree with the groups mission and values.  That new leadership could then proclaim that the "Christian" organization no longer believes in God. 

Likewise, imagine the impact to a student body if white supremacists did the same to a traditionally black fraternity.  After voting themselves into positions of power and leadership, they could change the recorded history of the group to include Nazi affiliation and allegiance. 

Anti-discrimination laws are needed on a limited basis.  Protection in the areas of sex, race or disability discrimination are examples of instances in which necessary discrimination laws should be in place.  Anti-discrimination laws are taken too far when the purpose of their existence could actually undo their sought after end.  When a school's discrimination policy means that the groups opposition could flood their ranks with individuals who are committed to work against their mission, shouldn't these policies be seen as needless, at the very least? 

When it comes to religious groups, it goes beyond needless to unconstitutional.  By allowing a Christian organization to operate with limited help from the university, the school is not therefore adopting a specific religion.  In contrast, if Hastings was to allow the Christian Legal Society to be recognized, they would be allowing the free exercise of religion for all Christian students. 

Unrepentant, active, practicing homosexuals-which is what this whole case is really about-have separated themselves from Christianity since they are denying one of the most fundamental and Biblically based moral principles in all of Scripture.  If they are rebelling against a Christian life, why would the Christian Legal Society be expected to embrace them as voting members, and potentially as leaders?  The school does not seem to use logic in the creation of its discrimination policies.

The Christian Legal Society has fallen victim to the subverted desires of a secularized, liberal university that, in an effort to extinguish discrimination, has discriminated against Christians and other orthodox religions that do not embrace unrepentant sinful behavior. 

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Perhaps, as a means of exposing the counter-intuitive nature of this school policy, the Christian Legal Society should have every member join some of the various opposition groups on campus, elect themselves to leadership positions, and then change all of their missions and appropriate funds to whatever causes they see fit.

I doubt these other groups would see this action as a symbol of freedom and non-discrimination any more than the Christian Legal Society in their present predicament.  If exposed for what it really is-a weak law that defeats its own central purpose-the non-discrimination policy at Hastings College of Law will likely be revised.

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Billy Atwell contributes to Catholic Online and BreakPoint, and is a blogger for The Point. From the perspective of a two-time cancer survivor he encourages those afflicted with pain and struggling with faith. You can find all of his writings at www.billyatwell.blogspot.com

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