Ed Board was faced with a quandary. Weighing in around the tableeveryone was concerned about porn. Campus Crusade, a group somebelieved was notorious for “bait-and-switch” tactics,was advertising a discussion entitled “What do you thinkabout porn?” on pornography Wednesday.
The main compliant from some Ed Board members, and students oncampus that they had spoken with, is that the Crusaders oftenfalsely advertise under the guise of an open forum or discussion.However, once students are seated, they receive a sales pitch froma minister, youth leader or other religious head that does have theintention to teach and educate, but only with the ulterior motiveof sharing the teachings of Christian faith.
The goal of all Crusaders is to help you know”God”(they reaffirm said goal at the beginning ofworship services, meetings, etc.); that is to say, thefundamentally Christian god they believe in.
With this in mind, if Campus Crusaders printed its name aslargely as it prints the messages on its advertisements, T-shirts(we remember “I agree with Josh”), etc., the groupknows student interest and participation would drop.
Perhaps, this is why when the commentary was submitted foryesterday’s “The Power of Porn” the students didnot identify themselves as CRU members, nor did they say, at anypoint in the commentary, that the issue of porn would be presentedfrom a one sided perspective of a Christian group dedicated to afundamental interpretation of the Bible.
Where was the porn advocate? Where was the audienceparticipation on what you, the students, think about porn? Theleaning white billboards that displayed student comments were poorstand-ins (literally) for open discussion.
Instead, the audience sat quietly as images were shown and guestspeakers of the “reformed” nature gave testimony (abrave and commendable act) on how porn had been detrimental totheir lives.
No one would disagree that porn can in many ways have horrificrepercussions and hurt, even destroy some lives. But likeeverything else, porn is not a black and white issue. If one tooktime to read some of the student comments on porn, they wouldnotice that many individuals feel porn is fine, good, exciting,sexual, fun or (in the used slang) it “rocks”.
The bone that some Ed Board members have to pick with CampusCrusade is that its advertising is often deceptive and meant to be.Last night’s “The Power of Porn” was a compellingargument based on statistics, facts, and strategy; Campus Crusadehas right to make that argument.
We too have a right to chastise CRU for sometimes beingmisleading in its crusade for all of our souls. Students have aright to know what they are getting into (a one-sided biasedargument for leading a Christian-based lifestyle) when they go toCRU sponsored events.
