In a previous article, The VIP reported on a local religious discrimination investigation taking place at the University of Evansville involving none other than the Evansville/Vanderburgh Human Relations Commission Chairman, Dr. Robert Dion. The following is a press release from the victim.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
I am Jalen Chestnut, and I am University Studies Religious Studies Student at the University of Evansville. I am known on our campus as “Preacher dude.” This nickname has come about because I have been “open air preaching” The Gospel of Jesus Christ, (John 3:16) on campus for about 5 months.
The message I preach is centered on God’s Love for all people. Why do I preach on campus?
1. I love All people as God Loves All people and I do not want them to die in their sin and be eternally separated from The Lover of Their soul.
2. I am an Evangelist/Associate Minister at The Rock in Evansville, and I am called to share The Love of Jesus Christ with the world.
3. January-May, Spring Semester 2019, I had a Religious ministry internship for course credit. This included the serving work I do at my local church: preaching, teaching, outreach, leadership meetings, rehearsals, prayer times, etc. and also open air preaching on our UE campus.
Since we are a school that is “Methodist Affiliated,” we promote diversity, inclusion, and freedom for all people, so I just knew preaching The Gospel message would add to the virtues of our educational environment, would add to the image and purpose of our campus, and would simply bring positivity to a sometimes stressful environment.
I have preached the same message on Evansville street corners before and have witnessed the impact that this positive message has given people in our community, so I knew by open air preaching on our UE campus it was going to do that and more. But it hasn’t been an entirely positive experience.
For the gospel I am persecuted, and in Christ I Stand. I stand for freedom of speech, religious freedom, equality for Christians, and equality for all people.
I have been religiously discriminated against, racially discriminated against, and I have been bullied and harassed by Administration and faculty of the University of Evansville.
Dr. Robert Dion, Professor at UE and Chairman of the Evansville Human Relations Commission/Photo Credit evansville.edu
On one occasion, a faculty person chose to give me the middle finger multiple times while I was preaching one day. He even did so outside the so called “free speech zone” that the administration forced me to preach in. This person was none other than the Evansville/Vanderburgh Human Relations Commission Chairman and the University Political Science and Law Chairman, Dr. Robert Dion.
Along with Dr. Dion, fourteen other UE staff members also came against, tried to stop, and tried to hinder my freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and quite possibly even acted in racial discrimination against me (since every staff member involved in this, including Dr. Dion, is Caucasian).
I believe that religious discrimination is the reason why the University of Evansville does not like my method and my message.
The University of Evansville has clearly displayed that they have a progressive left, atheistic agenda that wears the costume and mask of equality, diversity, inclusion, and even Methodism. While underneath, the university has grown a heart of hatred to oppress, make silent, and to marginalize the message of Jesus Christ.
Intolerance toward one view and tolerance for another is not acceptable in the land of equality, freedom, and justice for all.
I am requesting That Evansville City Council and the Vanderburgh County Commissioners (who are the two appointing bodies of the HRC) remove Dr. Robert Dion from the Evansville Vanderburgh Human Relations Commission for his actions (which he has admitted to UE staff) and his violations of my rights.
Three student witnesses also reported Dr. Dion to the University for his actions, but the University has taken no disciplinary action against him in the two months they have been aware of the situation.
The University of Evansville is now under investigation by the Indiana Civil Rights Commission.
If you would like to know more details about the religious discrimination situation at UE, watch my video testimony and read my follow-up stories in the VIP NEWS.
Thank you,
Jalen J. Chestnut
The University of Evansville is currently under investigation by the Indiana Civil Rights Commission in Indianapolis for the aforementioned alleged religious discrimination.
To remain informed on the progress of this case, stay tuned to The VIP News.
Just a thought, other students don’t enjoy being shouted at about a religion that they don’t practice and don’t believe in. You’re not going to change my mind/heart/soul by standing on the sidewalk and un-invitedly shouting at me about Jesus.
Just a thought, no one should be given the middle finger, harassed, or shouted at by faculty and administration just because they are proclaiming the Love of Jesus on a campus that claims to stand for freedom of religion, diversity, and inclusion.
Hello! I have, and so does Dr. Dion, every right to flip you or Jalen or anyone off for shouting at me unsolicitedly about your religion and your belief that I need to be “saved.” You can’t claim freedom of speech and then be upset when people disagree with you, even rudely. No harm has come to Jalen. Thinking you should be able to shout at people with no repercussions isn’t freedom of speech, it’s being given priority. When you’re used to privilege, equality feels like oppression, I guess. You can claim love all you want, but some people have had and continue to have horrible experiences with followers of the Christian faith. I really don’t need to be reminded on my walk to my classes that you and all of your friends think I’m going to hell.
Jalen, take all these comments in and know that what your doing is bigger than you. People tore down Christ and all he ever did was love people. Don’t be discouraged at the loud voices. Just know that God is proud of you and your doing the right thing. Everybody has free will to accept God or not. Keep on keepin on. The enemy is busy!
@Another UE Student
Yo Jalen, that you?
Keep on Preaching remember they disliked Christ. He reminds of that He was first hated. But the Bible says whoever is faithful to the End will what? 🙂 that is what keeps me motivated!
Whether you like it or will change your mind, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the right to do it. Jalen, continue your declaration of the Truth.
Oh yes…I bet he believes he is a “Prophet” bringing the word of God to unvelievers…but he is a charlatan…spineless…crying like baby and seeking attention because he got flipped off…a True Christian would be unshaken…the LORD was crucified and did not go to city council about it…ridiculous..
Stop using your race as an excuse to able your obnoxious yelling at students and faculty every day during the school year. You contributed to the stress students were under and every one avoided you because of your yelling of the same words every day. It’s not that UE disliked your words it’s how you went about doing it. You harassed and repeatedly yelled at everyone about the gospel after being asked repeatedly to quiet down or not yell directly at the passing people. You’ll be hearing from the multiple lawyers I know that for a fact against you. You won’t win this one. There’s already a petition to get you off the campus. Haha. Nice try.
Where can I find this petition 👀
There is a difference between preaching to people in a calm welcoming way and yelling so load that you disturb classes and wake up people in Jones hall across the road. Many students just wanted to walk to class in peace without getting yelled at.
I agree with “A UE Student.” I’m fine with any religion, especially since we’re a religiously affiliated school; however, hearing you scream nonstop every morning about hell and the devil got old fast. I’m not the only one either, all my friends complained about you during lunch since you’d preach outside Ridgway as we were trying to eat and relax.
It’s fine to be religious and to help inform people to what you believe is right but forcing thousands of people to hear your screaming isn’t the right way to go about it.
Shame on University Of Evansville!
As a fellow Christian (Catholic), i have to say that you are not being discriminated against. You are free to yell at people about Jesus, which I hate when people do that, and they are free to respond to you (yelling back, middle finger, ignoring you…) As long as they are not causing you harm, it is fine. Freedom of speech works both ways.
I hate when people try to push their religion on other people in public, even when it is a religion close to mine
As a Christian UE student, if you incoherrently scream at a captive audience for 5 months straight in a free speech zone. You should expect them to use their right to free speech to flip them off.
You have the right to yell about it as much as they have the right to tell you to stop, that’s how this works.
I go to UE, and I have lots of Christian friends. None of them have ever been discriminated against, but then none of them stand outside and harass people with intolerant, fire-and-brimstone diatribes. Religion doesn’t have to be a public disruption.
As a UE student, I don’t think what Jalen does is wrong. I remember sitting in class listening to my professor and students talk about “the preacher dude” and I was offended because the University of Evansville shows they are not for inclusion and diversity. The amount of students who spoke about racism and discrimination this past school year was a lot and it doesn’t surprise me that there is yet another situation involving discrimination. Do better UE!
I am a fellow Christian and UE alum. In my opinion, hearts are not changed by people yelling at them. I believe having genuine relationships with people and showing God’s love through your actions is far more valuable.
After watching the video, your heart for God and others is evident, but I have to agree with the “method vs. message” argument.
I know Jalen personally and he is a pretty cool dude, I do not think his approach is the best, nor do I think that the faculty approached the situation correctly. I do agree on freedom of speech but I believe that your freedom ends when it has begun to impede upon my freedom. As an inclusive campus it offers the right venues for students to gather and talk about God, provided THEY WANT TO DO SO. Standing in the middle of campus and forcing other students to listen to it should not be allowed or should not be protected as freedom of speech. To get respect you better offer respect 🤷🏽♂️
We tolerate you. You stand around outside and disrespect everyone with your narrow, unsolicited evangelism, and we just grin and bear it. Why can’t you just grin and bear it when a professor whose life you preach against flips you the (very solicited) bird? That’s the real double standard, when you can annoy and harangue people for who they are, but then you cry discrimination the minute someone pushes back.
What Jalen fails to mention in this article is the specific content of his preaching. Yes it is Christ-centered but he also has openly discriminated against homosexuality multiple times, to the entire campus. At one point, he even compared homosexuals to rapists and as a queer woman who has been raped, I felt unsafe and uncomfortable. Jalen has the right to believe whatever he likes, but he was making the majority of the student body feel this way as we simply tried to walk to class. It’s no wonder to me that as a gay man, Dr. Dion tried to stop Jalen from spreading a message of ignorance and hate against his community.
It’s really sad to me that this article is claiming discrimination against a Christian, who just happens to be black. But no one has even acknowledged the discrimination against that of a gay white man. It is sad, but sadly not surprising, that the local news has conveniently left that fact out.
This University should be ashamed! Why would you even want Faculty/Leadership giving someone the bird! What kind of example was Dr. Dion setting for students? At the very least, the campus should have issues an apology. None of my children will ever attend this school. Horrible leadership!
He’s actually teaching a very important principle: Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences. If you yell unsolicited religious diatribes at people, you don’t get to complain when those people respond with their own thoughts or feelings.
Mr. Chestnut by all indications from the people he has “spoken Truth to” has in the past made some rather homophobic sentiments known, and on a campus which has numerous LGBTQ+ students. He has made students uncomfortable, and it is truly a sign that the University values freedom of expression that Mr. Chestnut has not been forbidden from the campus. Given that Dr. Dion is himself apparently gay (which, I remind you, is something which Mr. Chestnut has made his distaste for quite apparent), his hostility is not only understandable, it is, to any reasonable person, *warranted*.
I think the issue he has isn’t from or about other students, it’s about the faculty and staff. They should be able to hold their tongue when passing this or any student. Free speech zone… these are disgusting and I’m disappointed my university would stoop to no welcoming free speech in every area of their campus.
So you are saying only certain people should have the right to free speech?
Freedom of speech protects you from governmental and institutional persecution. The fact that the university provided you a platform…your “free speech zone”…to preach gospel from means that you have no legal grounds to claim violation of the First Amendment. Dr. Dion as an individual has as much right to flip you off as you have to accost students with your evangelism. And his response to your message is protected by freedom of speech and is in no way an “assault” on your rights any more than his engaging you in a debate would be, or any more than your own trying to evangelize people of other faiths is. Your disrespect was met with his disrespect, and his response was on an individual level, not an institutional one, so he’s in the clear. Also, his flipping the bird clearly hasn’t stopped your preaching, so he didn’t violate your right to free speech.
Tbh Dr Dion flipping you off probably has nothing to do with your race and everything to do with your preaching being obnoxious? Regardless all you have is speculation of bias-no real evidence, so.
We used to have an evangelical, overzealous older white man screaming at students from the corner of the campus when I attended 20 years ago. Every week, for hours. And his method wasn’t appreciated then either. A lot of things DO have to do with race, but making people feel intimidated or uncomfortable, is not only ineffective, it pushes people further away in the long run. Wishing you all the best in your endeavors and hoping you are able to find methods that reach people in a way that brings you, and them, joy.
I remember when the True Workers of Christ experienced real discrimination…they were tortured…crucified…what would they think about this Worker being given the “fudging finger…”????? How weak…to go complain to the city council because of one man…I will be praying for you Mr. Chestnut! That you will find your strength…one day.. God knows this isn’t strength, but shame! This is not religious discrimination…how weak, one’s faith is!! to spend time and God’s precious energy whining and griping because you got bullied by a professor…oh yes I will pray for you Mr. Chestnut!! disappointed.
Well you most definitely sound like a “True Worker of Christ”. Who are you to say that he is waisting “God’s precious energy whining and griping”??? Are you God? Do you know how God feels about this situation? You may as well save your prayers, because I’m not sure that God will hear them. Let’s see how you handle being bullied by anyone. I guess you would have to come from behind the keyboard first….
Macy: I have been bullied for my faith…Jesus was bullied for his faith…Muslims are bullied for their faith…we are all bullied for our faiths…but none of us cry about it…Jesus did not cry about it. He died about it…so much more than suffering a middle finger……😭😭😭. This is the kind of snowflake behavior my nephew talks about in Christians these days….they can dole it out but they can’t take it…the True blessing of God comes when we CAN take it…and not embarrass
Jalen has suffered so much more than just a middle finger. You are so far removed from the situation. Also this is 2019 in the United States, and fortunately people are not being stoned for their religious beliefs just yet. But trust and believe if some of these students and faculty were able to stone him they would. “The true blessing of God comes when we CAN take it”….I would so hate to be one of your children. God cares about every “little” thing that concerns us. Even if it is deemed petty or snowflakish to someone else. I’ll pray for you Barb. Statements like the ones you make are the very reason that Christians can’t unite.
Macy…
Jalen is an incredible man that is standing up for the intolerance and bigotry of the left-leaning educational and governmental systems. This has not been fair for him whatsoever. So you can continue to divert the issue and dismiss all intolerance towards him all you want, but this bullying will not go unnoticed like these professors are hoping. Exposure is coming.
So why didn’t the professor simply step INTO the free speech zone and express his view?
Why didn’t other students also step into that zone and express their views?
And given this is a Methodist affiliated institution, shouldn’t one be expecting some outdoor preaching??
While this is an extreme occurence of some discrimination and equality issues on campus, UE does try to subconsciously cover up anything that is related to Christianity. It seems as though they are more supportive of all religions except those of the Christian religion. So much emphasis is placed upon the fact that UE is interfaith, meaning they support all religions, beliefs, and affilitions, that the christian organizations are basically lost amongst the more diverse religions. While Jalen may be exaggerating his experience, he is not the only student who has experienced some sort of discrimination toward the Christian faith on campus. For example, while at UE dinners and events where a prayer or blessing is said before eating, I have heard multiple faculty members grumble about or openly express their disagreement toward the opening prayer. Another example is how the university faculty show dislike toward the fact that there are Bible studies that meet on the second floor of Ridgway. If there were groups of the Islamic religion or Judaism meeting in that space, I bet the university would not show any disagreement at all. It is almost as if the University views any sign of Christianity as discriminatory and contrary to their main focus of diversity, equality, and inclusion. Christians on campus deserve the same respect as all other religions, and by suppressing their acts of faith, the university breaks their tolerance of diversity, equality, and inclusion.
Your mention of a prayer before meals undercuts your point.
If this had been someone from the LGBT community every one would be all for it. Christians are under attack. This professor should be ashamed of himself. What I would expect from a professor is for them to go and have a conversation with a student. Even if they had to agree to disagree. But to give a student the middle finger. Even with it being within his right to do so is not fighting back. Its just childish and unprofessional actions at its best. University of Evansville is just showing its students that faculty members are above professionalism and accountability.
But here’s the difference: the LGBT community doesn’t harass people and tell them they’re going to hell or try to force them to be gay. The LGBT community just wants to exist and be accepted as people. Christians aren’t under attack, and Jalen especially isn’t under attack. Jalen here threw the first stone! He provoked the ire of countless classmates and faculty. We were fine just letting him believe what he wanted to and coexisting with him, but when he started trying to force us to believe what he believed, it became a problem. And regardless of what “professionalism” dictates, no professor should have to deal with hateful vitriol and the very invalidation of their own humanity, especially in their workplace. A middle finger in passing is small compared to being shouted at that you are going to burn for eternity just because of who you love.
Oh I get it. We have to tolerate the perverse homosexual agenda forced on our children in school, at the libraries,etc., and we have NO SAY ABOUT THAT, but when a man is reaching out to share the good news of the gospel in hopes that people will repent and not go to Hell, he’s the bad guy. Unbelievable that Mr. Dion would set that kind of INTOLERANT example. It’s ok for the perversion to saturate our school system, indoctrinate our children and we are powerless because of the intolerance of people like Mr. Dion. Can u imagine if we reacted the same way at at the Library fiasco? They wouldn’t even let us inside, and WASTED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF POLICE OVERTIME PAY, COSTING US TAXPAYERS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, and you are whining about letting someone have the right to share the gospel? Pretty typical of the intolerant Lefty Communists.
Huff less paint.
TLDR: THIS IS BUZZWORD HATE SPEECH TROLLING. KEEP SCROLLING.
Noah preached in the open air. The prophets all preached outdoors and in the public. Jesus ministry was primarily outdoors and in the streets preaching. The formation of the NT Church was accomplished with open air preaching in the markets, temple, and where ever people met. Many early church fathers engaged in evangelism in the public, even addressing civil magistrates. The Protestant Reformation was a reformation of preaching which was led by open air preachers like William Farrel. The first great awakening had George Whitefield and John Wesley. Even the revivalism of the 19th and 20th century was led by open air preaching.
Keep it up Jalen. The opinions of the God haters on here only mean that people are hearing you and as the Word of the Lord says-
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Romans 10:9-15 ESV
Keep planting those seeds brother!
There’s a time and a place, Fink, and the middle of a small campus within earshot of buildings filled with people trying to do their jobs and teach isn’t either. He can preach on street corners, if he wants. People have asked to be left alone when they walk by him, and he still accosts them, disrespecting their autonomy and wishes. Evangelism loses its righteousness when it violates consent.
This guy would stand in front of our buildings and scream at the top of his lungs about Jesus to the point that it was hard to focus in class. I’m in debt because of my degree, and every minute his shouting took away from my education is another hundreds of dollars I’m not getting back. I didn’t pay to hear him yell. I paid to sit in class and learn, and he sometimes made that impossible. I totally flunked a lit test because I couldn’t hear myself think over him shouting outside of SOBA once.
Here’s the thing: a lot of Jalen’s “sermons” are anti-LGBT. Which is more than a belief. It’s an existence. And when he speed against the LGBT community, he spews invalidates the existence of LGBT people. He has a right to believe whatever he wants about being gay, but he doesn’t have a right to lambast people about who they are and make them feel the way he does, especially when they have already struggled for validation in society’s eyes. He can just as easily keep his beliefs to himself on those matters and preach about whatever else. But the minute you start using your beliefs to minimize the existences and identities of other people and tell them that they are damned to hell, then you’ve crossed a line. That’s intolerance and hatred. The LGBT community doesn’t put up a platform demanding that Christians stop believing and worshipping. The LGBT community’s platform is all about living their own lives, free from harrassment and laws that prevent them from enjoying the same civil liberties as anyone else. It’s a different situation coming from Jalen, and when we tolerate the kind of intolerance he promotes, then we are putting the LGBT community—whose actual rights are very much under attack—in danger. Many Christians say LGBT people can’t get married. I’ve never heard an LGBT person say that Christians can’t get married. I’ve never heard an LGBT person condemn a Christian to hell. But I’ve heard these things from Jalen. And yeah, if you were a gay professor being harassed for existing the way you do—in your own workplace, no less—if you were having your validity as a person called into question by a zealot, you’d probably want to flip him off, too. And that’s not “oppression” or “discrimination.” It’s fighting back. And it’s no different in magnitude than Jalen shouting without invitation into the faces of passers-by, basically raping their ears with his incessant rampages, despite people asking him to stop, despite their requesting that he leave them alone, despite their revocation of conversational consent. Nobody says Jalen can’t believe what he does. He’s allowed to speak because of the First Amendment. And that protects him from institutional retaliation. But if individuals don’t want to hear it, they have a right to verbalize their grievances with him. Even if that means flipping him off. The First Amendment doesn’t protect you from the social consequences of your speech—only the legal ones.
Mr. Deon should be made to answer for his intolerant & possibly racist actions. U of E should expect more professionalism from its staff.
And Jalen should be made to answer for his harassment of the LGBT community.
Hi Jalen, God bless you. As a seasoned believe, leader in the body and short-term missionary I want to encourage you to listen to how people are responding to how you are communicating. Make sure that you are doing everything in love. You can share the love of God and even the consequences of God for those who refuse to turn from sin, but it must always be in the context of love. Its difficult to do this without closing off your listener. Love, love and more love because that is who God is. Continually check your heart to see if your motives are pure and that you are not coming across as condemning. Jesus said I didn’t come to condemn the world, but to save it. Seek God for the method and the message and He will give you divine wisdom. When Jesus preached in Israel, did they flee from Him? No, they ran to Him because they sensed that what they had always been looking for was in Him and His message. Jesus said I only do what I see the Father doing. Seek Him each day, learn to discern His voice from all others to see exactly what message He wants to give that day and how to present it. Jesus said if I be lifted up I will draw all men to myself. Are people being drawn or repelled? Grace to you and wisdom in Jesus’ name.
Very well said. Everything in love…
What Jalen displays is a classic case of toxic Christianity, the idea that you can bully other people because you think you’re validated by God’s righteousness, but then when the people you bully retaliate, you claim you’re being persecuted. Evangelism is one of the most dangerous and despicable things about religion, because it essentially says “It’s not enough that I believe. You must believe what I believe, too.” It presupposes divine justification for violating someone’s consent. Jalen had better be careful; I had a friend once who was evangelically bullied for months. Told she was going to Hell unless she went to church. Over and over, and when she asked the person to stop—when she BEGGED the person to stop, that person wouldn’t. That person said it was for her own good, that it was for the salvation of her soul. That friend of mine eventually couldn’t take it anymore, and she killed herself.
You wouldn’t go into a library and start screaming and expect that to sit well with people. How is that any different than screaming at people when they’re trying to listen in class and study? Find a different place to preach where you’re not affecting people’s grades, why don’t you?
Dr. Dion isn’t racist. He had been upstandingly anti-racist, in fact. He has a record for promoting social justice. And you have no grounds to call him racist and no evidence of a racial motive. You, on the other hand, Jalen, have a reputation for being a homophobe, and some of us even have you on video saying arguably hateful things. So you go ahead and bring this to the Civil Rights Commission, because a lot of us would just love to offer our input as well. You’d best hope this doesn’t backfire on you.
It sure sounds like this fine young man is being discriminated for his race. Why else would a so-called Methodist University bully him? Was the atheist also disciplined? 😒 U.of E.? I’m waiting for your comment/response.
I cannot believe anyone actually believes this is about race. It has absolutely nothing to do with that. All Jalen claimed was that the people who criticized him were white (which he assumed, by the way–there are fair-skinned people of other races). Look at the number of white people in this city vs. the number of minorities. 82% of people in Evansville are white. Given the stats, how could Jalen expect half of the people to criticize him to be dark-skinned??? This does not make sense to me, but if someone wants to dispute this notion, I’m all ears. Or eyes, technically. I think by claiming racial discrimination, Jalen is doing a disservice to those who’ve actually experienced it. As far as the identity of the university, I believe Jalen is way off base. I’ve yet to witness any sort of institutional discrimination. People keep saying that Jalen was disciplined…How? By asking him to preach in an area that won’t cause a huge disturbance in class? When many students approach the university administration, inform it that there is someone disturbing class for everyone, and ask for its help in dealing with the issue, what is the university supposed to do? As far as Dr. Dion goes, it’s my understanding that his free speech is totally protected here and no discipline is warranted. If Jalen can scream at the top of his lungs that Dr. Dion and others are going to hell, then Dr. Dion has every right to flip him off. I find evangelism in general to be very presumptuous in nature. Honestly, it does offend me. But to scream it as loud as you can is worse. It’s basically saying to everyone around, “I don’t care about what you want or what your wishes are. I am going to force you to hear something whether you like it or not.” That isn’t fair to other students, faculty, staff, and admin. I remain a proud Ace.
Y’all bunch of haters on Jalen. I left this school because of this kind of stuff. The departments teach paganism and idol worship. One professor Dr. Berry told me to shut my mouth in class because I went against his agenda. He pretended to play ouija in class with another student. One class had a fake pig sacrifice. Great instructor though, just the schools agenda. I was attacked by a Catholic priest who tried to get me to commit idolatry and attacked my character. I believe everything this kid is saying. I’ve had the honor to meet him a couple of times and I can say he has done nothing wrong. If you don’t wanna hear it stay away! This school is extremely Pagan. You have to remember it is a school though, and that means there is an agenda in place. That doesn’t mean we have to follow their agenda.
Yeah, no, none of that is accurate. Dr. Berry teaches anthropology and sociology, and historically, some humans were pagan. So to not teach about them is revisionist. But the school doesn’t promote a pagan agenda, or any religious agenda, for that matter. And I can assure you, anything done in class dealing with a ouija board or “pig sacrifice” was done in jest. And Catholics don’t worship idols, so you can drop that tired narrative right away. If your mind is so narrow that the inclusion of pagan cultures in a class about human history is offensive to you, then maybe you should stay out of higher education.
The First Amendment of The United States Constitution includes the freedom of religion. Understand that the First Amendment also includes the freedom FROM religion.
No one forced you to participate in religion. You just heard someone talking about religion. On a daily basis, I walk by UE signs containing a rainbow heart with a message that reads “Love has no gender.” While love has no gender, this sign is clearly meant to support the LGBTQ agenda and states information about the PRIDE group at the bottom. I don’t support the LGBTQ agenda, but I saw their message. I did not claim I have the right to freedom FROM their speech for two reasons. First, freedom of speech is not limited to only speech which does not irritate you. Second, I practice tolerance of others…all others – not just others with whom I agree.
It is my belief that there is never an instance where it is permissible for a UE employee, tenured for not, to flip off a student. When parents entrust their sons and daughters to UE, they do not expect them to be flipped off by an employee. While it might have been Dr. Dion’s constitutional right to flip off Jalen, it is a horrible reflection on the university. All UE employees must treat students with respect regardless of whether or not they agree with their views.