LEXINGTON, KY—“If we ever needed an example of one group trying to impose its morality on others, the critics of University of the Cumberlands have now provided us with one,” said Martin Cothran, senior policy analyst with The Family Foundation.  These comments came after a call from one state representative to cut off state money for a building project at the small Baptist College because she disagreed with the school for expelling a student who violated its religiously-based strictures against the practice and promotion of homosexuality.

“The Tolerance Police are on patrol again,” said Cothran.  “We are becoming more and more concerned with the rhetoric of the gay rights movement in this state, which seems to think it has the right to impose its moral ideology on everybody else.  It’s quite ironic to see people who are always preaching about tolerance trying to force other people who disagree with them to abandon their moral convictions,” said Cothran.  “University of the Cumberlands is a private, religious organization that has the right to set its own moral standards and to enforce them on students who agreed to them when they enrolled.”

The small college in Williamsburg has a policy that specifically restricts students from the practice or promotion of homosexuality.  “If students don’t want to abide by the college’s standards, then they are free to attend another college,” said Cothran.  “In fact, we wonder why a gay student would want to attend a conservative Baptist college in the first place. It is no big secret what the views of conservative Baptists are about homosexuality.  This couldn’t possibly have come as a surprise for the student involved: he knew what the college’s view was when he was admitted.”

Cothran pointed out that the government itself has a similar behavior code.  “There is a similar behavior code imposed by a government organization, which itself kicks people out if it is violated: the military,” said Cothran.  “Under the military’s ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, gays are barred from the same thing.  How can we then say we’re going to cut off funding for any group that has a behavior code that bars homosexuality?  Are we going to cut off funds for the military?”

Cothran also pointed out that many other private religious colleges and universities, as well as elementary and secondary religious schools, have similar policies.  “These schools have long operated under the assumption that we live in a free country and that private, voluntary organizations have the right to set their own standards.  But some people apparently believe that they have the right to interfere with this freedom.”