I am a Christian. In the free United States of America, that fact should not in any way require that I be put down, or have my beliefs corrected.
A college should be a place of education, and by that I mean an institution where students are presented with factual information and all sides of the information concerning controversial issues. Not a place presenting the anti-Christian side as inherently correct.
It should not be the job of a public college to dictate what beliefs or views students should hold.This is the United States of America and I should be able to hold any beliefs I want.This is a well known fact professors are quick to point out for the purpose of defending all those who are not Christian such as gays, atheists, Muslims, etcetera.
I fully believe all of the aforementioned groups are entitled to their beliefs, but so are we Christians. For example, homosexuality, a very hot topic and when college professors speak on it they invariably defend it as correct and no Christian student could stand up and disagree with the teacher for fear of being put down.
Christians are expected to be shown how their views on gay marriage are unfounded. Would teachers say this to Muslims who also consider gay marriage a sin? Or would a science instructor speaking on evolution call the Qur’an’s account of creation a fairy tale? Absolutely not! This would not be politically correct but bashing Christians and their Bible is. They have the same creation story people!
In fact, most teachers assume that there are no Christians in their class or on campus period. Proof of this is when my brother once attended a presentation here at Yuba College that dealt with the Genesis account of Adam and Eve. The audience was literally asked if any of them actually believed the story of the Bible. Yeah, that’s not putting any pressure on young people in a controlled setting!
I’m not saying Christian views should be presented as correct (even though they are) but they should be presented with just as much respect as any other view. However they are not and all this makes it very hard for Christian students to cope with the college environment they are in. They either have to discard their beliefs, keep their mouth shut, or risk being put down by teachers for expressing their beliefs.
In a free country and a place of learning, Christians should be allowed to say “I’m a Christian”. This should not prompt negative results from anyone, save other students who have a bone to pick with Christianity. Bring em on! A crusader is always ready to do battle for the Lord!
Christians are not, as I have alluded to before, the only religion on campus. What about the others? I do not in anyway have a problem with people of other religions such as Sikhs and Muslims; as long as we can all agree there is one God who’s in charge I’m good. That is not to say I don’t believe my own faith is the right one but I simply have no quarrel with religious people in this skeptical age. It’s the nonbelievers that offend me and to them I only say, I stand ready with my sword in hand to dispatch their vile forms should they choose to challenge my God! That’s a joke by the way, although I do actually own a sword. It’s in my bedroom.
Seriously, to finish off my point, Christianity is a worldview held by millions in the U.S and millions more worldwide.This is not some remote cult and all Christians in an American college like Yuba College should be free to hold and express their views like anybody else.
One teachers did exactly what I’m talking about. Kelly Slattery said from the first day of class that there will be no bashing of Christians in this class. More teachers should follow her example.
Religion is, and probably will always be, a touchy subject. But it has always been a part of human life and still is for billions of people throughout the world. Unless college heads intend to amend the constitution and prohibit religious freedom they should back off! Christians exist, and we’re not going anywhere. We are students at this college like all the rest and we are here to get our official education and move on; not to be converted to secularism. So leave us alone and we’ll leave you alone. May God Bless you all.
This article was featured in the Prospector Winter 2011 Print Edition.
Comment Policy: Comments are welcomed and encouraged. However, the editorial board reserves the right to edit or delete, without notice, any comments submitted to the blog. For more details, see our full Comment Policy.