The two protests are scheduled for Thursday at 7:30 a.m. and Friday at 10 a.m. on the sidewalk in front of the Shorter University sign on Shorter Avenue.
Lee Hight, who graduated in 1973, is among the organizers of Thursday’s protest.
“This is not helping Rome,” Hight said about Shorter’s policy. “It’s not helping our recruitment efforts. I am fearful about accreditation, and the board (of trustees) doesn’t seem to care about that.”
Shorter drafted a faith statement that full-time employees and faculty must sign.
The university commits to only hiring “Bible-believing Christians, who are dedicated to integrating biblical faith in their classes and who are in agreement with the University Statement of Faith.”
Employees must find premarital sex, adultery and homosexuality “unacceptable.” Employees of the university are also forbidden to drink alcohol in public.
It has been the university’s policy since 2008 to hire Christians only, and that policy is part of the school’s acceptance into the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities.
Protesters are asked to park behind Provino’s and Chick-fil-A, and to dress in black.
Signs are encouraged but can be no larger than three feet by three feet.
An email received by the Rome News-Tribune states that the Friday student protest is scheduled to coincide with the inauguration of Don Dowless, Shorter University’s president.
A demonstration permit has been approved by the Rome Police Department for the Friday protest.
This call out on the Equal Rights Peaceful Protest at Shorter University's Facebook page is planned for Thursday.
"We are trying to Protest in front of both the 8am and 9am traffic that will be on Shorter Avenue Thursday. If you can't make it at 730am, Come at anytime. Park and Walk to the area. Bring Signs. Know Your Message.
If you believe that the new "Personal Lifestyle Pledge" at Shorter affects the opportunities of the friends and families of this community... then join us for a Peaceful Protest. Some will wear Shorter T-Shirts to show the entire town's affiliation to Shorter. This college is a well of economic influence in Rome, GA and as citizens of this community we have the right and duty to stand together to uphold the equal rights in which we believe are fair.
As a community, I believe that all people are entitled to a life of non-discrimination and I believe that this Pledge affects not only the staff and students at Shorter, but also the morale of the community as a whole.
We will be making signs, but please read up on the information and know your personal message.
Come stand with us and stand up for what you believe in.
This protest may happen each week consistently. We are trying to make an impact. I particularly am excited for the opportunity to stand with my neighbors in peaceful protest for Equal Rights of all citizens, but upset that Equal Rights and Non-Discrimination are still issues present in our community.
Again, this is a peaceful protest and we do not condone any form of protest other than such."
Shorter may have the right to establish this new lifestyle pledge but people do not get a pass for bigotry because of their religious affiliation. If a person believes in sin then they must surely believe that we are all sinners, and that salvation and repentance is something each each individual must work out for themselves in their own time on this planet, but to openly reject a group of people because of their sin is hypocritical, because there are hundreds of other sins which could be picked out and focused on.
Then there are the professors who are the lifeblood of the school and are good people with families who might not agree with either the manner in which this is being done or the content of the lifestyle pledge. These people cannot just get another job in the current economic situation. The job market for college professors, for the most part, is beyond terrible. They are being treated in a very dirty and underhanded way by being economically forced to sign a pledge.
Everyone is right when they say Shorter is a Christian school, but there are already statements that the college puts out concerning the faith of the school. While attending the college, and receiving a high quality education I might add, I focused on my studies, and the professors did not push anything other than the education they were hired to provide. The policies that were in place to keep a Christian atmosphere were doing a fine job. Teachers felt free to teach and weren't afraid of simply discussing topics that might be controversial. From the conversations I have had since, it seems that this is quickly changing.
To those who are saying that the conservative Christian opinions and beliefs are not welcomed and that there is a lack of diversity in this regard - you have obviously never sat in a Shorter classroom. Conservatism is alive and well and those beliefs are treated with respect. Christian conservatism was one part of the diversity of beliefs that had a seat at the table at the school. But this new policy is aimed at squashing the other side of diversity of lifestyle and opinion. Would you feel welcomed if there was a pledge that the faculty was forced to sign which rejected a particular conservative belief?
The college is exactly that, a college, and it's first and overall goal should be providing an education that equips people, as Christians, to live and succeed in a diverse world. The campus should therefore be representative of society in general. This diversity is what leads people to understand those that are not just like them, it forces people to evaluate other's opinion and think for themselves. Every student at Shorter is required to take religion courses. Chapel is open to all that want to go, and that means that the current diverse student body all have the chance to be introduced to Christianity and in a way immersed in it. But now there will be people who will not be around to take part in this experience because they have been rejected.
Quotes by Thomas Jefferson relating to religion:
"Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity."
"But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
"What is it men cannot be made to believe!"
"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear."
"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes."
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own."
"Priests . . . dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live."
I'm not certain I understand the anger and/or hostility of Vincent_Rubicon. Shorter is a private college, and as a result, can require their employees, students, vendors, etc. to abide by any set of rules it deems appropriate. Granted, some may disagree with those rules. Heck, some may even find them offensive, but it doesn't change the fact that Shorter has the right to do this.
That said, anyone has the right to disagree as well. They have the right to protest, to no longer support the school, to withdraw their kids from this school, and yes, even leave scathing posts on this newspaper's website. Luckily (for us all!), that's how we do things in America.
But, I think things get blurry when folks personally attack those who offer a differing opinion. To throw out random scripture in an attempt to belittle someone's faith serves no purpose, and really adds nothing to the conversation other than unnecessary hostility.
I can certainly see how this decision by the school is controversial in today's environment. However, Shorter is not the first school to do this, and certainly won't be the last.
This is what I don't understand. The people who are supporting Shorter are saying that we are attacking them? All I want is for people to be treated fairly.
The scripture was not random. It was chosen for a purpose. It shows that a lot of Christians pick and choose what they want to believe for whatever reasons.
I grew up in the church and I had total faith and believed in the Bible 100%. My church followed a very similar doctrine to what Shorter is saying. I believed that homosexuality was evil. I thought they were bad people.
I grew up. I went to college. I met new people with different beliefs. I learned that they are good people yet I still saw Christians targeting them and saying terrible things about them. That is what changed my mind about God and the Bible. How could "God Loving" people have so much hate in their hearts against a group of people. It makes no sense to me.
I have and will always support peoples right to believe whatever they want, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with them.
Please think about your beliefs. Look deep into your heart. Do you think you separate certain sinners from the rest and if so why?
Shorter is doing two things with this statement. They are reinforcing the idea that Christians are ignorant and that people in the South are ignorant. Their decision makes more than the college look bad.
It is a terrible decision by the school.
What makes one sin different from another? Please someone tell me that.
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:28
Proverbs 28:7 declares, “He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.” Proverbs 23:2 proclaims, “Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.”
Leviticus 11:7-8
"And the swine, though he divided the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
"Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you."
As far as you not being able to understand why the school is catching so much grief it is because the students there currently and those with degrees from there would like to be taken seriously. Religious fundamentalists are not taken seriously in the real world, and for good reason.
If Jesus was the president of Shorter College do you think he would make people sign a statement of faith? Do you think he would not allow people to teach because they were different? Didn't he hang out with all sorts of people with all sorts of beliefs?
This is a really cheesy slogan that has been over used for years but What would Jesus Do?
Ask yourselves that
If that is his vision and statement, will they enforce the biblical creation view of creation of man and all living life forms created by God's "magic poof" or will they still use the scientific methodology of evolution with all facts and evidence that all life forms evolved on this planet some 3.8 billion years ago concerning the Science Department......(such as the study of Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Geology, Astronomy, Physics, and Genetics?)
Just wondering if this morality clause next spreads into the teaching of Science from only a biblical viewpoint that the earth is only 6,000 years old such as done at Liberty University and Bob Jones University?