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Sunday, August 30, 2015

Duke Freshmen Boycott Summer Reading Due To ‘Christian Moral Beliefs’

Some incoming Christian freshmen at Duke University are boycotting a summer reading book, because they say its “graphic” illustrations depicting sex and nudity conflict with their religious beliefs.

Freshman Brian Grasso posted in the Class of 2019 Facebook page July 26 that he would not read Alison Bechdel’s “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic,” because of its “graphic visual depictions of sexuality,” the school’s student daily Duke Chronicle reported.

“I feel as if I would have to compromise my personal Christian moral beliefs to read it,” Mr. Grasso wrote in the post, which ignited a debate among students.

Several freshmen agreed with Mr. Grasso about the graphic novel, which chronicles Ms. Bechdel’s relationship with her father and her issues with sexual identity.

Freshman Bianca D’Souza said that while the novel discussed important topics, she did not find the sexual interactions appropriate and could not bring herself to view the images depicting nudity, The Chronicle reported.

Mr. Grasso said that many students privately messaged him to thank him for standing up for Christian values, The Chronicle reported.

More here

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your religion. Not yours to force down everyone elses throat. You don't have to participate in anything you don't want to. Go to another college. Don't participate in the program.

Pay attention Christians: When you set precedents like this, you give free reign to other religions (Muslims, I'm looking at you) to force organizations and businesses to acquiesce to their demands. This absurdity needs to stop.

Your freedom of religion means YOU get to practice YOUR religion, not be special, or exempt, or force others to fall into lock step with you so your tender little feelings don't get bothered.

This is absolutely absurd.

Anonymous said...

Couldn't they get into Liberty University?

Anonymous said...

good for them

Anonymous said...

he will be demonized by the left
Brave young man

Anonymous said...

These adult babies who can not read the book. By my freshman year in college I understood I did not have to agree with everything, accept as true everything, or be exposed only to vanilla things in the course of study but by exposing my self to what was offered I better understood the world and other people.Obviously Grasso must have at least looked at the book to determine that it offended his micro-sensibilities. This behavior is suppose to be a liberal problem but here it is a conservative one. This refusal by young adults to expose themselves to people and books they don't agree with or are offended by is indeed scary and disappointing.

Queensgirl52 said...

I'm with you, 12:28. And, why did they go to Duke anyway? There are plenty of "Christian" colleges with like-minded faculty who won't offend their delicate sensibilities.

Anonymous said...

Just trying to make his defense when he gets an F. Religious objection is the flavor of the month.

Such awful persecution Christians have in this country, huh?

Anonymous said...

Next he will set up a Go Fund Me page.

Anonymous said...

Standing up for morality in these last days of our country takes guts, I admire them. God bless them. What cause have you stood up for 1:49, yeah that's what I thought.

Anonymous said...

12:28 and 12:53 pornography is evil and from Satan. How does exposing yourself to graphic illustrations of sex make you any more intelligent as a person? Don't take perversion and try to cloak it with a veil of "education" and "critical thinking". Sick.

Anonymous said...

@2:30

Please to provide compelling evidence that 1) pornography is evil and 2) it is from Satan.

Anonymous said...

2:30 I really have no patience with people who ban or challenge books. You don't want to read it, you don't want your minor children to read it, fine. Don't read it. Leave others alone to decide for themselves. Neither you nor I have seen or read the book Grasso is complaining about, a speck in an ocean of books.We don't know for sure it is pornography. Here are some more banned/challenged books in this century but not all of them.
1.Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
11. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
12. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
13. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
15. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
16. Forever, by Judy Blume
17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
18. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
19. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
20. King and King, by Linda de Haan
21. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
22. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
23. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
24. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
25. Killing Mr. Griffen, by Lois Duncan
26. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
27. My Brother Sam Is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier
28. Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
29. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney
30. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
32. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
33. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson
34. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
35. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison
36. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
37. It’s So Amazing, by Robie Harris
38. Arming America, by Michael Bellasiles
39. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
40. Life is Funny, by E.R. Frank
41. Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher
42. The Fighting Ground, by Avi
43. Blubber, by Judy Blume
44. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
45. Crazy Lady, by Jane Leslie Conly
46. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby: The First Graphic Novel by George Beard and Harold Hutchins, the creators of Captain Underpants, by Dav Pilkey
48. Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez
49. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey
50. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

Anonymous said...

3:01 obviously you do not know basic tenets of Christianity so no use going there. Try this; your mother and or daughter performing pornography and you seeing it. Do you think that may disturb you just a tad?

Anonymous said...

Yep. Just looked up the book. Totally weird. Stop cramming this nonsense down people's throats. You will learn more reading the back of a cereal box. What a joke.

Anonymous said...

Who wants to read a book (besides you) about incest and maybe I'm a woman or maybe I'm a man BS. Never seen so much drama about someone standing up for their morals. Try it sometime.

Anonymous said...

Wow your so smart. Not really. They said they won't read the book not ban the book. If you read so many books please read the COMPLETE article before you flip out LIBITARD. WTF

Anonymous said...

AGAIN! ! These colleges are run by liberals. ANYTHING foul, in-moral, indecent, dirty, and most of all not part of a education I pay for my kids. Of course most don't mind because they receive government assistance so they go with the cesspool.

Anonymous said...

@3:33

You have obfuscated the question, there was a positive claim that you made, so you bear the burden of proof for your claim. So I once again must insist you support your claim. Until then, I must reject your claims as false and having no merit.

Anonymous said...

Christians have rights too.

Anonymous said...

@8:05 pm

Of course they have rights, all Americans share the same protections of their rights, ipso facto Christians fall under that blanket. What I'm not sure of, is what you are arguing?