Almost all of Christ's teachings can be summed up in one simple phrase. Love thy neighbor as thyself.
Recently, it seems as if that tenant has been pushed back for an archaic rule from the third book of the Bible, Leviticus. Laws and punishments laid down in the text include not being able to shave or cut your hair, wear clothing made of multiple fabrics, and barring the blind from worshipping at an altar.
Yet, one of the numerous laws laid down seems to have stood the test of time, and is still getting people bent out of shape – in particular, the one that sentences gays to death.
Hardly a warm and fuzzy sentiment for any group that wants to be accepting.
This exact dilemma is what faced the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship at UB, when it discovered that its club treasurer, sophomore history and French major Steven Jackson, was gay.
Jackson was pressured by IVCF staff and executive board members to resign after he became at odds with the group's "basis of faith," a statement that affirms particular Christian beliefs, which is required, by the club's constitution, to be signed by all of its executive board members.
IVCF wants to make it seem like it was an entirely mutual decision, but Jackson says he felt pressured to resign. They made his time uncomfortable enough to make him want to leave.
Normally this wouldn't be an issue, other than the fact that it's deplorable to discriminate against people based on sexual orientation. A big problem arises when you factor in a Supreme Court ruling, Christian Legal Society v. Martinez that doesn't allow clubs that receive public money to bar students from participating because of his or her status or beliefs.
While the opponents contend that he isn't being barred from participating in the club, it's quite clear that by pressuring him and all but forcing him to resign that they're barring Jackson from participating fully in the club.
It boils down to a simple problem. Our Student Activity fee is being spent on a group that actively discriminates against people who don't follow its beliefs exactly to the letter.
The flimsy defense IVCF has offered is that they didn't pressure Jackson to resign because he's gay, but because he disagrees with the Bible's assertion that homosexuality is a sin.
Being gay, however, does most likely mean that you disagree with the fact that it is immoral and wrong. The essence of the Christian Legal Society ruling isn't that the club can't discriminate against gays, but that it can't bar inclusion based on homosexual behavior as well.
Many may be wondering how Jackson became treasurer of IVCF in the first place, if his views clashed with the leadership enough to get him to resign. He came out after being elected, but that really doesn't matter. It's forcing the executive board to sign a statement that affirms a particular belief that is at odds.
Some have commented on The Spectrum website that this is just an instance of us blowing things out of proportion, that we're making a story out of nothing. To us, however, taking our money and giving it to a group that discriminates and may be doing so illegally is most certainly worth noting.
We are not calling all Christians hate-mongers. We are calling those that tell gays that they're committing an evil by falling in love with and being attracted to men from birth unreasonable.
IVCF must remove its "basis of faith" requirement. If not, then it should not be funded by our money.
