He made it through last night's elimination round, but how much longer can he last? After Manbeasta made religious comments last season that were considered bigoted and proselytizing, she was bumped the very next week.
While I don't understand the whole religion thing, I don't think it is a deal breaker for me. Just look at Jennifer Hudson. She seems to have a deep faith, but a faith that is based on a loving and accepting God.
Now Chris Sligh, the American Idol contestant who has won fans thanks to his curly mop of hair and soulful voice, has a few people concerned with his departure from strictly Christian music. Sligh attended fundamentalist Bob Jones University for several years and North Greenville University, a small Baptist school, after leaving Bob Jones in the late 1990s. People who know Sligh well say that he may be singing rock 'n' roll on television, but he's always clear about the faith that motivates his music.
Bob Jones University is the most ultra-fundamentalist (unaccredited) "college" in the country famous for bigotry based on race and sexual-orientation. Democratic candidates refuse to speak there, and Republicans do so at their peril. Republicans find themselves in a double bind because they must speak there to prove their fundie credentials and win in the primaries, but it positions them too far out of the mainstream for normal voters. Witness the downfall of John McCain in the polls after giving the commencement address there last year. Mr. McCain was the only presidential candidate I financially supported in 2000, but he lost my support with this decision. If he'll speak do them at graduation, he'll take their calls on all manner of policy decisions such at Hate Crimes legislation, etc.
Cheryl Greene, the professor who helped Sligh hone his vocal talents, said just because Sligh may not be singing strictly Christian-themed songs shouldn't reflect on the depth of his faith. But Greene said she has worries over Sligh's long-term spiritual journey. "Is he going to stand strong by his true Christian morals?" Greene said. "Christianity is a lifestyle ... and there are things in your life that you do need to stand for."
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
American Idol: Time For Fundie Sligh To Go
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4 comments:
I was disappointed to learn of Sligh's affiliation with Bob Jones University, too. With his wry sense of humor and wit somehow he seems too smart to buy into that brand of crazy fundie bullshit. I guess ya never know.
FYI: BJU is currently accredited and was at the time of your post. The became accredited for the 2006-2007 school year.
I hope you know that any Christian school will have bounders but not as much as BJ so please quiet hateing
I attended BJU but did not find them to be a racist school. Their former inter-racial dating rules affected every race and not just one. Too bad Dr Bob wasn't a black man because then it wouldn't be a KKK issue with you. I did find the rule to be an extreme when they had it and unbiblical, but I knew what I was getting into before I went there.
When I attended there back in the late 80's and early 90's, I did not find black people discriminated against at all. In fact, I found Dr Bob Jr and the 3rd to be extremely kind to other races. In speech class, a lady from Guam stated how Dr Bob 3rd had them over to their house for dinner. Dr Bob Jr. had a friend that he referred to as his best friend that was black who even came to speak during chapel on the day of Bob Jr's birthday. The president back then of the preachers boys class was a black man.
The rules were stupid that prohibited inter-racial dating but we almost all recognized it to be as such. Dr Bob 3rd changed the rule after his fathers death. He did not want to do it right away as that would look like he was looking to change that rule the moment he died. Dr Bob did not believe that Scripture supported such a belief. Dr Bob 3rd clearly was battling this issue for sometime because it was years earlier on the Phil Donahue show that he fought the audience and Phil Donahue that inter-racial dating was not allowed in Scripture and now clearly questions it.
Trust me, if you go to BJU and claim to support the KKK then you will be expelled. If you call a black man a racial name then you will most likely be expelled as that is specifically condemned at that school. I had friends of all races at that school and NOT ONCE did I ever hear them complain that they felt discriminated against. The only cries of racism that I ever heard was during the Persian Gulf War from those from Pakistan that were students. They felt that the war was wrong and felt discriminated against for our prayers to the US troops and the many jokes we cracked about Saddam Hussein. One of the jokes came from Dr Bob Jr that talked about how proud Napoleon was by wearing red all the time because he didn't want people to know that he was shot. He then asked what reason do we think Saddam Hussein always wears brown. That was one of many jokes taken as racism by some.
I found your image a little extreme as it did not fit the reality of the campus life at BJU.
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