Christian Campus Group Sues After Being Snubbed by Ohio St. Univ.

by Jim Brown
March 18, 2004

(AgapePress) - A federal lawsuit accuses The Ohio State University of violating the free-speech rights of a Christian student group.

Ohio State recently threatened to de-recognize the Christian Legal Society if it did not admit that homosexuals and non-Christians had the right to join the club and even lead it. That has prompted CLS to file a lawsuit challenging the school's non-discrimination policy.

Chief litigation counsel Steve Aden believes Ohio State is violating the First Amendment rights of his organization to free exercise of religion, free speech, and free association. While he says he will not attempt to characterize the motives of the university, Aden will make this observation:

"I will say that it seems that they've not had much understanding of the rights of religious persons to meet together, to worship together, to study the Bible together with others of like mind," he says. "It seems to the university, I think, that anytime a club is excluding anyone for any reason that that smacks of discrimination."

According to the CLS spokesman, past court rulings have held that religious groups are exempt from provisions of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Aden, who filed the federal lawsuit, says Ohio State and other universities are employing a disturbing double standard.

"I don't know of any university that is investigating secular clubs for refusing to admit members they don't agree with," he points out. "For example, I don't know of any environmentalist clubs that are being investigated for refusing to admit non-environmentalists or anti-environmentalists. It seems to only apply to religious clubs -- and that's obviously of concern to us."

Aden says taking legal action was necessary because the university reneged on its promise to resolve the dispute at the end of a 90-day review period.