I recently watched a documentary on Channel 4 here in the UK called ‘Gods Next Army.’ The subject of the documentary was Patrick Henry College, an evangelical college that teaches six-day creationism and which aims to train its students in skills that will enable them to get jobs in Washington D.C. with a view to re-christianizing America from the top down, despite that old ‘separation of church and State’ thing.
Of the students who attend the Virginia based college started by Michael Farris, some 80% of them are home-schooled in deeply Christian households that have gone to lengths to keep their children away from mainstream society and the differing views that may present. The college is particularly popular with home-schooling parents because it more or less assures that their children will continue to be develop under strict Christian rules and ideologies. If there was a wild side to the college it certainly wasn’t presented to the maker of this film.
Each student has to sign a covenant of faith before when they enroll, as well as a code of conduct that forbids behavior that would be commonplace in non-Christian colleges.
The Patrick Henry College Institutional Mission, Vision, and Distinctives states the mission of Patrick Henry College is to “prepare Christian men and women who will lead our nation and shape our culture with timeless biblical values and fidelity to the spirit of the American founding.” It continues “The Vision of Patrick Henry College is to aid in the transformation of American society by training Christian students to serve God and mankind with a passion for righteousness, justice and mercy, through careers of public service and cultural influence.”
I found the documentary interesting on several levels but mostly I felt bad for the students. Clearly none of them were about to misbehave while the camera was on them, but it didn’t seem like any of them would misbehave in any case. They came across as inexperienced kids who were collectively about as much fun as a wet Thursday afternoon. As they enthusiastically talked about taking back the nation for Jesus I found myself hoping that they would collide at top speed with reality before they started working in government, not so much because I don’t think the world needs another lunatic at the wheel, but because I feel that as well as the college might prepare them for the day to day life of government it does not prepare them for the harsh day to day realities of life. In essence, these home schooled kids would, in my opinion, be ill equipped to make decisions for the masses when they are so woefully inexperienced at life, even for a college kid.
The College opened in September on 2000 and has since that time attracted more than its fair share of press coverage due to its fundamentalist Christian teachings such as six day creationism. It’s founder Michael Farris also founded the Home School Legal Defense Association and Generation Joshua which aims to Generation Joshua, an organisation for Christians between the ages of 11 and 19 who “want to become a force in the civic and political arenas.” The stated goal of Generation Joshua is to “ignite a vision in young people to help America return to her Judeo-Christian foundations.” With fun like that on the agenda, who needs MTV, movies and fashion huh!
To some extent I applaud Farris’s goal of getting young people involved in political issues, though I tend to agree with Reece when he says “I’m all for extending the innocence of childhood as far as possible.” But political issues very much affect young people so maybe encouraging them to take a little more interest in politics isn’t a bad idea at all.
I find myself wondering, though, what the reaction would be if someone started a fundamentalist Islamic college in the United States with the same goals as Patrick Henry College. Imagine a College not far from Washington D.C. that was training young men and women in fundamentalist Islam with the specific intention that they “aid in the transformation of American society by training Muslim students to serve Allah and mankind with a passion for righteousness, justice and mercy, through careers of public service and cultural influence.” Surely in today’s society under threat from Islamic extremists such a college would that be considered a threat to national security, would it not?
—
The documentary
Patrick Henry College website
Wiki page about PHC
Interview with Miachael Farris, founder of PHC
The Bible College That Leads to the White House
Educating America’s Christian Right
PHC Xanga blogring
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 12:56 am
“They came across as inexperienced kids who were collectively about as much fun as a wet Thursday afternoon.”
I’m sorry they came across that way. As a PHC student, I know (from personal experience) that we can be a lot of fun. ;-)
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 1:02 am
Well come on Rachel, tell us what you guys do there to kick back and have fun? I’m guessing you don’t go out hit the bars, smoke joints, and get all hot and bothered with members of the opposite sex? Or do you. Was the PHC presented in that documantary all for show?
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 1:02 am
Oh, and btw, your profile picture made me laugh. :-D
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 1:06 am
Simon, why is it necessary to hit the bars, smoke joints, or have sex to have fun? Sure, I have fun, and look for ways to have fun. I think maybe my definition of fun is a wee bit different than yours, though. I find pleasure in a good book, in an intense intellectual discussion, in the company of friends, and in simple things (digging my feet into sand, for instance. *grin*)
I can’t vouch for all of my fellow students, of course, but a lot of them would agree with me. ;-)
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 1:11 am
Oh Rachel, you made that too easy. :-) I didn’t say fun had to be any of those things now did I. I merely asked you what you guys do for fun. Given that those things are probably common place in other colleges I drew reference to them, but I kinda knew you’d jump on that :-)
So really, how do you and your friends have serious college fun? What do you do?
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 1:39 am
Sorry, Simon, for jumping on it like that. My bad. ;-)
Well, let’s see, what do you call serious college fun? We have the usual…soccer/football, softball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee. We have a drama team and chorale. We have various Student Life activities. Those are the official stuff.
After studying, like any group of college students, we like a break. We hang out at Starbuck’s, talk (especially the girls, lol), watch movies, play video games, dance (off campus), chat on AIM, play with our xangas…
Pretty much anything except drinking, smoking, sex, and X-rated movies.
Man, I’m trying to hit everything…I’m sure I’m missing stuff…maybe if you asked more specifically. ;-)
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 1:45 am
Oh, and sorry to keep clogging your xanga with comments, but I wanted to say that (while I don’t agree with everything you said) I really appreciated reading a post on my college that wasn’t just obscene Christian-and-conservative-bashing crap. THANK YOU!!! :-D
Far too much bashing that goes on on both sides, anyway. After a while, I start to tune out… ;-)
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 1:54 am
I wanted to be careful not to bash. I’ve hung out with friends at Wheaten College in Chicago, Gordon College in Mass, and Fresno Pacific University at Cali, so I understand the benefits of a Christian campus believe me. But I’m not sure if such a place really breaks you in to the realities of life you know? I mean, the world is a dirty rotten place mostly, and while I commend you for wanting to change that by taking your faith to the corridors of power, I can’t help but feel like your going to be going from a very safe place to one of the worst most cynical establishments in the world… government. Do you understand what I mean?
I’m also interested in your opinions about my final point in the post. If a similar college to PHC was to be formed around fundamental Islam, do you think the powers that be might have a problem with that? If not then would you think it would be fair to say that every day Americans, like for example your folks back home, might be more than a little unhappy that fundamental Muslims wanted to get into Washington D.C?
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 2:10 am
Simon,
Thanks for your comment on my site. I check out your post, and, to put your mind at rest, was not offended and did not take you for a “loony Christian basher.”
I’m sorry, though, that your introduction to PHC was via “God’s Next Army.” I will admit that I have not seen it, but I’ve been told by fellow students ( and my instincts, based on the students who were interviewed for it ) that it presented the very image of the College that most of us dread-that one of fresh-faced homeschool kids going “I’m taking back the world for Jesus!”
But your concerns seemed very honest, so I thought I would give you an inside perspective on what actually goes on here.
You are absolutely correct to wonder how sheltered homeschooled kids are going to fare in the real world. We sometimes marvel at the cultural obliviousness that some incoming students have, but I’m pleased to say that they rarely stay that way. I’ll get to that later on, but first some more detail about how students’ political ideas/ambitions meet reality:
Dr. Farris’ intention may well have been to establish a Republican factory, but founding the school as a classical liberal arts college ensured that it did not turn out that way. We have ( or had – many of them left recently ) amazing professors who broke down students’ narrow, conservative thinking molds and forced us to ask hard questions about morality, politics, arts, etc. ( This is in part what fueled the recent conflict between Farris and the professors, which you can read about from the PHC page on wikipedia. ) While the professors were committed Christians, they steered many, many a student away from narrow political zeal toward true scholarship and political philosophy.
Therefore, I think the study of classics actually absorbs much of the religious/political fervor that so many outsiders fear. It encourages students to look at history, philosophy, and literature, to understand exactly how messy and gray many political issues are, and to become members of society who can look toward find solutions beyond narrow political ambition. It also, above all, breaks down the ridiculous/false association between conservative Christianity and the Republican Party.
We do, of course, have our wannabes-Presidents. You saw a couple of them in “God’s Next Army,” who genuinely believe that making America a “Christian nation” will solve society’s problems, and our goal should be to affect change through politics. Most of the featured students in “God’s Next Army” were freshmen-the ones you’d usually find saying those types of things. Just give them a few more years, and they start to understand that it’s not so easy.
“I found the documentary interesting on several levels but mostly I felt bad for the students. Clearly non of them were about to misbehave while the camera was on them, but it didn’t seem like any of them would misbehave in any case. They came across as inexperienced kids who were collectively about as much fun as a wet Thursday afternoon.”
This is partly true. The students here are below-average in popular culture / life / social awareness, but some of us make an effort to change that. : ) For example, I’m a journalism major and plan on being a feature writer and arts critic. My interests include fashion, film, music, etc. (I’m actually quite a bit more interested in those things than politics, to be honest.)
Students are prohibited by the College’s rules from “misbehaving” in any major way (having sex, for example, is grounds for being expelled), but they do not keep students from learning to enjoy life and culture if they desire to do so. I go to movies and concerts at clubs all the time. My friends who do the same are in the minority, but we encourage others to come out of their conservative-Christian boxes and try some different things, and many of them do. I also use my writing as a platform to tell students exactly how important cultural engagement is (see my site)
Our academic program is also heavily based upon internship, which requires students to work in the “real world” as preparation for their future careers, and this provides much needed reality to many students. They learn what it is like to work around people ( and that they actually are people, not enemy liberal automatons ), and that being a Christian political egghead doesn’t get them very far.
As for your comparison to an Islamic fundamentalist institution, there are some clear differences. I agree that the connection to religious fundamentalism (“this is God’s mission!”) is disturbing, but Christians are taught, above all, that God loves people and that we are to be examples of that love to the world. This is a fundamental difference from Islam. My classmates who leave PHC are overwhelmingly liked by the people they work with because they are honest, sincere, and genuinely care about others. Most of us, no matter what school propaganda or a few students say, are first concerned with doing our work with excellence ( for me, journalism, for others, political leadership ) and impacting people on a personal level. That will make more of a positive impact on society than trying to turn back the legal clock.
I hope that helps and/or gives you some additional insight into what we are really like. If you’d like to hear any more or have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 2:26 am
I understand the point you’re making in your first paragraph, and it’s one I struggled with a lot in my “formative years”.
Indeed, the world is a “dirty, rotten place”, as you call it. One of the reasons my parents homeschooled me (yes, I’m one of THEM, lol) was because of that fact. I think we would both agree that children and even teenagers are pretty pliable–mentally, socially, spiritually. Now, I know you’re not specifically asking me about this area of education, but our logic is, “They’ll encounter the dirty rotten world soon enough. Why don’t we keep them in a safe environment while training them to be able to stand firmly in that world?” The training’s the key. Granted, you could chain your child up in a “safe” environment…do everything “right” (i.e. never let him encounter anything from “the other side”), but as soon as the child was independent, he’d get out in the real world, and not only would he be unprepared for it, but he’d have this huge desire for what he hadn’t been allowed to have. This is TOTALLY the wrong approach.
Sure, I could go to a secular college, and, because my parents have taught me to question everything carefully, and think for myself, I’d probably do fine. But I prefer PHC, because I’ll get the quality education and the continued real-world training grounded in convictions similar to mine.
See, I’m not going there because I want to be brain-washed (or because I have already been, lol). I’m going there because, after carefully weighing the different options, I’ve decided it’s the best option, at least for me. I disagree with what some of the professors say, and I disagree with many of my fellow students. But I still think the education I’ll get there will be of value to me. If PHC was a bunch of Christian conservative cookie-cutters, I wouldn’t be interested. But it’s not, and so I’m going. ;-)
Hope that at least somewhat explains our position. I can’t articulate it as well as some, and I’m sure I left out some things. ;-)
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 2:26 am
Thanks for the response David. So with the departure of the profs you mentioned, do you fear the college might fall into the ‘republican factory’ trap? You also make an interesting point when you mentioned that the fundamental difference between Islam and Christianity is that in Christianity God loves people, implying that in Islam he doesn’t?
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 2:28 am
As for your second question, I think David answered it much better than I could. ;-)
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 2:33 am
I don’t think David really answered the question though.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 3:07 am
LOL: Hey Simon, I can totally see where you are coming from, after seeing the Discovery Documentary. Just by way of background, I’m a Junior Public Policy major at Patrick Henry Collge.
You seem to have presented three main points/questions:
1. What do PHCers do for fun?
2. PHCers seem to be REALLY naïve
3. What’s the social/ideological difference between what Patrick Henry College is doing, and a “fundamentalist Islamic college in the United States with the same goals as Patrick Henry College?â€
As far as the first one goes I think Rachel has covered it pretty well.
As to the second point, I would agree that many students come to this school having been sheltered, and many are what some would call naïve.
I might point out, thought, that (as far as I can recall) all the focus of the documentary was on two or three freshmen coming into the school. This did represent a part of the incoming class, but it showed nothing as to the outgoing student who has completed school at PHC.
Having completed two years at PHC, I can attest that the students very quickly come face to face with “reality†and “the real world†as many like to call it. They are forced to wrestle with real life questions, and to form their own opinions on them. Contrary to popular opinion, PHC professors do not spoon feed dogmatic ideology, but raise the challenge for a response to a reasonable reality. As a classical liberal arts school, the students are taught to study, reason, and form their own opinions, not to take whatever they are fed by anyone.
Those in the government major, at PHC are also required to have “real world experience†for graduation. Every government student must complete 12 credit hours of practical internship. Basically that means a full time job for 12 weeks; and for many that means 12 weeks full time on capital hill. Believe me, it’s kind of difficult to come back from there “naïve.â€
I hope that answers your main concerns, and that you don’t feel “bad for the students†(grin) anymore. We (or at least I) certainly don’t feel bad for ourselves. Just to boil it down, I would ask that you do not draw overall conclusions about the school from the specific parts of the lives of a few freshmen that Discovery decided to air.
As the third question regarding the difference between Patrick Henry College and a fundamentalist Islamic school with “the same goals as Patrick Henry College,†here goes:
There are some HUGE differences. First off, as you yourself quoted, PHC’s main vision statement is to “prepare Christian men and women who will lead our nation and shape our culture with timeless biblical values and fidelity to the spirit of the American founding.†I doubt it would be argued that “fundamentalist Islam†would be closely associated with Democracy and “the spirit of the American founding.â€
Second, there is a reason for the social attitude toward “fundamental Islam†right now. I’m not qualified to write on the differences between “fundamental Islam†and traditional American Muslims, so I will not even try. But, suffice it to say, the reasons (whether valid or not) for our society’s fright against “fundamental Islam†are obvious. While it seems much more difficult to find why there should be an outcry against traditionalist that wish to preserve the foundations of the democratic republic that the United States was founded as, and the principles behind it that safeguarded our freedoms for over two centuries.
This is getting long, so I’ll close and point you to Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America for a fuller (MUCH fuller :-)) explanation of some of the traditional Christian Ideology it is Patrick Henry College’s goal to preserve.
In closing, let me thank you for the spirit in which you wrote your questions. Given the nature of the Documentary, I find it fully to be expected that such questions would arise in most people’s minds. If you are interested in discussing some of these questions more in depth I’d be willing to get in touch, by email or whatever.
Caleb
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 3:08 am
I don’t have much to add, Rachel and David did a pretty good job describing the college.
As for the question of a Islamic Fundamentalist college with a similar goal as Patrick Henry College:
Well, there is a difference in the God of Islam and the God of Christianity. Anyone who studies the religions will admit this. Because of this there is also a difference in the way that the members of each religion are supposed to deal with those outside their respective faiths.
The Christian Bible says “To live peaceably with all men.”
Fundamentalist Islam leads to coercion and oppression, sadly enough. (see wikipedia entry for Sharia Law)(pre-liberation Afganistan is a good example.)
Therefore a Fundamentalist Islamic college with the same goals as Patrick Henry would really be a danger to society.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 3:13 am
Wow! It looks like a failed to update the browser from this afternoon before I posted. My apologies for the redundancy.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 4:17 am
Hey Simon! I don’t mind at all getting random comments. I find them great fun! You wrote a terrific post and have asked some great questions. The ppl above have given some good answers, so I’ll just add a few things. Though we can’t pretend to have all the answers. :)
Truth is, a lot of our time is spent on study, but I’ve never been around a more fun group of people. And it is a fresh, free kind of fun! We become like brothers and sisters, looking out for each other and genuinely caring what is going on in another’s life. On top of the activities already mentioned, there are many other spontaneous occurrences (especially around midterms) from late night excursions to IHOP to water balloon wars to pillow fights to guys giving all the girls flowers and reading poems in their dorm lobbies. Laughter is contagious and very rampant on campus! You might find our activities conservative, but I don’t think anyone would find our love, joy, and extreme random fun temperate.
As for the naivety, like Caleb said, we don’t leave before running into “the real world.†Most of the students here are not interested in staying in a Christian ghetto or simply expanding a Christian ghetto to wherever we go. We want to reach people! It’s the people that matter. It’s you! You are the one we want to talk to and listen to and have discussions with.
I’ve probably gone long enough so I won’t get too much into the Islam part, but there is a fundamental difference between true Christianity (not religious Christianity) and Islam. In Islam, Allah asks you to sacrifice your sons (or yourself) for him. In Christianity, God sacrificed His Son for you! With Islam, you have to do something to gain favor; with Christianity, you can only accept what God has done for you.
Keep asking questions! And thank you for your open spirit!
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 4:56 am
After re-reading my response, I wanted to make clear that I was not casting aspersions on my classmates who have political ambitions or believe that God has called them to politics. I caution against the idea that we can save the world’s problems through politics, but I think there is much good that can be done in the political arena, and many people here who have the talent to do it.
Also, the comparison to Islam is, the more I think about it, silly. Cherise’s last paragraph puts it as succinctly as you can: there is little similar at the cores of the two religions.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 5:08 am
Sorry – I just went back and read some of the comments I missed, so I had more to say ( not that lots of comments is usually a blogger’s annoyance. )
In answer to your question above (am I saying that Islam doesn’t teach that God loves people):
I don’t know. I haven’t read much of the Quran. I know that there is little love involved in the Muslim religion, mostly from my friends who live in Arab nations and interact with them. There is lots of legalism and fear in their “relationship” with God, but not much concept of being loved by God and certainly not of being forgiven by Him.
As I said before, there is really not much similar between Christians’ and Muslims’ beliefs about God and how that shapes their interaction with the world. The differences there should be pretty obvious, but I think Caleb covered them well.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 7:15 am
Hey Simon,
Just to add a bit of credibility to what the current PHC students are saying, I graduated from PHC in 2005, after four full years of study there, and I personally had no trouble integrating into adult society. *grin*
Again, thanks so much for your respectful curiosity; PHC is indeed a unique school, though less so, I think, than the media likes to make it out to be. :-)
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 9:27 am
Simon,
I’ve read through some of your stuff online, so perhaps I can use these words to offer perspective for the documentaries out there on PHC:
“News is often branded and packaged into nice little easy to consume morsels and then spoon fed to the masses between commercials for S.U.V’s, toothpaste and fizzy drinks.”
The American media wants to see us as a politically Christian version of Wahhabi madrassas, and so that is what they will portray in the media. Many of the first-year students have not yet undergone the transformation all people do when they get out on their own and have a chance to decide their beliefs for themselves.
I am in my last year of study and am going to split up my last two semesters with a one-year job in Washington, D.C., in law enforcement. I have worked two previous jobs in the U.S. Army as a civilian.
My interests are law enforcement (practice and theory), firearms marksmanship, working in Fire/Rescue services (I am an ambulance driver), reading (generally taken up with studying), movies (usually action–Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Colin Farrell, Bruce Willis), and hanging with friends. I work part time as a security officer.
I’m sorry if that reads somewhat like a resume, but most of my time is spent between work and school. I hope to change that this January when I can lapse into a simple full-time job and pick up some bad habits.
You ever been to D.C.? You should come out sometime. More questions?
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 11:54 pm
Thanks for all of these comments you guys. You have certainly presented a different side of the college. I appreciate you taking the time to comment too.
So, of the political people who do interns and go on to work in DC, how many of them work for dems. I mean, if the link between republicans and Christian is “ridiculous” and “false” then is it fair to assume that there are a fair spread of PHC people now working for democrats?
See, the documentary, as biased as it was, did show those freshman doing campaign canvassing for a republican, and it seems of the PHC blogs I have read that the political folk all seem to be very republican. One in particular called a female democrat a “witch” :-)
Another thing I found interesting in the comments above was that Michael talked about the “God of Islam” and the “God of Christianity”. Now I’ll grant you that he may be seen differently, but is it not a fact that those two Gods are in fact the same God. The God of Abraham? A God who in his time has had his hand in some terrible violence.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 14, 2006 at 11:55 pm
Oh and John, yes I have visited D.C. But that was a long time ago. It was great tho, loved the Smithsonian. Great stuff! I don’t get out to DC much.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 17, 2006 at 6:55 am
I don’t think you took David’s comment about the ridiculous nature of the conservative = Republican equation the way he intended it.
It’s my guess that if a student is politically active on this campus, they are going to be working for the Republicans. I know a couple Democrats/liberals here, and they do tend to be vocal and active about their convictions, but they are a very small minority. The other large group is composed of those who don’t like Bush because they don’t think he’s *conservative* enough (they think he spends too much, they think the USA PATRIOT act is the first step towards the Apocalypse, etc.). They are pro-limited-government Constitutionalists or Libertarians. They make up a much more sizable minority and tend to be slightly apathetic about politics.
I think what Michael was getting at is the way Christians and Muslims serve God. As Christians, we believe that showing others love, compassion, and humility is pleasing to God. We attempt to win others over through an example. Christ served us in this way by taking our sins upon himself and dying, even though he didn’t have to. In return, we live our lives in service to him by demonstrating that love to others.
Islamic fundamentalists believe that they serve God through spreading Islam by any means possible. “Convert or die” is the choice given. You are not allowed to leave the religion, and those who incite others to do so (such as Christian missionaries) can be killed. The only way to guarantee your spot in Paradise is to die in Jihad against the infidel (hence the overwhelming motivation of young people to kill themselves–it’s the only way they are secure in their salvation).
Now granted, Islam has its extremists just has Christianity has its. A lot of people do some terrible things and claim to be acting in the name of Christ. But can you back that up with any of Jesus’ teachings? No. He said the greatest law of all was to love God and man, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When terrorists (for instance, abortion clinics bombers) act in the name of Jesus, the Christian world cringes because we cannot and will not support such things because two wrongs do not make a right (nor does one sin atone for another).
Islamic fundamentalists believe in a strictly literal interpretation of the Qur’an. When 9/11 and the London bombings occurred, people were cheering in the streets of Palestine and the neighboring countries. Even though non-fundamentalist Muslims may not participate personally, they support the actions of the suicide bombers. In my hometown in Pennsylvania, a fight broke out at a packaging plant on 9/11 between the patriotic Hispanic immigrants and the sympathetic Bosnian Muslims.
That, I think, is the difference Michael was talking about. Christians do not condone violence and acts of terrorism, even if the person claims to be acting in the name of Christ. That’s not what He teached, and that’s not how we follow Him (go read John 18:10-11 and see how Jesus reacts to violence). Many Muslims, on the other, implicitly support the actions of Islamic extremists, even if they would not participate in the Jihad directly.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 17, 2006 at 12:52 pm
John, I am staggered by your response. I think statements like “Even though non-fundamentalist Muslims may not participate personally, they support the actions of the suicide bombers.” show a very poor understanding of not only Islam but also a more worrying closed minded attitude that is antogonistic in its ignorance.
I would challenge you John, to go to a Mosque and sit among these people, talk to them. Don’t try to “win them for Jesus” just open you mind and your heart to listen to these people. It’s a challenge I extend to everyone.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 17, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Simon~
In response to your question about how many students intern for Democrats…I don’t think that any of us have, as of yet.
That’s not to say that none of us WILL. I’m actually in contact the office of my home district’s Congressman who is a Democrat and considering campaigning for him during this election season. One of the things that I have really appreciated about my education at PHC is the fact that I was taught to consider the whole picture – not just a party line. While it is true that the Republican party is generally associated with us and our Christian beliefs, Republicans are not necessarily Christian, and Christians are not necessarily Republican.
I am no longer a student at PHC for personal reasons, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. During my last semester I had the opportunity to intern on Capitol Hill. The Congressman I worked for was a Republican, yes, but, as I indicated previously, I am not opposed to working for a Democrat if the policy decisions promoted will reflect the values that are necessary to the core of society.
I hope that addressed at least some of your question regarding political affiliation :-)
Wrote the following comment on Aug 18, 2006 at 4:51 pm
John,
Compassionate, loving Christianity is really only a recent phenomenon. The church’s history is littered with violence and bloodshed, in a way Islam has never been, just look at the crusades, witch trials etc, so I think your pious attitude is unwarranted. It has to be accepted that there are some out there that don’t especially have a problem with the actions of fundamentalist Islamic states, just that they have the wrong set of beliefs. Are those Christians that terrorise those that work in abortion clinics loving and accepting? How about Godhatesfags.com. Of course not all Christians are like this, nor are all Muslims.
The God that I read about in the bible seems to have a mixed personality, in the old testament he approved and indeed ordered the Israelites to conquer and slaughter those that possessed the promised land, as God is unchanging I must believe that he still condones murdering unbelievers if it his will to do so. There are many things that the Bible condones thats the modern Church does not, slavery and underage sex for example. The modern Church has evolved its beliefs to make it more compatible and acceptable to modern society but then that has always been the case.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 20, 2006 at 2:30 am
Fascinating discussion.
Not sure if i should be reasured by the replys above or concerned that it is a rampant PR machine.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 22, 2006 at 6:54 am
I’m a bit shocked that this post has had such a response from the student body at a relatively small college. It’s almost like it was an assignment.
I agree that the student’s portrayal of the Christian god being loving and forgiving and everyone else’s god being bloodthirsty monsters (to take it to its extreme) is horrifying. As a non-Christian, I have experienced first-hand “love” Christian-style and it’s as horrifying as anything you’d find in Abu-Ghraib (which itself could be argued to be a Christian institution, as the policy-makers running it are Christian).
Anyway, don’t close your minds. God is all powerful and comes to different people in different forms. Your interpretation of His Will may not be accurate or right for anyone other than yourself.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 22, 2006 at 10:49 am
In fairness to the PHC students who responded to this Roger, I should be clear that I posted a link to here on their own Xanga blogs and invited them to offer an opinion. A number did and I’m grateful of that.