Monday, March 5, 2007

Wow!

I mean... just, wow!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

You can't really get a handle on what the students were doing from the complaint. I don't think the school's action is that outlandish, if, say, these guys were standing in the quad and shouting "Sodomite" at every passer-by. Clearly, there is some level of evangelism that is inconsistent with (or at least inappropriate for) college life. For example, I would consider it unacceptable for an athiest group to congregate outside of the campus chapel and insult their beliefs, assuming that the insults reached a sufficeint level of offensiveness.

Emmett M. Hogan said...

You hate freedom. And Jesus!

Emmett M. Hogan said...

True, Jake, perhaps I should have said "wow, if true." But I know how these campus admin types react to evangelical students. All too often, it's with hysteria and the hammer.

The proper outcome in the harassment case will, as you say, depend on what is actually alleged. So far, there's nothing close to actual harassment in any factual account; if anything, there's a lot of vitriolic bias against them by certain campus elements.

More strikingly, however: it's simply ridiculous to call the footwashing ritual "hazing." Even considering for the weeklong "Process of Purity" ritual (which apparently isn't even mandatory), this is loony logic. Weighed against the rights to free exercise of religion and free expression, this accusation cannot stand, even if the campus policy were poorly worded enough to cover it.

Unknown said...

I can see how the foot washing can fit in a cognizable definition of hazing (albeit at its outermost boundary): footwashing is an activity likely to make people uncomfortable, though not required, the atmosphere of participation and initiation works a coercive influence on new initiates, and thus they feel forced to engage in activity that may be uncomfortable or unpleasant. Granted, this is too broad of a definition, but it's not lunatic.