University Is Accused of Bias Against Christian Schools

New York Times ^ | November 20, 2005 | CAROLYN MARSHALL

[nickcarraway]

Cody Young is an evangelical Christian who attends a religious high school in Southern California. With stellar grades, competitive test scores and an impressive list of extracurricular activities, Mr. Young has mapped a future that includes studying engineering at the University of California and a career in the aerospace industry, his lawyers have said.

But Mr. Young, his teachers and his family fear his beliefs may hurt his chance to attend the university. They say the public university system, which has 10 campuses, discriminates against students from evangelical Christian schools, especially faith-based ones like Calvary Chapel Christian School in Murrieta, where Mr. Young is a senior.

Mr. Young, five other Calvary students, the school and the Association of Christian Schools International, which represents 4,000 religious schools, sued the University of California in the summer, accusing it of "viewpoint discrimination" and unfair admission standards that violate the free speech and religious rights of evangelical Christians.

The suit, scheduled for a hearing on Dec. 12 in Federal District Court in Los Angeles, says many of Calvary's best students are at a disadvantage when they apply to the university because admissions officials have refused to certify several of the school's courses on literature, history, social studies and science that use curriculums and textbooks with a Christian viewpoint.

The lawyer for the school, Robert Tyler, said reviewing and approving the course content was an intrusion into private education that amounted to government censorship. "They are trying to secularize private Christian schools," Mr. Tyler said. "They have taken God out of public schools. Now they want to do it at Christian schools."

A lawyer for the university, Christopher M. Patti, called the suit baseless. Acknowledging the university does not accept some courses,

[dsc]

"It's not bigotry to note that you advocated spilling blood to correct perceived anti-religious bias by universities."

It is lying in the service of bigotry.

"If you had not, you would have pointed out how you had been misinterpreted"

I did. You might want to consider the possibility that you're not bright enough to understand what was written.

It's also worth noting that you jumped on your twisted interpretation like a starving rat on the carcass of a dead dog. You made no attempt to determine whether you had interpreted my remarks correctly; you just vaulted onto your hobby horse and rode hell-for-leather for bigotville.

"There is no other reasonable construction of your remarks."

The only reasonable construction of my remarks is that, if America gets so far down the road to tyranny that no other course is possible, responsible citizens will take measures to restore freedom.

Your interpretation is neither reasonable nor supportable by what was written. It is a tendentious and hysterical attempt to discredit by straining for the most extreme and dishonest interpretation possible.

"Using passive constructions "the willingness to use Second Amendment rights" only means"

Only means what I have written above, and no slur you can fling will change that.

[Right Wing Professor]

The only reasonable construction of my remarks is that, if America gets so far down the road to tyranny that no other course is possible, responsible citizens will take measures to restore freedom.

Your original post Yes, and much of academia is striving to make belief in God one of those things. This is evil, and must be stopped, even if it require that we water the roots of the tree of liberty.

I don't see in your post any qualification, actual or implied, specifying "if America gets so far down the road to tyranny that no other course is possible". Then, later, you called me a traitor, and said your post was an "assertion of the moral right and the willingness to use Second Amendment rights to protect First Amendment rights from traitors.". Now, how is the right to keep and bear arms to be used, except by violence or the threat of violence? And where did you qualify your threat?

[after dark]

"Where? In other coutnries? Oh wait, in most other countries there is no anti-evolution movement. No wonder a large fraction of industrial research is being outsourced to India and China."

What a pant load! The bottom line in outsourcing is greed. China has made huge leaps by way of piracy and espionage. Fear is not conducive to progress. The chicoms rule by fear guaranteeing they will be a scientific outhouse not a scientific power house.

India has great potential ,but because of the caste system, most of it will be unrealized.

What is hampering our progress is the public school system. We should run our schools on the same model the English use.
The Christian schools are a threat, because they educate people the public schools never will educate.

[dsc]

"I don't see in your post any qualification, actual or implied, specifying "if America gets so far down the road to tyranny that no other course is possible".

Reasonable people don't require such disclaimers, or insist on whacked-out distortions of a person's views if they don't get one.

Only people who care more for their agenda than for intellectual honesty do that.

[after dark]

"Theu don't teach creationist BS in Catholic schools. As a matter of fact, Bob Jones University, the publisher of one of the texts under dispute here, has historically been a major source of anti-Catholic bigotry."

No but Catholic parochial schools teach children that God is their creator. No amount of white washing by Catholic intellectuals will change this.

Catholics who value their parochial schools had better not turn a blind eye to how the evangelicals are being treated. The liberal swine have made their anger at the catholic church clear on the subjects of population control and abortion. It is only a matter of time before parochial students are subjected to discrimination also.

[dsc]

"No but Catholic parochial schools teach children that God is their creator. No amount of white washing by Catholic intellectuals will change this."

Eh? Who has been trying to whitewash that?

"Catholics who value their parochial schools had better not turn a blind eye to how the evangelicals are being treated."

I think conservative Protestants and conservative Catholics have more in common than either has with liberals of any stripe.

[Right Wing Professor]

Debating whether the outsourcing of America's research base might happen is way too late: it's already happening. The lack of standards in our school systems, public and private, is part of the problem; but if you think private schools are performing any better in producing research-caliber science students, you're wrong. I see science students from both public and private schools, and the private schools are no more distinguished. And when it comes to students admitted to grad. school, most Christian colleges do a terrible job; they simply don't teach chemistry at a high enough level. The problem is not the students themselves; once we've given them remedial courses they do just fine. I think it's mostly that these colleges have small staffs and have faculty covering many areas of chemistry, so they don't really have the expertise needed to teach advanced courses.

[khnyny]

"Theu don't teach creationist BS in Catholic schools. As a matter of fact, Bob Jones University, the publisher of one of the texts under dispute here, has historically been a major source of anti-Catholic bigotry."

Out of my entire post, this is how you choose to respond - to the last line? It is so kind of you to point out the alleged bigotry of Bob Jones University, by the way. Boys and girls the word for today is "bigotry". Now, let's all look to the screen and learn allll about it...there's lots to go around. Seriously, pointing out how Bob Jones, et al hates Catholics seems rather non-productive to the discussion. Not that you're trying to fan the flames or anything....

[P-Marlowe]

That is a good point. It is clear that the UC system has fired its first salvo by refusing to recognize the academic achievments of students because their children were sent to schools which do not conform to the PC standards set up by the liberal elite. It is not merely the biology courses that the UC system is attacking here, but history and other subjects. If they succeed in changing the evangelical schools, then they will not stop there. This beast will not be satisfied until it has eliminated any consideration of students with religious biases or principles.

[Walkingfeather]

can we file rico act against conspirisy to discriminate?

[Right Wing Professor]

Reasonable people don't require such disclaimers, or insist on whacked-out distortions of a person's views if they don't get one.

Reasonable people, when they see statements that identify academia as an evil that needs to be cured with the spilling of blood, know they have a nutjob on their hands, and it's only a question whether it's a dangerous nutjob or a blowhard nutjob. Fortunately for us all, it appears you are the latter.

[after dark]

You really need to spend some time in the public schools you value so much.

You would find that most of them are not good places to get an education much less a scientific one.

The public schools are chaotic and scary. Most kids are not being taught the basics.

Those large staffs are clueless when it comes to keeping children away from drugs.

[js1138]

"The people who have prepared this book have tried consistently to put the Word of God first and science second."

[Right Wing Professor]

Out of my entire post, this is how you choose to respond - to the last line?

You said Catholic schools produce fine students. That was irrelevant to the point at issue; Catholic schools don't teach creationism. Catholic schools don't have any problem getting their courses accredited. I went to Catholic school. In biology calls, we learned about evolution, not Genesis.

It is so kind of you to point out the alleged bigotry of Bob Jones University, by the way.

The President seems to think it's more than alleged. Perhaps it was Bob Jones' description of the Catholic Church as a 'satanic cult' that might have persuaded him.

[Right Wing Professor]

You really need to spend some time in the public schools you value so much. You would find that most of them are not good places to get an education much less a scientific one. The public schools are chaotic and scary. Most kids are not being taught the basics. Those large staffs are clueless when it comes to keeping children away from drugs.

I have two kids already graduated from Lincoln Public Schools, and one currently enrolled. They all got or are getting fine educations; the oldest, while still in school, completed high-school math through AP Calculus and went on to earn an A+ in Calc. III at the local university. She's now in grad. school in Physics/Astronomy. None of my kids smoke, none even drink alcohol.

Your generalizations about public schools are unjustified. No doubt some suck. Not all do.

[after dark]

"I think conservative Protestants and conservative Catholics have more in common than either has with liberals of any stripe."


So do I.

[Walkingfeather]

THE UC system is going to get nailed on this. They accepted other religious schools and I am sure they have accepted, goy literature courses. I think it can be established that there is a distinct pattern of discrimination. I would be filing federal law suits like crazy. If the UC's as a institution discriminated they are toast, not just financially but then Christians can and should by precident of afirmitive action should demand that a quota of Christian students AND FACULTY should be present on campus. HA wouldnt that be funny.

[Lloyd227]

"Tyranny of Liberal Academia" ping

[after dark]

Good for you.

It's nice when something good and free comes your way ,but all to often the public schools are a nightmare .Many people have no choice but remove their children from public schools. The only affordable private schools are the church schools.

[irons_player]

>>Mr. Young has mapped a future that includes studying engineering at the University of California and a career in the aerospace industry<<

I hope Mr. Young has relocatable Asian/Near Eastern features and speaking skills because the ROI in any engineering discipline will be disappointing at best for the foreseeable future.