Barry Lynn, the inexhaustible head of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, did not disappoint when he strongly endorsed Vanderbilt’s policy of requiring student religious groups to accept nonbelievers as members and officers. Lynn, speaking at the annual public policy debate at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, said he supported Vanderbilt’s decision to adopt an “all comers policy” for student group membership. According to an article in the Christian Post, Lynn said that Christian groups must “get over” themselves and open up their leadership positions to all people regardless of their beliefs (you know, like having Holocaust deniers lead Jewish groups and cattle ranchers lead Hindu groups).
Lynn urged the Christians at Vanderbilt to start meeting in homes off campus. He illustrated his advice by saying that home churches “kept Christianity alive during the darkest days of communist China.” He’s got a point. That’s the way to teach students about the importance of religious liberty and freedom of conscience. Vanderbilt can justify its policy by saying it is not as bad at Vandy as it is in North Korea (yet!).
Barry Lynn dismissed an example offered to him of a lumberjack heading an environmental group, telling the Christians to “get over it,” because “this is the kind of thing people need to be able to deal with in the real world.” We look forward to seeing Barry Lynn step down as leader of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, so he can be replaced by someone like Sarah Palin or David Barton.
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