Subscribing to singular beliefs
The recent furor over Ness Lake Bible Camp has stirred me to write before July is over. I find it hard to believe that the resident population has so quickly forgotten basic decorum and legal precedents stretching back well over 500 years regarding religious rights. It is truly ironic that in an age that is obsessed with “safe spaces,” people have apparently overlooked that the church and all its affiliated entities qualify as such spaces for believers and their creeds.
NLBC is in fact a legally sanctioned space that has a right to discriminate whom it serves and employs based on belief and practice. That is a cold fact, and the next time a controversy like this one boils over into the comments section, this paper would do well to find a legal expert that gives cold facts instead of unhelpful musings that are clearly the stuff of ivory tower fantasy.
This right to discriminate is nothing new, and while we live in an age where that word is considered evil, all of us subscribe to discriminating systems all of the time. Clubs that have initiation rights, groups that demand a signing of certain values, and even a non-refundable participation fee given in advance can all be construed as discrimination. And yet our society remains one of the freest and fairest on the planet, thanks in large part to these systems.
Legal discrimination now established, we must turn to the more specific question of personal expression or belief and whether it is fair to have these things affect one’s potential employment. To be clear, I can wholly sympathize with the individual who feels their beliefs and opinions ought not to affect their employment, especially after many seasons of good service. As someone with strong opinions myself, such a situation would deeply frustrate me as well.
But by that same token, I must admit that I would not be surprised to be refused employment at the Lambda Cabaret or to be told that speaking at a Pride event was out of the question. People know where I stand on LGBTQ issues, and as such there isn’t a great deal of room for me in the “spaces” reserved for adherents to this particular cause. I accept that, and furthermore, I could not in good conscience be a part of these activities given my beliefs.
So yes, beliefs, wherever they might be expressed, can affect one’s employability and even social standing – I’ve witnessed this first hand. Furthermore, beliefs expressed with zeal and confidence on social media carry a compounding effect on these things, especially when the employment one is seeking has a large amount of role modeling and responsibility attached to it. And let us not forget that in this case, the employer’s values are absolute and specific.
These are tough truths to accept, but they are the facts of life we abide by everyday. We expect people in uniform to never publicly voice doubts about our monarchy – that is a muzzle on their free expression certainly, but it is one everyone accepts. The question of supporting LGBTQ issues and agendas while trying to serve at a traditional, Christian bible camp really is no different. There is a confessional, valuesdriven line to tow. If one can’t do that, why would one work there?
And yet, the hardest thing to swallow about this entire episode is that all of these things exist whilst not a single shred of hatred or “intolerance” is to be found.
I’ve attended and served at NLBC; I cannot recall a single instance of homophobic rhetoric or action in all my time there. And I’d challenge anyone to do so. Like so many other traditional, biblical camps, charities and churches, you will find well-meaning people who simply wish to serve others.
But an essential part of that service is the subscription to a single set of beliefs.
And those who serve there would be the first to tell you it is daily struggle to conform to their confession. But through the fellowship they experience at camp, they become stronger believers and carry that grace out into our community again when their time as leaders and staff ends for the summer.
You are welcome to not agree with Ness Lake Bible Camp’s beliefs. You may believe that the individual has been treated unfairly, that social media and employment should never mix.
And as citizens of a democracy, you can express crudely or politely that you wish NLBC would “get with the times.”
But no one can deny the benefit our community receives from Ness Lake Bible Camp. And to think that has nothing to do with their values and beliefs is profoundly absurd.