Georgia school makes employees sign non-gay pledge

[josephga]

A Georgia university is requiring its employees to sign a statement saying they are not gay or else risk getting fired, according to local reports.

 

Shorter University, a Christian Baptist university in Rome, Ga., sent the new "personal lifestyle pledge" to its 200 employees on Oct. 26, Atlanta's WSBTV television reported.

 

Employees who sign the pledge promise to reject homosexuality, as well as premarital sex, adultery and other behavior the school says violates the Bible's teaching.

 

Don Dowless, the school's president, told WSBTV that teachers and administrators who don't sign the pledge could lose their jobs.

 

"I think that anybody that adheres to a lifestyle outside of what the biblical mandate is would not be allowed to continue here," Dowless told the station.

 

The statement also bans drug use, drinking alcohol in the presence of students and requires employees to be active in local churches.

 

One employee told the Georgia Voice newspaper that the pledge has some fearing "witch hunts" on campus.

 

"We now will live in fear that someone who doesn't like us personally or someone who has had a bad day will report that we've been drinking or that we are suspected of being gay," the employee, who didn t give his name, told the Voice, an LBGT-oriented paper in Atlanta.

 

That employee told the Voice that students weren't happy about the pledge.

 

Another unidentified student told WSBTV that he understood where the "[the administration] was coming from."

 

Students do not need to sign the pledge.

 

Dowless said the school has a right to hire whomever they want.

 

"Anything that is not biblical, we do not accept," he told WSBTV.

[leigh.bess.toad]

I guess divorces are out too. And too bad about not having bacon, sausage or shellfish in the student cafeteria. And I'm sorry, but we are going to have to stone anyone we want to work on the Sabbath. And those clothes made of different fabrics -- sorry about that too.

[Epigonos]

As long as it is a completely “private” institution that takes NO tax payers dollars, either federal or state, it is free to institute whatever ridiculous policy or policies it chooses. No one forces either the students to attend or the staff to work there. It is a stupid, absurd and bigoted policy but likely a completely legal one. Where schools like this frequently get into trouble is when they falsely believe that they can accept state or federal scholarship or grants awarded to students.

[leigh.bess.toad]

As long as it is a completely “private” institution that takes NO tax payers dollars, either federal or state, it is free to institute whatever ridiculous policy or policies it chooses. No one forces either the students to attend or the staff to work there. It is a stupid, absurd and bigoted policy but likely a completely legal one. Where schools like this frequently get into trouble is when they falsely believe that they can accept state or federal scholarship or grants awarded to students.

 

And, unfortunately, I believe you are absolutely correct. Nothing to do but to ridicule them. So shall we?

[+ friendofsheila]

A signature on a document? Oh.

 

I thought it was going to be more like:

 

"Before we hire you in this job, you need to take this pledge.

 

Okay, raise your right hand. Now, repeat after me: 'I swear that I, Roger Crump, will never shove my hot, throbbing cock into the mouth of a buffed-out bodybuilder and pump his face until I spoo all over his hard hairy pecs.

 

'I will also never peel down the speedos of a gorgeous swimmer, and split wide his tight ass and tongue his hot hole until he screams like a girl.

 

I will also never....."

 

And so on...

 

[Bosguy]

I worked for 40 years at an extremely well known and fiscally solvent private college. The amounts of dollars that poored into that institution from federal and state funds was astronomical. Besides the scholarships and grants given to the vast majority of students, there were an enormous amount of faculty grants and matching federal and state monies toward expansion of the physical plant.

 

I doubt this Georgia college is not receiving any of the above mentioned monies. An independent auditor should be hired to carefully scrutinize their books and bring their idealistic beliefs back to reality!!!

 

DISGRACEFUL!!!!

 

Boston Bill

[+ glutes]

Mooselim Brotherhood can educate there!

 

'Shorter' University, it says it all...

 

http://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/wp/docs/2011/10/D3UL_ShorterUniversityLogo-360x279.jpg

[Samai139]

Haven't read the Bible in some years, but as a youngster I was more or less forced to read parts of the Old Testament and heard bits of the New as well. Weren't there lots of examples of polygamous behaviour? I don't remember those Kings and Prophets being punished for that. Will this university accept multiple wives and husbands???

[Michael Wayne]

does not surprise me at all. I have learned to limit my activities in Ga to Fulton county proper. You get outside the ATL perimiter and they still want to kill us all and I am not making that up. On my last ATL trip my eyes were open to maybe why alot of leading escorts do not come to Georgia

[instudiocity]

And, unfortunately, I believe you are absolutely correct. Nothing to do but to ridicule them. So shall we?

Only if you want to perpetuate the very thing 'we' are working for - you know - that "Celebrate Diversity" thing. How can we ridicule someone else and expect them to celebrate our goosing the goose? Er, GEESING THE GEESE?

[instudiocity]

Haven't read the Bible in some years, but as a youngster I was more or less forced to read parts of the Old Testament and heard bits of the New as well. Weren't there lots of examples of polygamous behaviour? I don't remember those Kings and Prophets being punished for that. Will this university accept multiple wives and husbands???

 

King Solomon was reputed to have 1,000 wives and concubines (sounds painful).

[instudiocity]

does not surprise me at all. I have learned to limit my activities in Ga to Fulton county proper. You get outside the ATL perimiter and they still want to kill us all and I am not making that up. On my last ATL trip my eyes were open to maybe why alot of leading escorts do not come to Georgia

Seriously, you wouldn't take an appointment in Cobb, Gwinnett, DeKalb or Clayton counties? Frankly, I don't know where any of the county lines are around Atlanta. I know there are supposedly 5 counties within the I-285 beltway, but other than that, I would have no clue where one county ends and the next county begins.

[TruthBTold]

I'm not sure if the state must accredit schools so that they meet some minimum standards to give out degrees, but this should be immediately rescinded. Then again, it is Georgia.

[Epigonos]

Believe it or not there are actually some institutions of higher learning that are scrupulous in not taking any federal or state dollars. They are not all right wing religious schools that insist on peddling their bigoted beliefs. I know of one college in Pennsylvania that is an outstanding liberal arts institution that follows this practice. The philosophical policy of this institution is that they do not choose to be subjected to the curriculum whims of either the federal and state governments.

[leigh.bess.toad]

Only if you want to perpetuate the very thing 'we' are working for - you know - that "Celebrate Diversity" thing. How can we ridicule someone else and expect them to celebrate our goosing the goose? Er, GEESING THE GEESE?

 

Sorry ISC, I disagree. Diversity does not mean having to accept the bigotry and hatred of your enemies. And make no mistake about it, these people are the enemy. You can't be nice to them to make them change their mind. You accepting them for their dogmatic approach to the Bible will not cause them to EVER accept our rights as American citizens or believe that we are anything other than some sub-human perverted species. The religious nutjobs of the world do not care about, nor concern themselves with, people unlike themselves. These people are to us much like the KKK is to blacks: even when the rest of society has grown, they will still hold on to that bigotry and hatred. And no amount of words, deeds or even acts of kindness or support will ever change that. People like this I'm sure fully support the Ugandan Kill The Gays concept.

[Greathands]

Epigonos ... as a Pennsylvanian, I would love to know what college you are talking about!

[Epigonos]

Greathands I have always thought that geography was one of my strengths but I just blew this one. The school about which I was posting is not in Pennsylvania, it is in Michigan and its name is Hillsdale.

[Greathands]

Ah! The reason I asked is because I live near a good liberal arts school that seems to be pretty conservative in its administration ... not surprising, considering its connection to a rather conservative denomination. However, they seem to turn out quite a few liberal graduates. I personally know two young people who entered the school that were pretty conservative, but by time they graduated they were very liberal in their thoughts and more of a gay rights activist than I'll ever be. The school has received some publicity a few months ago because of the way some openly gay students were being harrassed and the less-than-supportive way the administration handled it. From what I've heard, the publicity seems to have encouraged the moderate students to become more vocal in supporting LGTB students on campus.

[justaguy]

ISC and LBT, the two of you demonstrate the puzzle of democracy: how to insure that a society is inclusive when separate groups in that society have opposing ideas, how to find a balance. For me the balance lies in the difference between private and public forums. As long as the university is private and does not accept public monies, they should be free to run that institution however they see fit. When they turn their beliefs into political action in order to impose those beliefs on others, then democracy and our society becomes imperiled.