President Donald Trump and Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, pose for photos with members of gospel choir Lu Praise during a commencement at Liberty University May 13, 2017 in Lynchburg, Virginia.

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A small, but apparently growing, group of Liberty University alumni are launching a campaign to return their diplomas to the evangelical Christian school to protest its alignment with President Donald Trump. The group began organizing after Trumps response to the violence in Charlottesville.

In a group letter, the group criticizes the head of the university, Jerry Falwell Jr., for praising Trumps comments that there were very fine people protesting on both sides. Falwell Jr. characterized the comments as bold and truthful. This is incompatible with Liberty University's stated values, and incompatible with a Christian witness, notes the open letter.

"I'm sending my diploma back because the president of the United States is defending Nazis and white supremacists," Chris Gaumer, a 2006 Liberty University graduate, said. "And in defending the president's comments, Jerry Falwell Jr. is making himself and, it seems to me, the university he represents, complicit.

Another 2006 Liberty University graduate said that I think all of the alumni have been troubled by Jerry Falwell Jr.s intense defense of Trump. The closed Facebook group for Liberty alumni to discuss this issue says they will be mailing their diplomas back to the offices of Falwell on September 5 with letters expressing our reasons for revoking all support.

It doesnt seem Falwell is too concerned about the angry alumni though and he went on ABCs This Week to double down on his support for Trump, going as far as to say that the reason why Trump could say there were fine people on both sides in Charlottesville was because as commander in chief he has inside information.

I don't know if there were historical purists [at the protests] who were trying to preserve some statues. I don't know, Falwell said of the president. I think he saw videos of who was there. I think he was talking about what he had seen He had information I didnt have.

Falwell also said that his tweet supporting the president has been misinterpreted. The bold and truthful statements I was referring to were his willingness to call evil and terrorism by its name, to identify the groups, the Nazis, the KKK, the white supremacists, Falwell said. And that's something a leader should do. And I admire him for that.

Read the original here:

Some Liberty University Graduates Returning Diplomas to Protest Trump - Slate Magazine (blog)