Court: Christian group can't bar gays, get funding (Christian Legal Society v. Martinez)

AP ^ | 06/28/2010 | Staff

[CatoRenasci]

Not to mention all the Aryan Brotherhood types joining the black student union....

On balance, I think this ruling is absurd, but useful.

[Daveinyork]

He who pays the piper, calls the tune.

[a fool in paradise]

Liberal groups that keep out conservatives?

There is no protection against discrimination on the basis of political belief in our refit Constitution.

The only protected belief systems are sexual and religious. And by protected sexual beliefs systems, I mean pro-homosexuality. If your sexual and religious belief systems sees homosexuality as a mental disorder and a sin morally, your view is not protected.

[apillar]

Court: Christian group can't bar gays, get funding (Christian Legal Society v. Martinez)

Strange ruling, so essentially they are saying that all groups have to be open to anybody to receive funding. So the Black Student Union couldn't turn away members of Klan. The College Republicans couldn't turn away Communists and vice versa. It seems to open the door to a lot of shenanigans, if a group opposed to a groups ideology decides to "take over" that group. Of course an easy way around it is to simply not apply for Government funding.

[muawiyah]

The Islamic groups that accept university funding cannot keep out Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus...... etc.

Technical speaking use of a meeting room is "funding" so you could do a lot of mischief.

Problem for the Moslem groups is that if any of them admit a homosexual to membership they will all have to kill each other for being hypocrites.

The Jewish groups could demand circumcision anyway ~ but they've probably got their own homosexual crowd.

[Blogger]

Same way they go after that status when certain speech takes place. In Kaganroo court, it will be all the worse.

[a fool in paradise]

Next I expect them to be told that they cannot mention “Jesus Christ” at their meetings.

[Redcloak]

Well... If you want funds from Caesar, then Caesar’s rules apply. This isn’t a violation of any Christian’s rights.

[Lurker]

Of course an easy way around it is to simply not apply for Government funding.

Bingo.

[Hulka]

“This ruling can be used to defund the radical Muslim Student Associations across the United States.”

Whick you know will NEVER happen. . . .

[a fool in paradise]

The Saudis could be expected to make up any contributions that the universities might drop when it comes to funding the muslim brotherhood groups on campuses.

[OldDeckHand]

"Of course an easy way around it is to simply not apply for Government funding. "

First, the answer to all your hypotheticals is "yes". Second, and this is what is a little misleading about this particular case, the Christian group didn't really receive public "funding". They were, like any recognized group on campus, assigned a building and room in which to meet. That, say the justices, constitutes "public funding"; access to public property.

I haven't read the decision in it's entirety yet (I'm barely a 1/4 of the way through MacDonald), but I'm interested especially in Alito's lengthy dissent. I'm worried what this might do to the Boy Scouts of America, who receive no public funding but are allowed to use public property.

[Persevero]

I think this was a bad decision. I think Christians should do two things.

1. Join the gay group, the womyns terrorism group, etc., and participate. Join in large enough numbers to sway elections. Get to be president, co-chair, etc. Then change their platforms. Or vote to dissolve. Or something. Two can play at this game.

2. Continue to keep the Christian Legal Society as a private organization. Pin flyers about meetings to your shirts if you can’t use the bulletin board. Continue to operate at the school without the school’s support or approval.

[OldDeckHand]

"Bingo."

Be careful. See my post just above. The "public funding" in this particular case was the use of a school classroom. The group received ZERO public funds; Not a dime.

[muawiyah]

Still, use of rooms for meetings is necessarily part of the package ~ it’s just not always thought of by the whingdings out to hurt other groups.

[MrB]

I really doubt it.
None of this PC stuff will EVER cut FOR Christians.

[The_Reader_David]

The obvious riposte is for the Christians at the law school to en masse join the LGBT group and elect their own as officers. The reductio ad absurdum of SCOTUS's ruling would not be lost on the law school's board, and even if they may legally deny religious groups recognition. Either they would launch a wholesale persecution of Christian students making the matter a cause célèbre and causing the law school more grief than it's worth, or they would relent and not exercise their new-found legal right to deny Christian groups recognition.

Interestingly I've faced the same sort of issue with regard to membership in the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at the (state) university where I work. We've had to adopt a constitution for the group that allows all students, regardless of religion, to join, but which constitutes a governing board for the group consisting of those members who are Orthodox Christians in good standing with any canonical Orthodox jurisdiction, and requires that officers be among the members of the governing board.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

The simple answer is for Christian groups to simply not take funding from the school, then they can do whatever they want.

[SampleMan]

Then Gay groups can’t ban Christians from joining (in much larger numbers) and voting to disband them or use their funds to fight homosexuality. Right?

[tutstar]

bump that....

I wrote on my fb status the other day,

It’s always time to pray1 The time to act is now or we will lost the freedom to speak!