I contributed to Bob Jones University

[SCantiGOP]

And I'm mad as hell about it. All South Carolina taxpayers gave money to those vile fanatics this year. The Columbia newspaper's on-line edition is called thestate.com and it has a database where they list all of the grants that handed out money in this year's budget, mostly public building renovations, sewer upgrades, etc. This one caught my eye:

Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery, Inc. Greenville Support Renovations to the Museum & Gallery at Heritage Green to promote economic development and tourism. $50,000.00

There is no way state money should go for something like this, even if they do try to sell it as "economic development and tourism." Another example of life in the bushcheney theocracy.

[yellowdogintexas]

1. oh that SUCKS nt

[knitter4democracy]

2. Grrrr! That's so wrong!!! They shouldn't get a dime!

There's a very good reason for separation of church and state, and they're a prime example.

One of my mom's best students went there, and we met up with her on a visit home once. She hadn't known before going that the college wasn't accredited (at the time, I don't know if that's still true), so if she went anywhere else, not a single class would transfer. She felt so trapped and hated it so much that I'll never forget it. She made it sound like hell. Now, I went to a conservative evangelical college, but ours was never as heartless and horrible as she described that place. Don't get me wrong, it was heartless and horrible, just not as bad. I felt so bad for her.

I wish we could shut down places like that. Shut them all down.

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. Actually, they didn't.

Five million residents paying $50,000 works out to a penny apiece -

nonetheless, I agree with you in principle. State funds should ONLY go to accredited state schools. This was just a ploy to enhance BJU's public profile.

[SCantiGOP]

4. in that case

I want my penny back. Look them up on Wikipedia; some interesting stuff about their long-standing fight with the IRS. They were about to lose their tax exemption in court because they wouldn't accept black students. They changed the policy to let married black couples enroll. When that didn't work, they let black students in but had a policy that you would be expelled for inter-racial dating or even saying that inter-racial dating should be accepted. Very Christ-like.

[knitter4democracy]

5. I refuse to send a single penny to our alma mater.

I'd be mad if I found out that somehow some of our money went there anyway without our knowledge or permission. I get it that taxes aren't really ours anymore after we pay them, but seriously--that place and any other faith-based center shouldn't get tax money at all. Let their own followers pay for it all.

[drvy]

6. Actually you didn't support the University

I used to go to Bob Jones (don't ask). The Museum is a wholly separate entity from the University, and is not related in any way (besides employing some of the students). If you get banned from the campus, they still are forced to provide egress to and from the museum. They also can't ban you from the museum for being gay; when Soulforce came to campus quite a few hand-holding pairs made their way through the gallery.

The Museum does contribute quite a lot to the city of Greenville; it is the second-largest collection of religious art in the world, second only to the Vatican. While I think the University and it's admin are batshiat crazy, the museum is pretty cool if you are into the art of the time period.

[skepticscott]

7. Except that

if there is any money at all flowing from BJU to the Museum, then that grant did in effect support the university, since that was $50,000 they could divert to something else, like the Bob Jones Institute for Hate, Bigotry and Ignorance.