Mitt Romney will give the commencement address tomorrow at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Liberty, founded in 1971 as the Lynchburg Baptist College, is best known as the pet project of televangelist Jerry Falwell. Falwell created the university as a training ground for successive leaders of the Religious Right, and the curriculum is tightly controlled to advance an uncompromising right-wing outlook. But that’s not all.
The university also has an all-encompassing code of conduct, called “The Liberty Way,” which governs what students can say, do, read, and watch – both on and off campus – and sets out a regimen of reprimands and fines for violators.
When the university banned a student Democratic club in 2009, the outside world got a taste of student life at Liberty. But to fully grasp the mindset of Liberty administrators, and get a sense of what life would be like in an America run by the Religious Right, you need to look inside the Liberty Way handbook. The handbook was previously made available on the Liberty website, but now it is password-protected and available only to current students:All students shall agree to comply with the terms of the Liberty Way. The full text is made available to students after they claim their Liberty University account.Fortunately we have a copy of the handbook. We’ll be posting highlights throughout the day:
- The First Amendment Doesn’t Apply at Liberty
- No R-Rated Movies, Un-Godly Music, or Immodest Posters at Liberty University
- No Dancing or Kissing at Liberty University
- Witchcraft and Abortion on Par with Sexual Assault and Felony Conviction at Liberty University
- Liberty University’s Guide to Female Modesty
- The Religious Right Nanny State, on View at Liberty University
- Welcome to Liberty University, Now Gives Us Your Blood and Urine Sample
