Is God a Republican? Democracy at Liberty University

May 28, 6:49 PMPortland Humanist ExaminerMicha J. Stone

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Liberty University

Liberty has been expelled from Liberty University, or at least the liberty of students belonging to Liberty's Young Democrats club. Last week, Liberty University, the evangelical college founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, made the national news by revoking approval for the campus Democratic organization.

In addition to emphasizing how the students are not allowed to organize anymore, Chancellor Falwell stated that the group's affiliation with the Democratic National Committee is one of the main reasons the student organization was revoked.

Adding insult to injury, Chancellor Falwell asked students to apologize for alerting the media to their fate. The irony is rich, after all the national outrage at Liberty's actions, officials are now demanding that students apologize to them.

Liberty's Young Democrats club,  the first in school history, was formed during last fall's election season, and was given an award for "Up and Coming Chapter of the Year" by the Virginia Young Democrats in April.

The sub text is that conservative evangelicals worry about losing young Christians to the Democratic Party. Young Christians find their values corresponding to Democratic, rather than Republican, values. In other words, students at Liberty University believe in caring for the environment, helping their neighbor, and ensuring that everyone is provided with health care. These are all causes championed by the Democratic Party.

This sort of fascist tactic, prohibiting a main stream political party on a college campus, is simply obnoxious. The behavior is at once both unenlightened and un-American. Indeed, Liberty University brings shame and ill repute upon itself, abandoning and desecrating the university's very namesake - "liberty".