Chapel cross removal an act of intolerance

Proof that tolerance is becoming intolerable: Students willingly attending a university that was founded at the request of the Anglican Church are miffed because there’s a cross in the sanctuary of the campus chapel. The “controversy” at Virginia’s College of William & Mary reportedly has been churning since October, when university President Gene Nichol ordered that the cross in the Wren Chapel be stored in the sacristy unless someone specifically asks for it to be displayed during a service.

His reasoning? The diverse student population includes some who are “put off” – that’s how Washington Post reporter Fredrick Kunkle phrased it – by the cross.

In a chapel.

Apparently it was too much of a strain for those of other faith traditions to ask to have it removed for weddings or other non-Christian services.

Once the news hit alums, Nichol softened his stance. The cross could be placed in the Wren Chapel on Sundays. The rest of the week it’s back in the closet.

Granted, William & Mary, the second oldest college in the country, is a public university. Under the leadership of then-Virginia Gov. Thomas Jefferson, W&M became a university in 1779. All of the property was deeded to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1906.

But does that mean today’s W&M must turn away from acknowledging the school’s complete history in a bid not to “put off” current students?

According to the historical facts listed on the William & Mary Web site, “the clergy of the Church of England in Virginia adopted at a convention ‘Several Propositions’ for founding a college to consist of three schools: grammar, philosophy and divinity. On July 25, 1690, Lt. Gov. Francis Nicholson authorized several gentlemen to take subscriptions in Virginia for the proposed college, and on the same day the clergy issued an appeal for financial support to merchants in England who were trading in Virginia.”

Fast-forward to 2006.

In that passage of time, it’s understandable that students attending today’s William & Mary might not be well-versed in the school’s history and the circumstances of its founding – although one would think that potential students would conduct a little research about an institution of higher learning before applying.

It’s a fairly common joke around Fort Worth that, judging by the Sunday morning police reports documenting the Saturday night antics of some TCU students, they have only a vague notion of what the “C” stands for, and the word “Christian” appears in the school’s name, for Peter’s sake.

Nichol defended his decision to remove the 18-inch brass cross, which was a gift to the school from the Bruton Parish Episcopal Church in Williamsburg and has been on display for decades, by saying he is not “willing to compromise on that fundamental principle of equal access for all.”

In a December William & Mary eNewsletter, Nichol said he was responding to W&M students who visit the Wren Chapel and “feel” that their presence there is “only tolerated.”

Oh, really. So tolerance is not enough for some people?

It’s not as if the chapel bore a huge sign that read, “For Christians only. All others need not enter.” No one was denied use of the chapel. No one was forced to keep the cross in place during non-Christian ceremonies or events.

The Wren Chapel is what it is – a Christian church.

As 1990 graduate Amy Bryce Paul wrote on the Save The Wren Cross blog, “if you choose to visit a CHAPEL for meditative purposes, please do not be offended if there happens to be a cross within sight (much as you would expect to find books in a library). I would also say the same to a Christian who perchance wanders into a synagogue or a mosque and is ‘surprised’ by any religious symbols they find there.”

Nichol, who has been university president since July 2005, missed an opportunity to teach a lesson in true tolerance and civil discourse.

Unfortunately for William & Mary, Nichol may get a chance to defend his decision in court: The Liberty Institute is contemplating a First Amendment lawsuit that would argue he is not exhibiting neutrality to religion but hostility to it. After all, the Bill of Rights says nary one word about a right not to be “put off.”