A liberal arts major at the northern
California Sonoma State University, 19-year old Audrey Jarvis, has filed a
religious accommodation request after she said she was ordered to remove her
cross necklace because it might offend other students. “It’s amazing in this day of diversity and
tolerance on university campuses that a university official would engage in
this type of obvious religious discrimination,” said Liberty Institute attorney Hiram Sasser who is representing the
student.
On June 27, Jarvis was working for the
university’s Associated Students Productions (ASP) at a student orientation fair
for incoming freshmen. During the event,
her supervisor directed her to remove the cross necklace. Sasser said the supervisor told her that the
chancellor had a policy against wearing religious items and further explained
“that she could not wear her cross necklace because it might offend others, it
might make incoming students feel unwelcome, or it might cause incoming
students to feel that ASP was not an organization they should join.” “My initial reaction was one of complete
shock,” Jarvis told Fox News. “I was thrown for a loop.”
Jarvis said she is a devout Roman Catholic,
and she wears the cross as a symbol of her faith in Christ. “I was offended because I believe as a
Christian woman it is my prerogative to display my faith any way I like so long
as it is not harming anyone else,” she said. “I was very hurt and felt as if the
university’s mission statement – which includes tolerance and inclusivity to
all – was violated.”
On a second encounter, her supervisor
told her she should hide the cross under her shirt or remove it. At that point, Jarvis became so upset she left
her student worker job early.
Attorney Sasser said the university
should apologize for its actions. “It’s
unfortunate there are university officials out there who think that it’s okay
to tell Christians to hide their faith – but would cringe if somebody said the
same thing about hiding someone’s pride in whatever political or cultural
affiliation they may have,” he told Fox
News. He said the law is clear on
the matter – “State employees may wear crosses while they are performing their
duties as long as the wearing does not interfere with the employees' duties or
harm the employer's business interests.”
University spokeswoman Susan Kashack
confirmed to Fox News that the
incident occurred and expressed extreme regret. Jarvis said it’s time for people of faith to
take a stand. “We need to band together
as Christians and fight back,” she said.
The
apostle Paul told us that these final days is no time for us to back down or to
shrivel up in the corner. He said, “... brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold
fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by
letter. May the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal
encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every
good deed and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15-17)
Here is another example of the intolerance of those who are among the
loudest to demand tolerance. Imagine a
university telling an Islamic student to remove her burqa? or a
Jewish student his kippah (skullcap)? Of
course they wouldn’t … for that would be contrary to their diversity as a
university. Clearly, Christianity is
under attack; and Christians had better wake-up and stand-up for their fleeing
freedom of religious expression!
May the
living Lord Jesus Christ encourage and strengthen your stance in the Christian
faith as established upon the absolute truth contained in God’s Holy Word.
Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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