Last week, I wrote an article about being a Christian at a public university. Humorous as it was, it was also not satirical. As a young Christian attending a secular university, I have discovered that despite the fact there is acceptance for nearly every background in today’s world, it is quite unpopular to be a Christian.
This semester, I walked into a class the very first night and realized that not only was my professor a flaming Liberal (which I am not) who believed in evolution (which I do not), but he was also the type of professor to treat you unequally if you did not share his beliefs. This was upsetting on a couple of levels: as a college student, I want to do well in my classes, but as a Christian, I don’t want to feel as though I have to compromise my beliefs in order to do so.
We read an article that first night that basically attempted to destroy the Christian belief that we were created by God. We had group discussions about it, and then came back to talk about it as a class. When I voiced my opinion about how offensive the article was towards Christians, the professor’s response was, “Are you offended because the article was accurate, and it dismantled your belief system?” After a few moments of debating between whether or not it was going to be worth it to dismantle his entire belief system and possibly fail the class, I simply responded with a, “No, sir. Actually, never mind.” I sat there for the rest of class, staring at his smug and satisfied grin, feeling awful about the fact that I hadn’t defended my beliefs, but at the same time I could tell that if I had, it would have severely impacted my grade in the class.
So where is the balance? Where do I draw the line between giving the professor the answers they want and staying true to my own beliefs? I hate feeling as if I have to give answers that I do not agree with in the least, just to keep my GPA in good standing. It’s also upsetting that some people are unable to keep an unbiased mind and respect that just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean they are wrong, or being offensive.
It’s a shame that many of the same people marching around professing their tolerance and acceptance of people from all backgrounds and opinions are the very ones doing the exact opposite when it comes to Christians. It seems that being a Christian is the only lifestyle that’s no longer allowed or tolerated. People are constantly being recognized and praised for standing up for the beliefs and rights of others, but when it’s Christian beliefs that are being defended, it’s broadcasted as offensive and shut down almost immediately.
Who remembers the Christian bakery that was publicly shamed and ended up having to close down, simply because they refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding? Did you know that Muslim bakers also refuse to bake cakes for gay weddings? Do you remember seeing them called out and taken to court over it? I don’t.
Although the likelihood of this is slim to none, I long for a time when the claim that all beliefs are valued equally actually holds true, and when people respect your right to exercise your convictions without having a price to pay, no matter what background you come from.
