CSU Christians Should Thank U.S. Supreme Court

John Seiler:

The U.S. Supreme Court did Cal State Christian students a favor by turning down their lawsuit to get school money. This was sparked by Cal State’s “refusal to provide funding and other campus  benefits to student groups that exclude members of other religions,” according to the Chronicle, which continued:

“CSU denies official recognition and funding to student organizations that  discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, national origin and sexual  orientation.

“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.'”

Book of Acts

I suggest that these young Christians re-read the Book of Acts. The Apostles and their followers never applied to Caesar for a grant of the Roman taxpayers’ money.

By losing this case, two good things have happened: First, the kids are going to learn how to organize on their own and raise money voluntarily, not grabbing it from taxpayers.

Second, the Christian youngsters have gotten a good lesson on the way Church-State relations are going to be for them the rest of their lives. Ever since the Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire 1,700 years ago, Christians have debated whether they should work to control governments, which resulted in what was called Christendom — or disdain governments, including those in majority Christian countries.

It’s an old debate with reasonable arguments to both sides. It’s also not pertinent to today’s politics. Likely for the lives of anyone reading this, including the college kids, the U.S. and most other governments are going to be hostile to Christianity. Better get used to it.

The Catholic bishops in America long have received tax money for their hospitals and other charities. But they recently were shocked to learn that President Obama was forcing them, under his ObamaCare scheme, to offer medical insurance that included coverage of contraception and abortions. Did Obama promise he wouldn’t do it? Caesar lied. What about the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion? Caesar isn’t James Madison.

Then there’s Jesus saying, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”

Let Caesar have Cal State and the rest of the anti-Christian college systems, and K-12 school systems as well. Start your own clubs, your own colleges, your own K-12 schools.

Kids, you’re going to have to. So you might as well start now. It will be the only way to survive Caesar’s persecutions.

March 20, 2012