University Might Actually Remove Bibles & Crosses from Chapel After Receiving Complaint

A public university - in Oklahoma, of all places - is giving serious consideration to removing overtly religious items, including Bibles and crosses, from its chapel.

Huh?

Although the latest twist in the saga, as reported by KFOR.com, is that the school, East Central University, is now reconsidering its decision in the wake of tremendous pushback from both members of the school community and the public, at large, the fact that the prospective move is being weighed at all is startling, to say the least.

To what should be a surprise to no one, the school did not arrive at the decision to remove the items on its own, but, rather, as a response to a complaint letter it received from a group called Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

The letter ECU received from the group reads, in part, ���While it is legal for a public university to have a space that can be used by students for religious worship so long as that space is not dedicated solely to that purpose, it is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to display religious iconography on government property. Please remove or cover the religious displays and items.���

And ECU, in response, decided to do just that.

However, as news of ECU���s decision to acquiesce to Americans United���s demands spread, the school immediately began to get an earful���from, basically, everyone. It was at that point that ECU decided, at least for now, to hold off on evacuating all religious articles from its chapel.

���We moved too quickly,��� said ECU President Katricia Pierson. ���We regret not taking time to pause and thoughtfully consider the request and the results of our actions on all of the students, faculty and community members who we serve.���

Commenting on the issue, Randall Christy, founder of Ada, Oklahoma���s Gospel Station Network, said that ���it���s time for Christian people to take a stand for our history and heritage.���

���The idea that the cross excludes people is not true ��� it���s the opposite,��� Christy said. ���The cross represents that all are welcome, that people of all walks of life are loved by God.���

���I urge Gov. Fallin to stop this removal of the cross until all legal options can be examined.���

For now, the removal of the religious articles from the chapel is on hold until a committee comprised of faculty members and students, as well as members of the local community, can be assembled to discuss the matter.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large