The U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that college Christian clubs at California state universities must allow every known detractor of the faith to join, or lose funding.
Other court decisions have forced atheists and homosexualists into leadership positions in such Christian organizations on campuses across the nation.
For background, read Supreme Court Ends Christian Witness on Campus - Christian College Clubs Must Accept Atheists and also read Stripping Freedom of Religion from Vanderbilt as well as Buffalo Univ. Favors Gays, Suspends Christian Organization in addition to NC Univ. Rules Student Club Not Christian Enough
UPDATE 6/16/14: Intolerance of Christian Clubs Now Rampant on College Campuses
-- From "SCOTUS: CSU groups cannot discriminate" by UPI 3/19/12
Monday's ruling was a rebuff to the Alpha Delta Chi sorority and Alpha Gamma Omega fraternity, Christian organizations at Cal State, San Diego, that had sought to challenge a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that official student organizations within the university system could not receive funding unless they have a valid non-discriminatory policy of accepting all students. The decision allows a 9th Circuit Court ruling upholding the university policy, to stand, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday.
The CSU system denies official recognition and funding to student organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, national origin and sexual orientation. The university's objective is to "remove access barriers imposed against groups that have historically been excluded," rather than suppress free speech, said Judge Harry Pregerson in the appeals court's 3-0 ruling in August.
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From "Supreme Court denies campus groups' appeal" by Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle staff writer 3/20/12
The Christian groups at San Diego State argued that the policy itself was discriminatory for two reasons: The ban on gender-based admissions doesn't apply to sororities and fraternities, and secular organizations are allowed to make viewpoint-based distinctions - an immigrants'-rights group, for example, can exclude opponents of immigrants' rights and still receive funding.
"The university did not tell the Democratic club it must be led by a Republican, or the vegetarian club it must be led by a meat-eater, but it did tell Christian groups that they must allow themselves to be led by atheists," David Cortman of the Alliance Defense Fund, a lawyer for the religious groups, said Monday.
As a result of the court ruling, he said, "the supposed marketplace of ideas at San Diego State University will remain a stronghold for censorship."
The San Diego State policy was challenged by the Alpha Delta Chi sorority and Alpha Gamma Omega fraternity, both of which require their members to be Christians. The Supreme Court's rebuff Monday left intact a ruling last August by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco that upheld the university policy.
The Supreme Court case is Alpha Delta Chi vs. Reed, 11-744.
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From "Supreme Court’s Refusal of Case May Facilitate Discrimination Against Christian Group" by Dave Bohon, The New American 3/23/12
In 2005 Alpha Delta Chi, a Christian sorority at the school, and Alpha Gamma Omega-Epsilon, a Christian fraternity, challenged the university’s “non-discrimination” policy requiring that in order to receive campus recognition and funding, Christian student groups could not require members to sign a statement of faith — a rule the groups contend opens the door for individuals with non-Christian views to hold leadership positions.
The result of that far-reaching verdict is that established Christian groups like InterVarsity or Campus Crusade for Christ, which rely on strong Christian leadership for their gospel mission, “now run the risk of being kicked off campus if they say that only Christian students may hold leadership positions,” wrote [Christian commentator Chuck] Colson. He challenged that such a policy “makes no sense. It’s like forcing campus atheists to make Billy Graham their president! Of course we would welcome nonbelievers to hear the gospel, but they can’t run our groups!”
Colson noted a handful of prominent cases in which the High Court’s ruling has emboldened university officials to target Christian groups at their schools. Ironically, those cases are all concentrated in the nation’s “Bible belt.” For example, Nashville’s Vanderbilt University now boasts a policy that bans Christian groups on campus from requiring their student leaders to embrace the group’s core beliefs. “Vanderbilt’s Intervarsity Graduate Christian Fellowship is in the thick of the battle there,” Colson noted.
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From "Supreme Court Rejects Christian Clubs' Appeal on School's Nondiscrimination Policy" by Eryn Sun, Christian Post Reporter 3/20/12
If groups refused to adopt the university's policy, they would not be eligible for things like student funding, posting signs on campus, reserving office and meeting spaces, using the school name or mascot, and promoting themselves on the university's website.
Both the Alpha Gamma Omega fraternity and Alpha Delta Chi sorority have struggled to make ends meet by refusing to adopt the policy, which they believe is unconstitutional.
"There is no 'subsidy' to religious groups when every student group shares in the same system of benefits set up by the school," [ADF's David Cortman] said. "It is more accurately an 'equal access' principle."
Universities are in many ways a microcosm of society, Cortman further noted. For him, the subsidy argument would be similar to claiming that religious organizations or churches are "free to exist" but cannot use a municipality's water and sewer system, be protected by the police or fire department, or even use public roads for transportation – even though all other organizations are allowed to do so.
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Click headlines below to read more previous articles:
NC Students Forced to Pay for Abortion with Insurance
Michigan Grad Student Dismissed for Christian Beliefs
Reject Christ, Says University to Grad Student
Fed. Judge OKs Christians Expelled over Morals
MSU Prof Required Students to Sign Petition Supporting 'Gay' Adoptions
University Won't Hire Christians as Scientists
Christian Fired for 'Hate Speech' by University of Illinois
Supreme Court Ends Christian Witness on Campus
'Christian' College Sex Orientation for Freshmen
'Gender-neutral' Dorm Roommates Latest Trend
Duke Scandal Showcases Sexualized Students
Biblical Preaching is Hate Speech Says MN State Professor
Christian Denounces University Homosexual Leader
Homosexual College Presidents Strategize Gay Agenda
