IMPRESSIONS

Custom Search

“Daily Discrimination Do's & Don't Involve IVCF!”

Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher

If a student organization is a religious organization, should anyone be the leaders of that organization in the name of having a non-discriminatory policy?

For example, should a practicing atheist be in charge of a Christian student organization?

Should a practicing Christian be in charge of a Hindu student organization?

Should a practicing Muslim be in charge of a Jewish student organization?

If you reaction is, ‘That’s absurd or what kind of questions are these?’, you are right in your assessment!

A reasonable person would think that a university’s non-discriminatory policy used against religious student organizations is discrimination in itself!

This is because a university discriminates a religious organizations religious freedom to choose the leaders it deems fit to lead that organization, specifically leaders that hold to the tenets of that organizations religious faith, when they ban that organization from being recognized by the university.

A non-discriminatory policy itself should have limits otherwise everything and anything would be permissible.

Someone can come along and say that a child predator should not be discriminated from getting a job working with children under 18 because that would be discriminating against that person since we have a non-discriminatory policy.

Again a reasonable person would know that it is absurd to hire a child predator to be in charge of children under 18 because there are laws against that. These laws prevent the non-discriminatory policy to be used because there are exceptions.

The Civil Rights Acts of 1964 allows exceptions. The law makes exceptions for discrimination resulting from a bona fide occupational qualification. Such exception, however is applicable only to discrimination based on religion, sex, or national origin.

A Bona fide occupation qualification (BFOQ) is a qualification that leaders are allowed to consider while making decisions regarding that organizations staffing. The qualification should relate to an essential job duty and is considered necessary for operation of the particular business.

A BFOQ example would be churches requiring members of its pastoral staff to be of a certain denomination and may lawfully bar, from employment, anyone who is not a member.

On the outset, this is discrimination but an exception is made because of BFOQ.

If we use the law and the same reasoning then it would be totally appropriate to discriminate against anyone who does not hold to the tenets and vision of the organization to ensure the organization is run smoothly without compromise.

That said, it would be okay to discriminate against an atheist from running a religious Christian student organization, a Christian from running a religious Hindu student organization, a Muslim from running a religious Jewish organization because of a BFOQ that gives an exception to the non-discriminatory policy as examples.

Sadly, this reasoning may not have reached California State University (CSU) because they have banned InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) chapter of CSU from being recognized as a religious student organization because the leaders refuse to allow non-practicing Christians to be leaders of that organization on the basis of BFOQ.

It is only reasonable to have leaders of IVCF who are practicing Christians who can lead students in an effective Inductive Bible Study because they know the Bible, an effective cross-cultural ministry because they know what the Bible teaches about it, an effective mission conference and other leadership conferences based on biblical teaching and principles because they will know what the Bible teaches on those topics.

How can you expect a non-practicing Christian leader to lead an organization when their own religious beliefs violate the observance, practice, and belief of that organization?

Yet, this is what the CSU administration demanded of the IVCF chapter of CSU to do! When they refused, the CSU decertified them as a student organization based on their non-discriminatory policy.

This is a travesty and injustice to the IVCF chapter of CSU but their discrimination of IVCF could lead to further discrimination of religious organizations because they refuse to adhere to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its exceptions. This is just wrong and needs to be corrected.

CSU should ‘cease and desist’ its policy of discrimination against IVCF-CSU and recertify them as a religious student organization instead of hiding under their non-discrimination policy.

Anyone who believes what the CSU administration has done should stand with me in speaking out against this injustice even if you think this does not affect you because you are a Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Atheist, etc.

Now CSU had targeted the religious Christian student organization but what if another university decides to take their example and target your religious student organization and decertify it?

It could happen so please don’t sit idly and ignore this issue but speak out against it in any way you can, including sharing this article with all you know so this injustice can be corrected.

It is important to take a stand against this injustice that has been done to the IVCF-CSU even though we may not have direct connections or direct involvement of what happened there because it reminds me of what Pastor Martin Niemoller wrote:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Pastor Niemoller understood the dangers of implicit complicity to what was going around him and regretted his own decision to stay silent.

My hope is that you would be a voice for the recertification of IVCF-CSU even though you may not be a practicing Christian because what if it is your student organization that gets discriminated against next?

Reddy’s Rhetoric takes you into the world of discrimination where a religious student organization is discriminated against because of the universities own non-discrimination policy and asks you to take a stand against this discrimination. He can be reached at reddy4HisGlory2004@yahoo.com

Reddy's Right Rhetoric:

“Obamacare Outlaws Freedom From Choosing Carefully Insuring Individuals!” By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 04, 14, 2:43 p.m.)

"Holder's Hot Pursuit Portrays Reverse Racism Zoning!" By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 17, 2013, 2:43 pm)

"Student Suspended Suppressing Professor's Project!" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 23, 13, 4:28 p.m.)

“Resisting Romney's Religion Reelects Obama Ominously!” By Ramesh C. Reddy (Oct 27, 12, 11:15 a.m.)

"Commandments Controversy is so commie and  not constitutional!" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sept 09, 12, 1:23 p.m.)

"Connellsville Covers The Ten Commandments Showing School's Surrendering Spirit!” By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sept 08, 12, 1:33 p.m.)

“Always Appreciating And Positively Promoting ChickFil-A Company's Christ Centered Message Makes Followers Failures???” By Ramesh C. Reddy (August 06, 12, 11:32 a.m.)

“Bible Believing Christians Cannot Support Same-Sex Marriage Message Expressing Equality!”  By Ramesh C. Reddy (August 02, 12, 10:59 p.m.)

"Mayor Menino's Menacing Comments Claim Chick-Fil-A's Cathy Corrupted!” By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 27, 12, 3:17 p.m.)

"Chick fil-A's Christian Roots Render People's Persecutions!" (March 05, 11, 8:23 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Rebuttal to Sandeep Thomas' Letter to the Editor:
“Obama Overtly Utilizing U.S. Constitution Crumbles Comparatively Concerning Christ's Commands!” By Ramesh C. Reddy (July 19, 2012, 12:43 p.m.)

“Obama Offered Evangelical Entitlement Wrongly With Birdsall’s Blessing!” By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 25, 12, 10:02 a.m.)

"Rainbow's Registered Trademark Trampled Promoting PrideFest’s Parade Promiscuously!” By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 14, 12, 11:51 a.m.)

“Purge PPACA's Baby Body Deaths Outlawing Obama's Order!” By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 29, 12, 7:19 p.m.)

“Bible Believing Organizations Opposing Obama, Ok!"” By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 23, 12, 11:45 a.m.)

“Obama's Opinion Of Marriage Menaces Candidly Character!”  (May 14, 12, 3:54 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy