Officials at a Christian university
have cited gay rights in their decision to ban a campus Democratic
club, reports The News & Advance.
Liberty University, the Christian
school founded by televangelist and Moral Majority co-founder Rev.
Jerry Falwell, says it has revoked its recognition of the campus
Democratic Party club because of the Party's views on social issues,
including gay and lesbian rights.
“[W]e are unable to lend support to a
club whose parent organization stands against the moral principles
held by [Liberty University],” an email received by club leaders
says. “The Democratic Party platform is contrary to the mission of
Liberty University and to Christian doctrine.”
Officials specifically object to the
Party's support for “abortion, federal funding of abortion,
advocates repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, promotes the
'LGBT' agenda, hate crimes, which include sexual orientation and
gender identity, socialism” as inconsistent with school values.
Liberty University was founded in 1971
as Liberty Baptist College and has grown to become the world's
largest evangelical university with more than 14,000 undergraduates.
The Democratic club formed last year
with about 30 members and supported Barack Obama's candidacy.
Sunday, University President Jerry
Falwell Jr. struck a kinder note on the subject.
“There is absolutely no animosity at
all towards any of these kids,” Falwell said. “They are good
Christian kids who sit with me at ball games. I just hope they find
a pro-life family organization to affiliate with so they can be
endorsed by Liberty again.”
Falwell said the university would not
recognize the club or its activities.