The Chronicle: Colloquy: Responses

Private colleges can do things state colleges can't. A Catholic college legally can give every student a pamphlet denouncing "cults" and declaring Lutheranism a heresy if it wants. But in the US, a state university cannot warn against any religion or category of religions as "cults." To do so is to violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and should be just as objectionable as to warn against "inferior races."

It's fine for state universities to hold courses taught by responsible scholars covering new religious movements. Check out, for example, the University of Virginia's site at http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~jkh8x/soc257/. What needs to be avoided is for state universities to adopt the agenda of any religious or anti-religious movement, the anti-cult movement included. In the case of the Maryland Task Force on the Effects of Cult Activities, this is exactly what is happening. The Maryland State legislature very unwisely and probably unknowingly initiated what has ended up as a witch hunt. For the background on the Task Force's creation see my testimony at http://www.religiousfreedom.com/tskfrce/fefferman2.htm. Religious evangelism on campuses rarely if ever causes serious problems, because state universities can and do have regulations to protect students from harassment. State actions using derogatory language that denigrates religious minorities is a cure that is worse than the disease.

: -- Dan Fefferman, International Coalition for Religious Freedom (posted 8/31, 12:50 p.m., E.D.T.)

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