Georgia University Forces Employees To Sign Statement Rejecting Homosexuality Or Be Fired

In The News World News
#1

A private Georgia university is reportedly requiring its employees to sign a statement indicating they are not gay or face termination.

Shorter University, a private Christian university in Rome, Ga., is forcing its 200 employees to sign a “personal lifestyle statement” rejecting pre-martial sex, adultery and homosexuality or risk getting fired, WSB-TV reports.

“Our goal is not to offend people,” Don Dowless, the school’s president, told the station. “Our goal is to declare who we are.”

Dowless said if employees indicate a preference for any sexual activity “not agreeable with the Bible,” they will be terminated.

“I think that anybody who adheres to a lifestyle that is outside of what the Biblical mandate is – what the board has passed, including the president – would not be allowed to continue here,” he told the station.

Dowless reportedly says the pledge is legal because the private university does not receive any federal funding.

Some Shorter University students, however, claim the requirement is a form of discrimination.

“Who is one person to judge what somebody else does?” said one student, who spoke anonymously to the station. “It’s none of their business.”

Students are reportedly not being asked to sign the pledge.

Read more: foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/georgia-university-forces-employees-to-sign-statement-rejecting-homosexuality/#ixzz1cU1pJq4K

I’m posting this partly this is happening in my state of Georgia.
Well, what do you good folks think abou this?
And should a private Catholic University think about doing something like this? Personally, I don’t think so.
But what are YOUR opinions?

#2
#3

From the article:

Dowless reportedly says the pledge is legal because the private university does not receive any federal funding.

If those are the values of the administration, and the school is not using government money, surely they should be able to do as they wish. I’m not sure about Catholic universities, but requiring the staff of Catholic high schools to sign a morality oath is fairly common.

#4

When in Rome, Georgia, do as the Romans do.

This would never happen in Athens.

By the way, Shorter University’s decision is a very un-Catholic decision (which is why it isn’t Catholic, I guess).

#5

I agree.

#6

Hypocrite.:slight_smile:

#7

Yeah, but Catholicism doesn’t reject someone for merely having same-sex attractions, which is what the Georgia school is explicitly doing.

#8

That’s what I tend to think, too Dale_M. Do you think private CC schools should take a page from this, though? I doubt it. And even if it could be done, I don’t know if it would be universally approved. Or in line with Catholic teaching anyways.

#9

:eek::D:)

#10

Not you…the student.:wink:

#11

Yes, I know. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

#12

How is this un-Catholic? The statement specifically says “all sexual activity not in agreement with the Bible”.

#13

Good point.

#14

Actually, the statement in the article says a “preference” for such sexual activity is banned.

In any event, we don’t have the exact wording of the document; we just have a few summaries and maybe a few quotes; and the news article is unclear about whether the statement prohibits homosexually inclined people, or homosexually active people.
So, I could be wrong about the document being un-Catholic, but that’s not clear at this point.

#15

I don’t think that is what Shorter University is doing. Here is the Personal Lifestyle Statement which employees are being asked to sign.
shorter.edu/about/personal_lifestyle_statement.pdf

The provision dealing with homosexuality is #3:

I reject as acceptable all sexual activity not in agreement with the Bible, including, but not limited to, premarital sex, adultery, and homosexuality.

This seems consistent with Catholic teaching.

#16

:thumbsup:

It does.

What also looks very interesting is that the document uses the phrases “I will not engage” and “I will not use”, in reference to drugs and public use of alcohol.

But, it merely says “I reject as acceptable” the various sexual behaviors, not explicitly requiring someone to vow “I will not engage” in such behaviors.

Hmm…very interesting.

#17

That’s because the article puts a spin on it (big surprise). If you follow the links, you get to the actual news story. It’s a video with the President of the college reading the actual statement. I put his actual words in my post above. It is very clear that it is about ACTIVITY. That is exactly the same as the Catholic position.

#18

Yes, see my post #15.

#19

Excellent point, Corki. The question is, though------what exactly does this college consider as “activity?”
Since they are Protestant, I assume (again, assume) that they emphasize the “thinking is the same as doing it”-mode of thought that is found in the Bible (depending on the particular interpretation of it, of course)----if that is the case, what if there is a celibate homosexual who attends church regularly and attends “ex-gay” meetings? Would that person be fired simply for having SSA?

And what about a person “committing lust in their heart” towards a married person and admitting it but not actually DOING it? Guess they would stay? And what if an employee wishes aloud he was doing drugs?:rolleyes::stuck_out_tongue:

I’m with you------I’m just trying to see whether or not a Protestant/Fundamentalist college would make the same subtle distinctions that maybe a Catholic University (I assume) would.

#20

Why’d they leave out abortion? Of all things to exclude from the list.