The Lemon Fool

So Balliol have banned Oxford's Christian Union from Freshers' Fair, at the least for this year.
A representative of Balliol's JCR said that the presence of the CU could "alienate incoming students", "constitute micro-aggression", and that "Christianity's historic use [??] as an excuse of homophobia and certain forms of neo-colonialism meant that students might feel unwelcome".

Gracious: it is a wonder that students don't bring their parents with them to shield them lest they encounter some mild alienation or a little neo-colonialism.

The college itself only exists because the then Bishop of Durham (Walter of Kirkham) is reputed to have had John de Balliol flogged after John kidnapped some of the Bishop's servants following a row over some land. John then founded the college as penance. No homophobia there but plenty of micro-aggression (whatever that is).

Here is a discussion re the contemporary university free speech problem. Worrying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-y0TlV4bzw

Vince

stewamax wrote:So Balliol have banned Oxford's Christian Union from Freshers' Fair, at the least for this year.

Like most Oxbridge colleges, wouldn't it be C of E as part of the fabric? In other words there's an in house chapel and an in house chaplain.

Ah well. I can see Carols from Kings being next for the chop: all that micro-aggression and neo-colonialism at Christmas will alienate everyone. The chapel isn't even double-glazed, and (I'll have to whisper - very non-PC) the choir is men and boys.

The ban was overturned by students themselves - https://www.standard.co.uk/news/education/oxford-university-students-reprimanded-after-banning-christian-union-from-freshers-fair-a3654711.html

There is an odd concept of 'secular' in the original decision to ban by the JCR (student body), given that secular does not mean the absence of religion, rather the freedom of it, and at the same time freedom from it, depending on personal choice. But I think the main issue behind it was the daft student fashion for 'safe space', which stops dialogue and debate, but also stops challenges where they need to be made. Also in cases like this Christians make easy targets, and I wonder if the same anti-colonial guff would have been trotted out against an Islamic society?

Perhaps Freshers' Fairs have changed a bit since my time.
But they used to be the main opportunity for student organisations to sign up potential recruits.
I'm unclear what I would be signing up to at a multi-faith stall. It can hardly be 'multi-faith' as that would imply apostasy (=> death in certain religions).
And I wonder if pantheists, panentheists and devotees of the other 'old religions' would have been allowed a place to tout their wares.

A multifaith stall sounds to me like a breeding ground for not-so-micro-aggression ("You Odinist Fellowship people have got metre more frontage for your leaflets than we Druids; take that...thwack")

Is Christianity a religion?

Stonge wrote:Is Christianity a religion?

Does the Pope poop in the woods? I'm waiting for the punchline Stonge, I take it you have one?

Correct response to the issues around the initial ban from the NSS:

The National Secular Society backed the decision to allow Christian Union and other religious groups to attend future freshers' fairs at the College, arguing that "religions should be free to compete in the marketplace of ideas".

Stephen Evans, Campaigns Director at the NSS, said, "The ban on the Christian Union had nothing to do with secularism and everything to do with the censorious 'safe space' mindset that seeks to create echo chambers of like-minded thought.

"Attempts to create environments where students aren't exposed to ideas and speech that make them feel uncomfortable is corrosive to free speech and inimical to intellectual exploration and debate."

http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2017/10/student-u-turn-over-christian-union-ban-at-oxford-college