Church-State Separation Denigrated at PHC

Published On: September 28, 2014|Categories: MRFF's Inbox|0 Comments|

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“I’m a 20XX graduate of Patrick Henry College. Needless to say, I was pretty surprised to hear that Mikey Weinstein of MRFF was speaking there. Separation of church and state was consistently denigrated during my time there—a frightening prospect, considering that I was a government major. The campus administration seemed a bit hesitant about Mr. Weinstein’s appearance as well. A few hours before his interview began, the administration sent out a campus-wide email calling Mr. Weinstein a “rather non-traditional guest” who would “bring[] an alternate and, by some standards, anti-Christian viewpoint.” To their credit, the email asked the students to be hospitable. It’s unfortunate, however, that separation of church and state in the military would be a topic that requires such an introduction.

Marvin Olasky, of World Magazine fame, conducted the interview. From the beginning, his questioning was unnecessarily belligerent. He presumed that Mr. Weinstein’s answers could be a simple yes or no (as if the law is that simple) and gave Mr. Weinstein little time to provide a detailed explanation about the various factors that would go into the legal analysis of a case. Despite Olasky’s shortcomings, it was a great interview. Mr. Weinstein gave as good (probably better) than he got, and the students heard a great explanation about the importance of the Establishment Clause in the military.

I very much appreciated Mr. Weinstein’s entering the lion’s den that is my alma mater in order to provide the students with another point of view. PHC rarely, if ever, invites a guest who is not a member of the Religious Right. Its students are intentionally trained to “bring Christ into the public square.” Giving the students a glimpse of the other side of the story is crucial. I know from my own time at PHC that the instruction provided does not always add up. That’s how I got out of that mindset myself. Yes, some students accept without question the fundamentalist-religious-beliefs-turned-political-prose that is typical of classes there, but many others are willing to march to the beat of a different drummer if you give them the tools to do so. After hearing some of the student reaction to the interview, I know many found Mr. Weinstein’s visit educational and interesting. For some, it could possibly have been eye-opening. I hope Mr. Weinstein can do it again someday!”
PHC Graduate’s name withheld

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