Bob Jones University Apologizes
Eathan | Nov 24, 2008 | Comments 11
Every now and then I read a news story that leaves me speechless.? Bob Jones University gives a formal apology for several racial policies.? Bob Jones University must have been in the stone ages until the year 2000.? It has come to my attention that a small christian university had several racial policies that would’ve been very popular 50 years ago.? Bob Jones University is located in Greenville, South Carolina.? They only have 5,000 students and claim that their rules on race were based on culture instead of the Bible.
Interracial dating was banned at this university until the year 2000.? I guess they decided to change things after dancing to Prince’s song, 1999.? I’ve read Bob Jones University’s website several times.? I can’t tell they have any minorities attending their school.? It’s disturbing to me that years after the countless Civil Rights battles, that it took years for them to acknowledge their mistakes.
Students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin are admitted to all the rights, privileges, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at Bob Jones University. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in its administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. - Nondiscriminatory Policy, Bob Jones University
Now, I’m known as a Christian and I normally don’t promote religious ideas on a public stage, but I have to admit that B.J. University stunned me.? It seems to be on the highest level of hypocrisy.? How can you believe in all the things that Christianity promotes, love, respect, faith, and treating others well.? And yet discourage interracial dating?
“It’s unfortunate it took them this long ? particularly a religious, faith-based institution ? to realize that we all are human beings and the rights of all people should be respected and honored,” said Lonnie Randolph, president of the association’s state chapter.
I believe the banning of interracial dating is hatred at it’s rawest form.? It’s wrong.? It’s despicable and offensive.
Recently, Bob Jones University has issued a formal apology for the racial policies of the past, including the ban on interracial dating.? I know that it doesn’t change the past, but it can help change the future.? It would be great to see a diverse student body represented on their website.
As a parent that is looking towards the future with Alpha & Dirt Bike Boy going to college, I want them to be in a learning environment that has diversity.? In the words of my kids, they are representing the mixed kids.? They enjoy having friends from different cultures and backgrounds.
Here in Texas, we have several well known Christian colleges, Baylor, SMU, and TCU.? I have cousins that have graduated from these private schools.? They didn’t experience any racial prejudice, but maybe that’s just Texas.
Do you think racial prejudice exists in small universities more than the larger schools?? Are small private colleges just another way to promote a private agenda of racial prejudice based on financial status?
| 3.2 |
Filed Under: Headline
Comments (11)
Loading ...-
I went to Greenville, SC once…it was the most backwards place I have ever been in my life. Most of SC is. It’s the epitome of the bible belt. Everything is still closed on Sundays but Waffle House and church, at least it was when I went. I bet if you researched you’d find many other colleges with the same mentality in that area.
Eathan Reply:
November 24th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
I’ve never been there before. I got invited a couple times… by white women of course, and i’m too paranoid to go. They have a lot of dark woods there…lol
Nephie Reply:
November 25th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I know that’s right E!
This is exactly why my husband hates the south! I grew up in a strict Christian school where all they did was shove the Bible down your throat. In high school they preached to us constantly about “going to Bob Jones”. Reps would come once a month and try to make us “sign up for the best times of our lives”. During a choir tour I had to visit the Bob Jones campus and let me just say you are right in thinking that they do not have a lot of diversity in that college whatsoever. Heck, the Christian school I attended didn’t have a lot of diversity in it either. The problem with Christian colleges or high schools like the one that I attended is that they try to rule too much of your life. I know several people from my graduating class that opted to attend Bob Jones only to be kicked out several months later for doing things like just watching an R rated movie. I do not think that a College or any school for that matter should try to control your life. What you do at college is your business but when you off of the grounds or in your dorm it is YOUR BUSINESS. All it is is brain washing at its finest. You would be wise to stay far away from places like this. Places like this is where those “religious freaks” are created, and I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about. I am a Christian but will never associate myself with those kinds of people because it really does turn people “off” from any form of religion. Because of my experience in Christian schools like Bob Jones, you can bet that my children will not go through the same thing. When children are so sheltered like that all they do is backslide the second they graduate from high school, I’ve seen it first hand. Stay away, stay far away!
Maybe that is why I married a “black man”? Because I was told my whole life that it was “wrong”. hmmm…good post! Didn’t want to bring up my past, but as you can tell I could talk to you about this for days. It is ugly and something that is very, VERY real in southern baptist institutions still to this day. For those that are interested, I attend a nondenominational church now because my husband, children, and I can walk in those doors without people talking about us behind our back…it feels good to be accepted instead of constantly criticized for loving who you want to love.
-thedomesticdiva.org
Domestic Divas last blog post..Arnold Sandwich Thins: Great Alternative to Ordinary White Bread
Eathan Reply:
November 24th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Wow.. You have alot to say.
My cousins, which are black.. went to SMU (Southern Methodist University) Baylor and TCU ( Texas Christian University).. they didn’t have a bad experience at all. They wanted their education and moved on. I realize that some of the Christian schools are really different from others… but I had never heard of Bob Jones University until recently. All I can say is wow!
Domestic Diva Reply:
November 24th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Maybe it is the Bible belt, maybe it is the Southern Baptist, who knows?
Domestic Divas last blog post..Arnold Sandwich Thins: Great Alternative to Ordinary White Bread
Eathan Reply:
November 25th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Bob Jones is a Southern Baptist school?
I’ve stopped saying things surprise me because when I do, something else strange happens. What I can say is that unfortunately there are still a lot of racial issues out there. We’ve come a long way since the 60s but there are still some barriers to be broken down. I hope more and more institutions and individuals will open their mind to change and see that with our differences we’re still all the same–human.
Shelias last blog post..Oh Shelia Mix #1
Eathan Reply:
November 26th, 2008 at 11:40 am
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.. but it amazes me. I’m waiting to see how people will react with Obama. Some true colors could shine.
Many good comments here and probably even the ones I don’t agree with are from good people. I agree it was high time Bob Jones University got over its racial hang ups. Rather than harang them for apologizing since you are so late to the game yourself be glad that they saw their policy as hurtful. Rather than being judgemental and predjudiced by attacking people that do not think the same as you or by attempting to belittle and characterize an entire section of the country or religous group as stupid or backward be happy that people are learning to get along. Then most importanty don’t fall into the perversion of the modern diversity movement that has become more about uniformity than it ever was about diversity. If you really want diversity you need to take the good with the bad and persevere in education on a person by person basis. Cohersion into big government diversity programs is as much “brainwashing” as any religious institution has ever attempted. Governments have participated in brainwashing as much as the religous groups ever have, in fact the invented the offical process of brainwashing. We have separation of church and state not because religion is dangerous, its because reglion under the control of government is dangerous. It forces uniformity, it forces everyone to think the same way. It even happens when our government tries to force nonreligion, they force everyone to think atheistically and that it is somehow better or the only independent way to think. Beware of group thought, the majority is far more dangerous than an obscure religious college in South Carolina. The majority ushered Lenin and Stallin to power, the two combined to kill more jews than Hitler. The majority also gave Hitler power. How was that? Was everyone in those majorities stupid? No they were not. They were uniformed either by vocation or by choice and bit on something that sounded nice, but turned out to be a trap. This may seem off topic, but the anti-racisim movement is in danger of being off track in a facist-like forcing of everyone to think exactly the same.
Going to an all black church is not wrong and niether is going to an all white church. They are that way naturally and because people are free to accociate to whomever they want. Bob Jones is probably virtually all white because of its policy, but it may be also that most fundamental Baptists are also all white, not by intent, but by culture. What do we do next? Force them to believe in other religious practices or doctrines so that more blacks will apply? Where does it stop? Maybe we should blame blacks for not-merging into white culture and becoming part of white churches? Sounds rediculous doesn’t it? The same applies to everyone, that is what MLK thought.
I wanted to answer a couple of questions while I was thnking of it.
BJU is an independent Fundamental College and is not related to the Southern Baptist Convention in anyway.
The other thing which makes this BJU thing seem odd is that their position for taking a segregationist stance was based in their theology of the end times. It was their take that the anti-Christ would come to power once a one world government was established. Part of trying to stave that off was to try and keep the races separate and thereby keep nations separate and in due course prevent a one world government from taking place. It certainly was a flimsy shield, but that is what they used to say. Based on that an American shouldn’t marry a Canadian for example.
In reference to colleges, small colleges are not bastions of racism, but they really tend to be bastions of free thought or the road less travelled. The flip side of that is that they may be small because they just suck and nobody wants to go there.
I know where you are about having mixed kids and sending them off to school. I doubt you’ll have a problem anywhere in terms of schooling. Where they will run into difficulty is in dating.
My cousin Matt is mixed and when it came time to date he ran into two problems. He grew up in a white family and naturally liked white girls because that is all he knew. Alot of white families had different ideas about that so he struggled on that front. So he decided to date black girls, but struggled there too because culturally he was so different from them and he actually ran into flack from some girls parents for being from a white family. So there you have it. He eventually married a white girl and has two beautiful kids. Its really fun because his kids are tow-headed blondes with blue eyes, they look almost Swedish. He said he would get the weirdest looks when out in a restaurant with them because here sat a black guy with these two white kids that obviously could not be his.