Abuse of alcohol is not consistent with a spiritually mature lifestyle. The student body is also expected to maintain a standard of modesty at all times while on campus. Church attendance is required once a week, but it is not monitored. Treating free-willed adults as if petulant children incapable of forging their own individual perceptions, decisions, and behaviors.. Cedarville's first rule is undoubtedly pointed at women. Furthermore, to your own point, most Cedarville students arent even at drinking age, so its not even that big of an issue. We can have/get tattoos, we dont have to attend church at all if we dont want to. What a way to treat women like children incapable of making their own decisions! All of these policies supposedly honor the wishes of Jesus Christ and facilitate participation in the encouraged weekend activities of door-to-door and child evangelism, working in churches, and volunteering at nursing homes. Anyone caught in such a position faces discipline or dismissal. Sex that is forbidden and secretive just makes it all the more exciting. Forgery, providing incomplete or misleading information, scanning and not attending chapel, or misuse of your student ID card are examples of dishonesty that will result in discipline. BUT, they do not have any rules against you watching them on your own, or even on things like violent video games. However, these organizations listed in this article are forcing students to live by ridiculously strict rules and I dont see how anyone can think this is the right way to live. After dusk, mixed groups are not allowed to fraternize without chaperones because having a group of friends including males and females alike is not normal psychosocial behavior it is improper and apparently leads to premarital sex and dancing and other alleged affronts to Jesus. Men may not grow their sideburns past their earlobes, have hair covering their ears, or keep moustaches beyond the corners of their mouths. Some are grounds for immediate expulsion, while others build up over time before a student can be dismissed. Here are two rules that are across the board on campus (that your RA will be giving you more detail about once you arrive on campus) . As a matter of fact, Im taking a dance class currently! All resident and commuter students at Oral Roberts University are required to attend church at least twice a week and find themselves to a highly restrictive dress code. I agree strongly with Tara. let me spell it out for you PROSELYTISM. God created happiness and laughter. All students with a course load of 6 hours or more are required to contribute at least 6 hours of volunteer work in a Christian-related field per month, and they are heavily discouraged from taking jobs that distract from the schools staunch moral guidelines. Ive also chosen to go back this Fall because it follows the Bible and the rules discourage wrong things so it is Much easier to make right decisions! 1 Corinthians 9:4 says, Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Paul goes on to argue that we should not do so if it would cause a stumbling block to other believers. No one is being coerced into paying thousands of dollars to go if they dont want to. Academically, it was quite decent, and some professors were very open-minded. Access Canvas. HONESTY One of the marks of integrity is honesty. Most schools understandably want their students to stay away from breaking the law or acting inconsiderately towards others but Ozark Christian College also places tight regulations on legal activities as well. 23:3135; Prov. I love the Godly atmosphere it gives, and completely disagree with you. God created sex. DO you know what these strict colleges are invoking by making these kinds of religious standards? D.A. right), rather than having anything go and reaping the consequences of debauchery, If a student applies and is admitted to one of the educational institutions it is safe to assume that theyve read and have agreed to the guidelines. Movies again, the handbook gave the wrong message. 3:34). I laud these schools and urge them to bring moral decadence to the bearet minimum. The professors are very intentional so that studying the bible isn't just for academia, but . Tara, Im sorry to hear you had such a negative experience at Asbury. However, no mention is made of men wearing very short shorts or tank tops that expose most of their upper body. Geez. Just food for thought. Stay up the great paintings! Outright banning everything that can be dangerous to someones health and character leaves much less room for students to learn moderation. such as premarital sex, pornography, etc. To offer a different perspective, I graduated from Asbury in the 90s, lived by the rules, and benefited from being part of a voluntary community that generally did the samenot out of fear or self-righteousness, but because of the high value they placed on faith and community. And if you have to miss which many do at one point or another you get 8 free chapel skips. Secondly, it promulgates the idea that women's bodies are shameful and ought to be covered up. But the following schools nonetheless play host to a number of regulations that seem rather appalling to mainstream society, and this article takes an admittedly irreverent peek at a little of what they have to say. Religion is a choice not a punishment and certainly it is not a requirement if I am not mistaken by my own logic as well as using the bible as a reference would God really want you to be FORCED and REQUIRED to worship him in the ways others want you too? In America, people can express their opinions and say what they want. Please reply, This is not a comment, but a request. Wow. "Each program at Cedarville University comes from a biblical world view. Often parents make that choice, not the students. Clothing should be gender appropriate. In addition, neat jeans and flip flops are allowed in class and chapel. When I transferred from Asbury to the University of Kentucky, I found professors at UK to be nicer, more involved in my learning, more supportive, more Christian, and more ethical than my Asbury experience. Welcome to a place where Gods very attributes are slandered and blasphemed. The men and women have their own elevators, must not be together in isolated areas, cannot swim together, even at the beach. I have met people that go to PCC and they have all said only good things about it. It is based on a set of core values and the Cedarville Covenant which shape each students experience at Cedarville University. While it usually remains the students choice to partake of such environments, many outside the affiliated fundamentalist organizations may look over their rules and find their jaws dropping. Drinking alcohol is certainly disputed between Christians with different opinions on it, but it is not a disputed doctrine. Stephen, I think the writers point about The Passion of the Christ is that we werent supposed to watch any R-rated movies, yet we were heavily encouraged to watch The Passion of the Christ. Graduating 74% of students, Cedarville alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $35,200. A lot of the comments here seem to be objecting to what the author said by defending these schools. Or are they treating free-willed adults as if petulant children incapable of forging their own individual perceptions, decisions, and behaviors without being fed someone elses interpretations of Christian dogma? From my experience, most fundy kids figure this out a few years later than everyone else and finally start making decisions for themselves. The articles goal is to make you think some of these colleges are creating robots and the students walk around with bibles in one arm and a notebook in the other. As one of the top Christian colleges in the Midwest, Cedarville University attracts 5,082 undergraduate , graduate, and dual enrolled high school students to more than 175 areas of study. -Using Profanity, really, it isnt allowed in any K-12 school, and they dont want people cussing their heads off here. On a related note, outright banning things often just makes them more appealing. because The students realize that they will be under strict rule. And in your rush to condemn schools that ban stuff that the book theyre led by tells them is wrong and sinful, you left out the worse stuff. Except he isnt the one setting it; its man claiming to speak for him. DRESS AND APPEARANCE Our approach to standards for dress and appearance seeks to honor biblical principles of modesty as humility expressed in dress and to provide general guidelines appropriate for a Christ-centered educational institution. -Tobacco, its a smoke free campus, just like NKU is now. If a disciple of Christ becomes odious to others because of the radical measures that Christ calls us to, he will have followed the footsteps of his master; indeed, what else could be expected of him? There are always going to be kids that break rules.i went to parties were kids were drinking alcohol. She said, as a Christian thats how I live my life anyway. Sure, we get frustrated with the rules, but the vast majority of the time, we are too busy to really notice or care. And was to that if I wear modest clothing my tattoos should not be a problem. Cedarville's policy on alcohol is simply another notch in the post of treating students like children rather than adults. If students go from a strict household (as I suppose most of these students do) to a strict school, they will have no chance to learn true self-control. Im very sorry that Pensacola was such a horrible experience for you but keep it to yourself. everybody who reads this will be without excuse when they get o the Great White Throne judgment before God. Serving alcohol at bars or restaurants, keeping hours past 10:30 PM on weekdays and midnight on weekends, and door-to-door sales without expressed permission from the dean or a retail license are all forbidden by Bob Jones University. Believers should also take 1 Corinthians 8-10 to heart and be sensitive to the struggles of our fellow believers. I respect your opinion and where its coming from. NOT even accurate. leftover elk tags wyoming; when did rumspringa originate; cedarville university crazy rules What about people like me with throat issues? -Engaging in or Supporting Homosexuality, this one is tricky. Alcohol is held up as equally detrimental as illegal substances regardless of whether or not a student partakes responsibly and remains at or above the drinking age and the University does not discriminate on whether or not consumption or possession takes place on- or off-campus, either. Theyre not going to hunt you down or anything. D.A. Going far beyond the usual, generally accepted standards of not breaking the law, acting in a disruptive or discourteous manner, and remaining honest in word, deed, and homework, they raise a number of fascinating moral and ethical questions regarding personal freedom. Commuter students cannot cohabitate with significant others or any peers of the opposite sex, either, and anyone hoping to get married before the age of 21 is highly encouraged to seek counseling and receive parental permission. Then in a moment of disturbingyet not uncommonhypocrisy and contradiction, the next sentence reads, All students are expected to live independently and are responsible for their own personal care. Unless, apparently, you violate a non-Biblically based rule and are expelled from the University. Its interesting how no one stops to consider how small their God & free will must be in order to need such standards. Cedarville University is intentional about creating a Christ-centered community, rigorous in our pursuit of scholarship, and balanced in our approach to Christian lifestyle. Hey Amos, youve got a very urgent meeting with Dr. Wood tomorrow. He let people reach out and touch him because to touch him was to touch life and forgiveness, no matter their past or present. I could go on and about more experiences like this during my 2 and a half years at this horrible place. The dress can best be described as business casual. Nobody is perfect, no matter what school. Sex is frequent, furious, and freaky. It always has been, and always will be. Yet, somehow, Cedarville still fostered open discourse. Those of you who are saying Oh SOMEBODY has to set standards for the youth. Guess what? They are advertised as Christian schools so it would be assumed that it would be mainly Christian people would be attending them. Some rules are ridiculous. when they prohibit homosexuality while prohibiting interaction with the opposite sex. I am currently attending Liberty, and the rules are so laid back at least half the student body goes out late night and weekends gets messed up, and gets it with someone, theres plenty of ways around the rules, school is pretty fake. While BYU does accept students who do not belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, they are still required to participate in the community as if they were. They completely reach into the personal lives and convictions of their students, demanding that they refrain from such so-called perversions such as premarital sex, extramarital sex (even if both parties agree to an open relationship), and homosexuality. 4:3. Actuallythe standards for Brigham Young University are slightly off. At BJU I just couldnt get any action as the boys are all homosexual or want to be. All men and women are expected to dress modestly, stay well-groomed, and avoid tattoos and body piercings. -Dressing immodestly (oh no, youre not allowed to dress like a slut and show off your assets to the entire student body) Carson outlines ten items that can be used to determine what constitutes a theologically disputable matterwhich Cedarville claims includes use of alcohol. Faith College Largo Florida. What do you think they do? Getting drunk is still a sin. For these students, drinking is not only unwise, it is also illegal. While this is undoubtedly true, the policy fails in two major areas. they as adults need freedom to make own choices. How could she possibly have had the time to worry about not being able to see a R rated movie or go clubbing. The school even governs how students are to go about their off-campus employment as well. If Jesus were alive, why wouldnt he want people to volunteer in nursing homes? The last one about Liberty isnt even true. and the campus is primarily pro-life, yes. Students who engage in underage drinking or provide alcohol to underage individuals may be subject to legal sanctions in addition to University penalties. In other words, there is a difference between going out to drink with a friend who is an alcoholic and drinking in front of someone who is just offended by it. 2 min read. Honestly, this is lazy journalism. It is a small institution with an enrollment of 3,540 undergraduate students. Mature, responsible people are able to think for themselves and moderate their own behavior. Do you think Id have argued about a college? I chose to attend Pensacola Christian College, nobody forced me. Additionally, using any source (such as D.A. Thanks for the timely reminder of how far weve come. Beards are completely banned without explicit permission from the school, and neither gender may color their hair or wear any form-fitting apparel. No one is going to forbid interracial or homosexual relationships, no one is going to forbid occult religions, no one is going to forbid fornication, and you wont be able to handle that. I assure you, not all Christian are like that. You willingly agree to their rules when you come here and they arent a secret. Those who attend any religious school, on their own desire, will attend one in line with their personal religious beliefs. *, You may use these HTML tags and attributes:
. We all wore makeup, etc. Guys did not have to accept dates with interested women. But please dont judge women by their sex life or their religion, as people like me will not judge you by the same nor by your faith. Woah this blog is great i really like reading your posts. Look it up. Thats whats up. Some people feel safer if there isnt a lot of drinking and other rowdiness going on. 16 17. God bless. D.A. However, as a Cedarville student, you represent the University. Dami, 1) Some book says so doesnt justify anything. College is not supposed to be your babysitter, it is a learning experience meant to prepare you for the way the world is. You are loved. these are adults who may have attended high schools where,they like myself,was paddled for minor mistakes. As discussed in the article on Cedarville's alcohol rules, when you make something illegal, it doesn't stop people who want to do it. Use of alcohol was simply pushed underground out of regulatory bounds and resulted in the creation of a black market. For instance: (1) in your room and dont come back out after 10:30pm; (2) she was 20 and we both had to get permission for her to visit my family 35 miles away, permission from her mother and from my grandmother to go to Grandmas house; (3) we had our social privileges removed for 2 weeks because she rubbed my shoulder while I was laying on the school grounds as she was sitting on the ground next to me. However, responsible use is not sinful, which is our primary point in this article. Some may seem that way to those who dont adhere to a particular faith. I could go on, but. its not mans law they are concerned with, its, you know, His law.. If your happy with your life, enjoy it your clearly not hurting anyone and therefore absolutely entitled to that choice; and for many that way of life makes people better. If you have questions or need more information, please contact the student life deans. Perhaps they are harmless. It will introduce you to our Cedarville Covenant and Community Guidelines, and it will include advice that will help you maximize your success as a university student. Carson engages in an enlightening discourse on the disputable matters Cedarville references in the student handbook. However, his ultimate conclusion is that Christians must make decisions based on whether they will be further sanctified. Quite honestly, speaking as a Christian myself, attending a private Christian college is not always the best choice depending on your career path. I go to Oral Roberts University. If such is the case with these schools, then it cannot be argued that they are in anyway unfair in strictly enforcing the rules. You already know, lots of persons are looking around for this information, you can aid them greatly. The only strict rule they have is drinking and they wont kick you out if they find out you drank. That basically means being a jackass and expressing your self is better than being idiotic enough to try to stop them because of the First Amendment. Your email address will not be published. We call our student handbook The Cedarville Experience because it includes many of the guidelines and principles that will shape your time at Cedarville. As our Cedarville University community processes this situation, we pray we would do so with humility, grace, mercy, integrity, civility, and respect. PERSONAL CARE AND RESPONSIBILITY All students are expected to live independently and are responsible for their own personal care. They make you attend a formal dinner every night and make you dress up for dinner too. I am not a follower of Christianity nor do I have a problem with that, but these establishments are making the entire religion look crazed and judgmental Just sayin. My e-mail address is Court documents are revealing new details about a stabbing that sent a Cedarville University student to the hospital this week. To be sure, the school was known more for its strict rules back in the 1980s than for its educational prowess, and those rules were sexist (women had to wear skirts) and ridiculous (movie theatres were banned but VCRs weren't). It is near 30,000 dollars a year, and Cedarville is not known for its great financial aid! I Attended LMU in Los Angeles we do to have strict rules about clothes we can wear pants So nyah nyah yah. However was shocked at the unchristian like behavior these christains held. They cant dance, cant gamble, and cant even lightly use alcohol or tobacco even if of legal age. Possessing legal pornography, light to moderate drinking (even non-alcoholic versions of beer or cocktails), gambling, premarital or extramarital sex (regardless of whether or not the latter take place within an open relationship), dressing immodestly, supporting or practicing religious beliefs in line with the occult (with the lines of what constitutes such practices never explicitly stated), using profanity, tobacco, engaging in or supporting homosexuality, and having or supporting abortions are also very much in violation of the schools strict moral guidelines. NOTE: This is not a comprehensive argument for changing the alcohol policy at Cedarville and more articles will likely be posted in relation to this subject to review Biblical principles in depth. The former may not wear makeup, because breaking archaic gender tropes will rip the very foundations of society asunder. Keep up the good work! What if that rule is not to be a legalistic, archaic kill-joy? As Paul said, Be not drunk with wine, but we filled with the holy spirit. Instagram. Students caught engaging in premarital, extramarital, and homosexual behavior face the risk of being expelled completely from Dallas Christian College as well. If you tell them honestly what excessive use of alcohol does to people, they wont *want* to get wasted. I understand your point, and I do believe the policy could be tweaked. I attended Pensacola Christian College in the early 1980s. He transferred to public school where he had no friends and even less support and encouragement from faculty/students, and two months later he shot himself. Your email address will not be published. Is there something wrong here? When asked why not, her response is always that she lost a lot of her motivation and dedication for faith development because of the Asbury rules you were not allowed to grow up into responsible adulthood. Most are Christians, majority of them from teh south and alot of them are athletes. Women have to wear a dress or skirt and hose most of the time. (Aldair Zepeda/WWMT) "To those we lost to those healing," added were the names of the three killed in the shooting, Brian . So next time you choose to attack our schools (speaking more to some of the comments than the actual article), check your sources. [emailprotected]. No one is forcing anyone to attend those colleges/universities. They make you go to chapel church services every single day, and some days you have to go to church more than once, the only exception is if you are sick enough to be in the infirmary. For these students, drinking is not only unwise, it is also illegal. Registrar's Office. OR a girl from State college,, who has photos of herself posted , throwign up drunk in a men`s bathroom, has slept with numerous other men, a couple of abortions behind her, and had sex with strangers on spring break because she was drunk and had to take penecilin afterward, then had to lie to her future husband about it all mmmm i`lll take the girl from the christian college,, thanks. You heard about how bad these schools are from people who got kicked out? Contact our experts to see if you're a good candidate for our top MBA programs all our programs are accredited by AACSB! I went to a Catholic University in Los Angeles and they do not have rules like that sothere. Here are private colleges that want to set Cashiers Office. I think that the questions that we really need to ask are (a) whether students are better off if they attend these schools, and (b) whether we ought to encourage students to attend these schools. Thank you for your comment! But you cant get upset and blame teh school if you enroll and dont check out the requirements first..BYU is a great school.not a fan of mormonism, but the students that are there are great kids for the most part. However, I dont think its wrong for students to want change and to disagree with them, especially when it comes to injustices such as in the mental health article. Even if you are a staunch conservative fundamentalist christian, I would not recommend attending Pensacola Christian College. In fact, Amos 9:14 says, I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.. I believe the answer lies with how students (like me) were raised. A little bit of bleeding and discomfort is not the end of the world at PCC. Students are allowed in each others hall lobbies at any time during the week until midnight, and students of the opposite sex are allowed in each others rooms on Fridays, again until midnight. They have separated beaches for the men and women. http://www.pcci.edu/ As for the dress code, it sounds old fashioned and sexist. An upper classman lied and told the dean that I had looked at a male student in a sexual manner while walking home from chapel and was campused w/in the first weeks there. ORU has a dress code which is in effect for classes, chapel and in all academic buildings. Go figure. Thankfully, Christian colleges provide a better environment than secular campuses. If you make it conform to Biblical principles, it will be considered politically incorrect, and will be shut down as soon as possible. It is not unreasonable for them to expect the students attending a Christian college to live up to the standards lai out for them. And obviously the floor leader used her positions power to sexually abuse you. I have yet to understand why people go out of their way to attack our schools when the rules do not affect them in any way whatsoever. Cedarville University. One of my professors at UK went to my church (Southern Hills in Lexington), another of my UK professors dedicated his life to improve conditions for the poor in South America. There wasnt anything there that drove me crazy. Convocation was not that big of a dealit was actually pretty cool. The specific guidelines included below are shaped by biblical principles, community preferences, and cultural expectations in terms of propriety and professionalism. i really hope if youre not saved that this eats away at your consciene soo much that you cant live like that anymore and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus ChristJohn 3:16- For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should NOT perish, but have everlasting lifeso it doesnt matter who you are, what youve done or whatever you case is, God wants to and will save you if you only call on His name. Thank you for your feedback!! They are private institutions and can set their own policies. They reserve the right to discipline any student who does so, most especially in cases when the politics and ideals expressed in the protests go against the schools extremely conservative beliefs.