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Students at Princeton Theological Seminary write petition opposing anti-Muslim rhetoric

Forty-three Princeton Theological Seminary students wrote and signed an open letter petition denouncing Liberty University President Jerry Falwell’s call to violent action against Muslims on Dec.8.

“If more good people had conceal-carry permits then we could end those Muslims before they walk in and kill,” Falwell said during a Dec. 4talk, referring to the San Bernardino shootings.

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Falwell did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Liberty University issued a follow-up statement the day following Falwell’s speech to clarify that he had been referring to the couple responsible for the terrorist attacks, as opposed to Muslim individuals in general.

Senior Managing Editor of the Liberty University News Office Mitzi Bible deferred comment to the statement.

However, SeminaryPh.D. studentStephanie Thurston said that itdoesn’t alleviate any of her worries about the flippant nature, the cheering and the way killing someone is discussed.

Since Liberty University is one of the largest nonprofit private Christian institutions in America, Thurston saidit was important for the petitioners to respond to Falwell’s remarks, noting that those comments had the potential to be wide-reaching and influential.

SeminaryPh.D. student Thomas Seat explained that the petition was intended to address the disenfranchisement that Muslims, after reading Falwell’s statement, might experience. He added that the students at the Seminary wished to assert that there are many Christian communities that love their Muslim neighbors.

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“I think the original impetus for writing the letter is Falwell addressed those comments to Christian scholars, so as Christian scholars we felt compelled to let the world know that not all Christians feel this way,” Seat said.

Ph.D. student at the Seminary Margaret Elwell said that the group of students who were concerned by Falwell’s remark coalesced immediately as they felt the need to react.

Elwell said she was one of the students to organize concerned students and facilitated the collaboration of a core group of 15 who worked together to write the letter..

Elwell noted the petition focuses on the basic tenets of Christianity — loving God and one’s neighbor — because she and her colleagues wanted the letter to be something that people could read and sympathize with if they were bothered by Falwell’s words.

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“It’s important that we do it in a way that is true to the core of something that Christians can agree on,” she said.

Seat explained that in the end, the final statements emphasizing the importance of love in the Christian faith were unanimously agreed upon.

Thurston, who was also a key organizer of the group, explained the importance of addressing the nuances of the controversial issue of gun control.

“Speaking theologically … in the Christian tradition, there are some people who are pacifists and would just kind of reject this Falwell statement outright,” she said. “There are also others who believe in a just-war tradition and want to think about what kinds of killings or wars of self-defense might be justified.”

She added that the students felt compelled to respond to Falwell’s comments because they often were bothered by the rhetoric that glorifies and celebrates violence in the media.

Thurston said that the Seminary’s responses to the petition created a strong community of students doing public theology and caring about an issue together.

She added that she has received positive feedback on social media in support of the petition.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, more than 300 people signed the petition.