Faith, fundamentalism and the fight for students' souls
Accused of bigotry and intolerance, some Christians are threatening legal action to challenge restrictions on their activities
THEY are the earnest-looking, clean-living young men and women who hand out leaflets asking “Do you know God loves you?” and hold prayer meetings while other students are busy watching the boat club captain strip naked after ten pints in the college bar.
But after 83 years of prayer breakfasts, Bible study groups and freshers week stalls, the future of the Christian union on university campuses is under unprecedented threat from students who claim that the societies are homophobic and exclusive.
At a time when Islamic militants are accused of recruiting activists at universities across Britain, at least four Christian unions are threatening legal action against their university student unions after being banned or denied access to facilities.
One has been threatened with pickets and its members told that they are “gutter-crawling scum”; another has been accused of “callous and inhumane attitudes” after one of its members prayed for the souls of homosexuals at a prayer meeting.
More from The Times.
Students sue over Christian rights at colleges
CHRISTIANS on campuses across Britain are preparing to take legal action against university authorities, accusing them of driving their religious beliefs underground, The Times has learnt.
Christian unions claim that they are being singled out as a “soft target” by student associations because they refuse to allow non-Christians to address their meetings or sit on ruling committees.
The dispute follows the associations’ decisions at four universities to ban the unions from official lists of societies or deny them access to facilities or privileges. Christian unions at Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Birmingham universities are all taking legal advice after being accused of excluding non-Christians, promoting homophobia and even discriminating against those of transgender sexuality.
More from The Times.
Religion on Campus
Special feature from The Times.
THEY are the earnest-looking, clean-living young men and women who hand out leaflets asking “Do you know God loves you?” and hold prayer meetings while other students are busy watching the boat club captain strip naked after ten pints in the college bar.
But after 83 years of prayer breakfasts, Bible study groups and freshers week stalls, the future of the Christian union on university campuses is under unprecedented threat from students who claim that the societies are homophobic and exclusive.
At a time when Islamic militants are accused of recruiting activists at universities across Britain, at least four Christian unions are threatening legal action against their university student unions after being banned or denied access to facilities.
One has been threatened with pickets and its members told that they are “gutter-crawling scum”; another has been accused of “callous and inhumane attitudes” after one of its members prayed for the souls of homosexuals at a prayer meeting.
More from The Times.
Students sue over Christian rights at colleges
CHRISTIANS on campuses across Britain are preparing to take legal action against university authorities, accusing them of driving their religious beliefs underground, The Times has learnt.
Christian unions claim that they are being singled out as a “soft target” by student associations because they refuse to allow non-Christians to address their meetings or sit on ruling committees.
The dispute follows the associations’ decisions at four universities to ban the unions from official lists of societies or deny them access to facilities or privileges. Christian unions at Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Birmingham universities are all taking legal advice after being accused of excluding non-Christians, promoting homophobia and even discriminating against those of transgender sexuality.
More from The Times.
Religion on Campus
Special feature from The Times.
posted by WESLEY at 16:51
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