Cracked Tackles Pensacola Christian College - Merge

[happy atheist]

Continuing their somewhat baffling (for a humor site) trend of discussing really serious and interesting topics, Cracked has an article about PCC:

http://www.cracked.com/article_22150_5- ... llege.html

They talked to a female graduate about life at the school and after. Surprise! they don't prepare you for life and the job prospects aren't great!

[SnazzyNazzy]

I honestly love, looking at bible and religious unversities, moral code things, in their student handbook. I was looking at one school in Cailfornia, who had a rule "that one foot must be on the floor at all times, while dancing".

I LMAO, and came up with some goofy "Jesus dance", with my 9yo son. We now spontaneously start doing "the Jesus dance".

The rest of the moral code thing, actually seemed doable, even to me. The stupid foot rule, was the most out there thing.

[lawlifelgbt]

I read this article and thought it was really eye-opening! I feel bad for those graduates. They might as well have not gone to college at all.

I like Cracked, though. I am trying to get them to take me on for a "personal experience" article about being in a same-sex marriage before it was legal in even half the states and the public opinion shifted my way.

[Fascinated]

Very informative article. Forcing pregnancy tests on these young women seems almost abusive, can you imagine having to do that? I want to say I would run as far as I could but I suppose if I were in her situation I couldn't! I wish there were more revealing articles like this.

[happy atheist]

What would they do if a girl was pregnant? Obviously they would kick her out of school, but would they just send her home? Or would they try to get her to marry the dude who knocked her up? Would the father also be expelled?

[FundieFarmer]

What would they do if a girl was pregnant? Obviously they would kick her out of school, but would they just send her home? Or would they try to get her to marry the dude who knocked her up? Would the father also be expelled?

I went to a conservative Christian college for my freshman and sophomore years that had a lot of these issues. I was a psych student and began the transfer process after a prof told me that the school wouldn't teach about Freud because he was a heathen and entirely wrong. I emphasize about because they wouldn't even speak about him past what I just reiterated. It made me wonder how much else they weren't telling us and with that, I was out.

I can answer this question from my experience, though, which I think was along the lines of PCC, though without the uniforms and ties and scan cards. We used to laugh at PCC's ridiculous rules, but in reality we weren't too far off. A girl on my hall got pregnant right as I was beginning to transfer, and yes, was "asked to leave". Her boyfriend was in our year. Lo and behold, they had a shotgun wedding and he got to continue his education at the school. The same thing happened to a girl I didn't know, my freshman year.

The school didn't have that written out anywhere, but a lot of the issue with the school was just that: the written rules looked nothing like what was actually enforced.

[artdecades]

How can these schools operate with a good conscious knowing that their graduates have little chance of making it in the real world with their bogus degrees?

I guess thou shalt not lie only applies to heathens

[MotherOfDragons]

I read this earlier & thought you guys might be interested in it, too. There's not much I didn't already know (or at least strongly suspect), but Fun "fact": pantyhose prevents rape. :angry-banghead:

cracked.com/article_22150_5-awful-realities-fundamentalist-christian-college.html

[polecat]

What would they do if a girl was pregnant? Obviously they would kick her out of school, but would they just send her home? Or would they try to get her to marry the dude who knocked her up? Would the father also be expelled?

Yes, they would expel her. They would bring her parents in and explain in great detail WHY she was being expelled. Her parents may or may not pressure her to marry the man. The man will not necessarily be expelled. In fact, he may just go on to get on the staff of the fundy college.

Source: personal experience (only I didn't get pregnant -- just caught).

[eri]

Yes, they would expel her. They would bring her parents in and explain in great detail WHY she was being expelled. Her parents may or may not pressure her to marry the man. The man will not necessarily be expelled. In fact, he may just go on to get on the staff of the fundy college.

Source: personal experience (only I didn't get pregnant -- just caught).

Well according to the Torah and Old Testament (Deuteronomy), the man is to pay her father for her hand in marriage. He must marry her!

(ETA as long as Daddy wills it.)

[BrownieMomma]

Yes, they would expel her. They would bring her parents in and explain in great detail WHY she was being expelled. Her parents may or may not pressure her to marry the man. The man will not necessarily be expelled. In fact, he may just go on to get on the staff of the fundy college.

Source: personal experience (only I didn't get pregnant -- just caught).

Just as good ole boy as secular schools, and all of them wrong for allowing this. So sorry this happened to you. It's just wrong to punish only the girl much less go on to hire the guy. Unbelievable. :headdesk:

[Toothfairy]

I know a church member that went here. She came from a very religious background. Her parents would only pay for echo old if she attended PCC. She got written up for creating eye babies with her male friend :pink-shock: She didn't graduate from here. After two years she had enough and left. All that money wasted on a unaccredited degree could've been used at a community college, which she later transfered to. I don't know why PCC isn't closed.

[polecat]

Just as good ole boy as secular schools, and all of them wrong for allowing this. So sorry this happened to you. It's just wrong to punish only the girl much less go on to hire the guy. Unbelievable. :headdesk:

Yeah, it was stupid, but I don't really harbor any negative feelings about it anymore -- more humorous than anything. But it's a darn good example of how obnoxious and unfair these people can be.

{L_OFFTOPIC} :

Side note: I was utterly humiliated and sent home in disgrace, and, of course, the school contacted my "home church," so my pastor and the deacons all knew about my sin before I even got home. But it was my first step out -- before that, I'd resigned myself to a lifetime of fundydom because I couldn't see a way out. But that experience? Well, no good fundy boy wants to marry a fallen woman ... :roll:

[FundieFarmer]

Yeah, it was stupid, but I don't really harbor any negative feelings about it anymore -- more humorous than anything. But it's a darn good example of how obnoxious and unfair these people can be.

{L_OFFTOPIC} :

Side note: I was utterly humiliated and sent home in disgrace, and, of course, the school contacted my "home church," so my pastor and the deacons all knew about my sin before I even got home. But it was my first step out -- before that, I'd resigned myself to a lifetime of fundydom because I couldn't see a way out. But that experience? Well, no good fundy boy wants to marry a fallen woman ... :roll:

(I don't know if this should be hidden or anything so if it should be I'm happy to edit it if I can or ask for it to be!)

That is one thing I really hate about the design of those schools; I wasn't raised like that and my church doesn't practice that either but there was a school of thought that all conflict went up to the Elders...who were all male, and changed every few years or so. It was horribly embarrassing for people, and I was always appalled by it. I'm sorry that happened to you.

[happy atheist]

"Off-topic" tags don't hide anything, they just put it in a white box. I don't really know what the point of it is supposed to be, but it's part of the set of tags we installed, so there it is.

"Hidden" content (the button with the H) is hidden from people who are not logged in. But since anyone/everyone can become a member, it's not really private either. Long story short: don't post stuff on the internet if you don't want the world to see it.

[nolongerIFBx]

How can these schools operate with a good conscious knowing that their graduates have little chance of making it in the real world with their bogus degrees?

I guess thou shalt not lie only applies to heathens

They aren't expected to ever operate in the real world. They go to college to become pastors, missionaries, or Christian school teachers.

I go round and round on this one personally. I find it hard to believe that anyone who goes there thinks they are going to be able to become a doctor, lawyer, business person, etc. They are there to be considered qualified for Christian service and, frankly, to find a spouse. If they then later want to cry foul, well lots of other people who change careers later in life have to go back to school. Seriously, why did they not bother to Google their potential school to see what former students said? Surely even that would pass their internet guardian.

That said, it is why I would highly encourage anyone who asked me my opinion (unlikely) that even if they feel called to preach, mission field, Christian school, etc., get their gen eds at a community college. They can live at home, keep attending and being active in their church, etc. It is not quite as an immersive experience as a university would be, but does give them some experience out of their bubble to begin forming their own opinions and at the end of two years, they will have an AA degree that they can transfer to their Bible college and, if their plans change and they don't end up being a preacher, missionary or Christian school teacher, they won't have to start over at the beginning like I did.

However, I do know three people who attended BJU, two of whom were public school teachers, and one of whom went on to attend and graduate law school and get a job (not easy to do these days) so there are exceptions to the rule.

[polecat]

"Off-topic" tags don't hide anything, they just put it in a white box. I don't really know what the point of it is supposed to be, but it's part of the set of tags we installed, so there it is.

"Hidden" content (the button with the H) is hidden from people who are not logged in. But since anyone/everyone can become a member, it's not really private either. Long story short: don't post stuff on the internet if you don't want the world to see it.

Assuming this was directed at me, I really don't care if the world sees it. It was hardly a private incident. For a while there, it seemed like the whole world was involved in my sex life, lol. As to the man in question, it's obviously not going to hurt his career given the school already knew well before he graduated and they hired him.

I put it in off-topic tags because it was just my personal experience and not really on the topic being discussed.

[nomoxian]

How can these schools operate with a good conscious knowing that their graduates have little chance of making it in the real world with their bogus degrees?

I guess thou shalt not lie only applies to heathens

Well, at least for the ladies, it doesn't really matter. They're really in school to get the Mrs. degree (No feminist heathen "Ms." here!)

[polecat]

They aren't expected to ever operate in the real world. They go to college to become pastors, missionaries, or Christian school teachers.

I go round and round on this one personally. I find it hard to believe that anyone who goes there thinks they are going to be able to become a doctor, lawyer, business person, etc. They are there to be considered qualified for Christian service and, frankly, to find a spouse. If they then later want to cry foul, well lots of other people who change careers later in life have to go back to school. Seriously, why did they not bother to Google their potential school to see what former students said? Surely even that would pass their internet guardian.

snip

A lot of people go because they have no other options. Their parents give them no other options. Many are too young to support themselves (I was 17, for example), and some may just have too much terror of "the world" and outsiders to know they have other options. It's really unfair to dump the blame of choosing fundy U squarely on the shoulders of kids who've been sheltered, protected, stimied and emotionally/educationally stunted their entire lives. This is basically just another way for fundy parents to F their kids over and keep them under their controlling thumbs.

[FundieFarmer]

A lot of people go because they have no other options. Their parents give them no other options. Many are too young to support themselves (I was 17, for example), and some may just have too much terror of "the world" and outsiders to know they have other options. It's really unfair to dump the blame of choosing fundy U squarely on the shoulders of kids who've been sheltered, protected, stimied and emotionally/educationally stunted their entire lives. This is basically just another way for fundy parents to F their kids over and keep them under their controlling thumbs.

Thanks for the clarity, HappyAtheist! I appreciate it.

I think part of it is that these kids don't realize they're not getting a good education. They think they're getting a Christian education to work in a secular field that needs them, and where they can minister to others. They don't realize that the Christian skew of education is sometimes completely antithetical to what is actually widely practiced in their field. That's what happened to me; it took until one simple question got an answer I didn't think was reasonable before I realized we weren't being taught things we needed to know. It was then I realized that even if I went on to get a degree, I wouldn't be successful in my field regardless. I also didn't realize until that conversation that a degree from that school (which was accredited) was really only worth something in the immediate area of the college, where kids were hired because they were generalized to be nice kids.

These kids are getting sold a bill of goods. They give you this list of "notable alum" which (with some investigation) only consists of mid-level businessmen from small towns who made a donation, and an occasional Christian speaker here or there. It's really unfortunate.

[ThisOlGirl]

I worked in call center hell up until about a month ago, and I talked to a "gentleman" who flew into a rage because I wasn't able to do exactly what he wanted. before he hung up on me, he shouted "fucking whore!" at me. I noticed an email ending in .edu, did some checking, and lo and behold, it turned out his email was a PCC email. I don't know if he was a student or staff. I guess I can't blame him though--I was working outside of the home and I didn't submit to him by giving in to his demands. That makes me a whore, right?

[PurpleSheepleEater]

They aren't expected to ever operate in the real world. They go to college to become pastors, missionaries, or Christian school teachers.

I go round and round on this one personally. I find it hard to believe that anyone who goes there thinks they are going to be able to become a doctor, lawyer, business person, etc. They are there to be considered qualified for Christian service and, frankly, to find a spouse. If they then later want to cry foul, well lots of other people who change careers later in life have to go back to school. Seriously, why did they not bother to Google their potential school to see what former students said? Surely even that would pass their internet guardian.

That said, it is why I would highly encourage anyone who asked me my opinion (unlikely) that even if they feel called to preach, mission field, Christian school, etc., get their gen eds at a community college. They can live at home, keep attending and being active in their church, etc. It is not quite as an immersive experience as a university would be, but does give them some experience out of their bubble to begin forming their own opinions and at the end of two years, they will have an AA degree that they can transfer to their Bible college and, if their plans change and they don't end up being a preacher, missionary or Christian school teacher, they won't have to start over at the beginning like I did.

However, I do know three people who attended BJU, two of whom were public school teachers, and one of whom went on to attend and graduate law school and get a job (not easy to do these days) so there are exceptions to the rule.

The part that sucks is not going in with an expectation of making it in the real world but then waking up and coming out of fundidom and realizing that your degree is worth crap. I am in that situation as are a number of people I know who walked away from the IFB once we were out from under our parents and churches thumbs. Our degrees are unaccredited so there's no going to grad school to learn what we want to now instead of what we were forced to learn. We have to start over as adults as freshmen again. All the money spent on fundie college, all the work done while there to earn our way through was a complete and total waste. I just try to not think about it. I don't think schools that are unaccredited should be allowed to confirm degrees because that education is absolutely not equal to an undergrad degree from a state school.

[PurpleSheepleEater]

A lot of people go because they have no other options. Their parents give them no other options. Many are too young to support themselves (I was 17, for example), and some may just have too much terror of "the world" and outsiders to know they have other options. It's really unfair to dump the blame of choosing fundy U squarely on the shoulders of kids who've been sheltered, protected, stimied and emotionally/educationally stunted their entire lives. This is basically just another way for fundy parents to F their kids over and keep them under their controlling thumbs.

Exactly. I wasn't allowed to go to anything other than a fundie school and that list was extremely short. I tried to throw in a few other christian schools, even got accepted to one, but my parents wouldn't even consider it.

[GenerationCedarchip]

A lot of people go because they have no other options. Their parents give them no other options. Many are too young to support themselves (I was 17, for example), and some may just have too much terror of "the world" and outsiders to know they have other options. It's really unfair to dump the blame of choosing fundy U squarely on the shoulders of kids who've been sheltered, protected, stimied and emotionally/educationally stunted their entire lives. This is basically just another way for fundy parents to F their kids over and keep them under their controlling thumbs.

Totally agree with this. As my old church got closer and closer to VF ways and things got stricter, the list of schools folks could go to got shorter. When I was a teenager, commuting to one of the nearby state schools was totally okay as long as you stayed active (i.e. watched closely) by the elders. For my younger cousins, it was pretty much church-approved schools or else.

Just as an interesting sidenote, I went to school with someone who had gone to PCC for part of her undergrad. She referred to it as Pensacola Concentration Camp, and apparently when she convinced her parents to let her transfer to Liberty so she could have more freedom (yes, you read that right), the folks at PCC contacted her family and tried to convince them that terrible things would happen if they let their daughter leave the school. She also had to start college all over because her credits wouldn't transfer. Weird stuff. PCC isn't really aligned theologically with the churches I came from, so it wasn't really on my radar until I was into my 20s, but everything I hear from there is pretty disturbing.

[FundieFarmer]

Totally agree with this. As my old church got closer and closer to VF ways and things got stricter, the list of schools folks could go to got shorter. When I was a teenager, commuting to one of the nearby state schools was totally okay as long as you stayed active (i.e. watched closely) by the elders. For my younger cousins, it was pretty much church-approved schools or else.

Just as an interesting sidenote, I went to school with someone who had gone to PCC for part of her undergrad. She referred to it as Pensacola Concentration Camp, and apparently when she convinced her parents to let her transfer to Liberty so she could have more freedom (yes, you read that right), the folks at PCC contacted her family and tried to convince them that terrible things would happen if they let their daughter leave the school. She also had to start college all over because her credits wouldn't transfer. Weird stuff. PCC isn't really aligned theologically with the churches I came from, so it wasn't really on my radar until I was into my 20s, but everything I hear from there is pretty disturbing.

Yeah, it's pretty much the black sheep even by Christian college standards...even over Bob Jones.