Whatever you do, don't think.

[kellinator]

I just received an interlibrary loan from Bob Jones University (yes, I know, it's an oxymoron) and was struck by the large, bright pink notice pasted inside the front cover:

"The fact that this volume is included in the Bob Jones University Library does not mean that the University endorses its contents from the standpoint of morals, philosophy, theology, or scientific hypotheses. The position of Bob Jones University on these subjects is well known.

In order to standardize the work and validate the credits of Bob Jones University, it is sometimes necessary to include in this library books whose contents the University cannot wholly endorse."

I am translating this as...

"OMG the awful liberal educated people who run accreditation boards say we have to have a library with more than one opinion in it or they won't let us call ourselves a university!! Well, fine, but WE DON'T LIKE IT!! So here, have this book, but don't you DARE think about it for yourself!!"

Hey, doesn't Bob Jones know what they say about pink?

When I showed this to a co-worker, she told me about Pensacola Christian College, which makes Bob Jones look like a party school in comparison. She mentioned in particular the rule that students of the opposite sex cannot look at each other too intently, lest they commit "optical intercourse", colloquially known as "making eye babies." I replied that these people clearly are the ones with dirty minds, as they see sex absolutely everywhere.

I'd really like to wrap this up with a pithy comment, but I'm too aghast to come up with one, so I'll just state that these lunatics do more harm than good to Christianity. It's impossible to provide witness when people like these ensure Christians have a reputation as idiots. Jesus, save me from Your followers.

Comments

[ms-anthropy.livejournal.com]

Wandered over from metaquotes. FYI, BJU lost their accreditation years ago due to unwillingness to admit african-americans and later, after they finally admitted them, to allow "fraternization."

They have a very famous gallery of religious art - the real deal, they actually own a Rembrandt. The gallery is on the campus and is open to the public, but years ago you had to follow their dress codes to get in, and I believe the policy is still in place. We went there on a tour when I was in high school, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and the tour guide at the gallery was a BJU grad student in art. He described to us how he had worked on the team responsible for painting drapes over the genitalia of the cherubs in certain (priceless, irreplaceable, centuries-old) masters the gallery had in its collection. He was very proud to have been chosen for this task. It was apparently a great honor. He actually showed us some examples as we toured the gallery, and sho'nuff, although it was skillfully executed, due to a glaring difference in the age of the paint you couldn't miss where they had actually painted little drapes over the crotches of the renaissance cherubs.

Most of the stories you hear about the place are completely absurd, but the most absurd ones are invariably the ones that turn out to be true.

And "making eye babies" is my new favorite phrase ever.

[ms-anthropy.livejournal.com]

Correction - they lost their accreditation years ago when they refused to integrate, but someone with more recent info than mine says they recently got it back, so I don't know.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_rikiki/]

They've almost got it--there's a five-year period they have to get through first, which they started a year ago tomorrow. The great god Google always has the answers:
http://www.bju.edu/academics/accred.html for BJU's site & http://www.tracs.org/ for the accrediting organization. BJU's listed under "Candidate Institutions."

[ms-anthropy.livejournal.com]

Thank you, it's late and my brain isn't working.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_rikiki/]

That's okay, it's a day ending in 'y' and I'm surprised mine is. ^^;