Unfortunately, parts of Virginia have found themselves home to some of the worse gay-haters and Christianist whack jobs around: Virginia Beach has the dubious distinction of being home to Pat Robertson's Regent University, numerous ultra conservative groups are based in the western Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and then there's Jerry Falwell's Liberty University in Lynchburg. Of course, the name Liberty University is ironic since its founder and current leadership were/are all about depriving liberty and rights to those who do not subscribe to their intolerant, unloving form of alleged Christianity. While overall Virginia is trending blue, these pockets of lunacy continue to be a blight and embarrassment to non-Kool-Aid drinkers in the state. A Washington Post story looks at some of the zealots who attend Liberty University. Fortunately, they are becoming more and more of a minority in Virginia. Here are some highlights:*
LYNCHBURG, Va. Claire Ayendi is dealing with the fading kick of two double shots of espresso. It's the eve of homecoming weekend at Liberty University, and Ayendi, the president of the college Republican club, is trying to rig up a parade float in support of Sen. John McCain.
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To be a college Republican in the face of Obama Nation takes a measure of fortitude. For Ayendi, it also requires tons of prayer and caffeine. McCain's poll numbers are sliding. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is a bottomless pit of money and energy. Even the hay bales on the rolling hills of once solidly GOP Lynchburg are painted red, white and blue with the name "Obama." And at Liberty University, founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell in 1971, the first student Democratic club has sprung up.
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For eight years, Liberty students have had one of their own in the White House with George W. Bush. . . . A pipeline of jobs stretched from evangelical colleges such as Liberty to the executive branch. Now a new dawn threatens, and young activists such as Ayendi are fighting hard to the final hour, in part to prepare for the new phase of activism they foresee in the event of an Obama victory.
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An astonishing 80 percent of Liberty's 11,400 residential students are registered, and most are Republicans. With polls showing Virginia on the verge of going Democratic, Liberty has canceled classes on Election Day and will provide buses to the polls. The school has also encouraged out-of-state students to switch their registration to Virginia.
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Liberty operates in a parallel universe from other colleges. Alcohol and sex are prohibited. Students caught watching R-rated movies are brought before a court of their peers. Bulletin boards around campus advertise "Pre-Marital Workshops" and the bookstore sells T-shirts that say "I [Heart] Christian Boys."
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Claire Ayendi . . . In addition to opposing abortion and same-sex marriage, she is against social welfare programs and overtaxation by the government.
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Not all of Ayendi's friends at Liberty are in political lockstep, made evident by the arrival of Ray Woolson. . . . Woolson is calm. "I think being a liberal is the most compassionate thing you can do," he says. "Jesus was a pacifist who chose to spend his time with the poor people. They weren't Big Oil, they were prostitutes." "There are a lot of kids at school who are blindly conservative," he says.
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One has to wonder how a liberal was allowed into the college. As is typical, the conservatives claim to be Christian as they advocate for tax cuts and the elimination of social programs. It's about them and THEIR money. To Hell with everyone else. Somehow, I do not think, Christ would be too impressed by the prosperity gospel.
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