An estimated 150 students at Westmont College in Santa Barbara walked out of a planned event on February 6 featuring speaker Lila Rose, president and founder of Live Action. Rose’s pro-life speech — encouraging students on the Christian campus to speak out and work against abortion — was part of the school’s chapel service, a thrice-weekly, mandatory worship service for students.
“This was definitely one of the most well-attended chapels ever,” a Westmont student in attendance told Live Action News. “I think almost every student was there so that would have been about 1200 students, and then we probably had 150 faculty, staff, spouses of staff. So my guess would be there were about 1400 people in the room and about 150 got up and left. The majority of people stayed.”
The walkout was preplanned and a social media post had been shared to invite students to join in the “Reproductive Rights Walkout.” The post claimed the walkout was “[i]n response to Lila Rose’s (and Westmont College’s) blatant sexism, disregard of women’s basic reproductive rights, anti-woman and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, and lack of empathy for human suffering.”
According to the pro-life student, at the start of the event, campus pastor Scott Lisea spoke briefly about why he is pro-life before Rose was introduced and took her place at the podium. As she did so, students began to exit the room.
Rose held her speech until those in protest had left, and then spoke about the Christian call to be actively pro-life, encouraging students and staff and reminding them that the Bible is clear that abortion is wrong.
“Our God is a God of justice,” said Rose. She went on:
Jesus, throughout the Gospels, is weeping over suffering and death. He weeps at the death of his friend Lazarus. He weeps when he looks over Jerusalem. The Gospel includes many of these scenes, but there is a particular kind of suffering that God hates. That God hates. And that is the suffering which is caused intentionally from one person to another. Human choice. Injustice. As a woman, as a mother now of two very beautiful young boys, as a feminist, as a Christian, it has been painful and infuriating for me to watch the popular narrative that’s being announced on news media, stations across the country, by powerful politicians, by our own governor — the popular narrative that we as women need abortion to be free. Killing a child is not freedom.
Full story at LiveAction.
The kids that walked out of Lila Rose’s speech are not Christian students. They should be kicked out of school ASAP. A thrice-weekly mandatory chapel service attendance, at a Christian school, indicates that the school probably really is serious about the Christian faith. The whole school should be pro-life– and this should be stated, and mandated, as part of their Christian mission. Mandatory Pro Life, as well as mandatory, thrice-weekly chapel attendance. Or else, the student will be kicked out of school. No “baloney!”
When I was young, schools and colleges had many types of guest speakers. We had Dress Codes on all high school and college campuses in those days, and good behavior was required of all students. If you attended a lecture or any type of event, all of the students were nicely dressed and well-mannered. Girls only wore pants for sports or relaxation, outside of school. Students always listened to guest speakers of any type politely, and it made no difference as to whether or not they agreed with the speaker’s point of view. They may also either agree or disagree with different points of view brought up by their professors. In classes and lectures, you could intelligently discuss different points of view, and state your intelligent reasons for taking a certain viewpoint. No one behaved like a baby, no one made protests, no one walked out on a professor or a guest speaker– that is extremely rude and immature! Instead, students were expected to act grown-up, and they could usually ask questions at the end, and share different ideas and viewpoints– always speaking from a well-trained, intellectual basis. In those days, not everyone qualified to enter a college, only those who were the best students. Standards were high, and you received a good education. Most young men and some young women entered the workforce right after high school, and most quickly got married and then started a family. We had a much better country, then.
In that day, Christian beliefs and Christian Morality were strongly upheld, in America. Almost everyone believed in God, and belonged to a church (or synagogue, if Jewish). Questions of morality were well-known, already long-ago settled, by the Bible. Abortion was a horrible sin– and was never discussed. The subject of sex was off-limits– totally inappropriate, rude, sinful and wrong– and Christian Morality was strongly upheld– a great blessing! The “Role Models” for boys and girls– with good values, serving God, family and country– were strongly looked up to and admired. There were lots of Role Models, with fine Christian character, heroic courage, and high ideals, in every field, for kids to look up to, and aspire to become just like. That is what is so badly needed, today!
Abortion, the murder of innocent, helpless young children, is the work of Satan. These 150 students who walked out, protesting Lila Rose’s speech, are not Christians– they belong to Satan. They all should be kicked out of school! And made to publicly confess their sins, and offer heartfelt, tearful apologies to Lila Rose, and to the school. Hopefully, they will come to true faith in Jesus Christ, and renounce all of their sins, and lead a new, deeply committed life, in Christ.
Nobody cares. Live Action wrote this story about its own founder. It’s not news. It’s self-aggrandizement and self-promotion.
This would be like Priests for Life publishing a “story” about Frank Pavone speaking at an event when nobody else covered the story.
Not news.
I take Lila Rose’s Live Action news column online, too– she is definitely a dedicated, hard-working young Pro Life advocate. Another outstanding Pro Life worker is Kristan Hawkins, of Students for Life. Better than many Catholic clerics.
My comnent of Feb. 9 at 8:18pm was edited. In my original comment, I noted that Lila Rose and Kristan Hawkins are extremely courageous and deeply committed to Pro Life work. They deserve tremendous respect and support!
I care.
https://newspress.com/westmont-students-object-to-pro-life-speech-in-chapel/
Rose is a vocally homophobic, incredibly controversial speaker, whose hateful remarks towards the LGBTQ+ community make her unfit to speak at Westmont,” one student told the Independent.
“..whose hateful remarks towards the LGBTQ+…” This is code language for disagreeing with the LBGTQ+ agenda. What do you expect from a faithful pro-life Catholic– to suddenly change course against the Church and accept LGBTQ+ sins as normal?
homophobic, I read the article you linked. You accuse Ms. Rose of “hateful remarks.” Can you cite some, even one, for readers here?
…
I thought so.
It is not my accusation. It is the students. There were two articles but like often, the post uploaded so I put it in a new comment box.
It is below.
Out of curiosity, I googles Lila Rose homophobic.
It’s about her twitter.
You can do the same.
But then the question becomes, what is homophobic, and why is this word even used by educated people? Does it not reduce to a person holding Christian views of homosexuality? There is no phobia in agreeing with Scripture and tradition, except the possible fear of censure from all sides, even from within the Church.
Can you provide a couple of examples of hateful remarks by Ms. Rose?
Is there a more polite way to say put up or shut up?
It’s easy to anonymously put down a faithful Catholic who is a public figure. But, in Christian charity and justice, please be truthful.
I think the way comments are listed here makes part of this problem.
The students who walked out (not me) told the newspapers that.
Curious, let me reiterate this again.
A commentor said the article came from Lila Rose’s organization, which it did.
He said it was not news.
I posted 2 links to newspaper stories about it.
I picked out a paragraph that explained that the walkout was not pro-life related but LGBTQ related.
I googled “Lila Rose homophobic” and some complaints about her twitter came up.
“Lila Rose and LGBTQ,” I too will “reiterate this again.” Can you cite one example of a hateful Tweet by Ms. Rose?
Not “news” stories about what she allegedly said, but something that she actually said or Tweeted.
I don’t think you can (or you would).
Curious, I could but I will not because I am not that kind of person.
I do not call her homophobic but you can google it and see what you think.
Let there be no mistake: these 150 students have taken sides in the culture war against Christianity. What they may or may not see is that the war is real. Biden’s FBI has a stake in the war, as an FBI whistleblower on an FBI internal document demonstrates:
“They (FBI) have found a gateway in what they think is fringe Catholicism [Trads] in order to move into Christians in general and declare them to be the actual criminals in this country or the potential terrorists,” federal whistleblower and former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin said. Seraphin said the document is antithetical to Catholicism and was written by someone who believes abortion rights must be upheld and the LGBTQ agenda “has to be pushed down the American people’s throats.” As Abp Chaput observed, “Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant, then it tries to silence good.”
This was a response to the commenter called “not news”.
I linked to two news articles (local) about it.
I pulled a paragraph so people could see what the student’s issue was.
This is a very conservative Christian college, and a mandated assembly.
The walkout was pre-arranged and that paragraph shows why.
1400 in attendance, bigger than the student body because parents and others were attending.
150 walked out.
I do not think Lily Rose is homophobic. I think she is Christian.
The issue seemed to be more that the administration of the school is trying to be friendlier to LGBTQ students and they felt betrayed by them having Lila Rose as the speaker.
the so called LGBT “community” deserves every drop of vitriol it receives
https://www.independent.com/2023/02/09/westmont-students-stage-walkout-during-event-with-anti-abortion-speaker/
The protestant world is in disarray, having been beguiled by the Serpent and having strayed from Christ. As a protestant, I visited Westmont in the late 60s and even then saw signs of what I interpreted as decay in the spiritual lives of some students. One would normally expect students at an evangelical school like Westmont to see through the vanities of abortion advocacy; then I remembered my experience at Fuller Seminary, from which I graduated in 1976. There was a professor of systematic theology who defended abortion along the lines of modern day pro-choice rhetoric. Students thus influenced would one day be pastors of protestant churches or teachers at Christian schools. And with the powerful voices of abortion and LBGTQ+ advocacy, it is not surprising that students would take their morals from these sources when coming to a school like Westmont. The only positive I can take from all this is that only 150 shut their hearts to the unborn and walked out.
You’re right, but the Catholic world is in significant disarray too. The evangelicals have as many, if not more, colleges that are still prolife and strive to follow the 10 Commandments as we do. They don’t have the fullness of the Faith, but they’re often going for the kingdom with almost everything they’ve got. They do a lot without the grace of most of the sacraments. That should be respected. We’ve got some Cardinals, who are successors to the Apostles, who seem to not believe in the 10 Commandments and some pretty basic teachings of Christ and Christian morality.
Institutionally, we seem to be living in a glass house so may want to refrain from judging those outside. And, you’re right, the vast majority of their students did not walk out. That’s good news.
My thoughts.
Lila Rose in my opinion is a living Saint and one of my fondest heroes.
Don’t put people on pedestals. They always fall off.
Luke 17:10 So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”
We are accustomed to calling great Catholics “living Saints,” whenever we see them doing very great work for the Lord. Lila Rose, Kristan Hawkins, and many other Pro Life warriors, are like a modern-day version of St. Joan of Arc, fighting tirelessly, with God at their side, for Justice for unborn children. They daily, courageously fight Satan, the Evil ruler of the dark, ignorant secular world, the King of the evil Culture of Death. Go sign up to help them. If married, get your kids to go help them.
I just signed a petition protesting the Satanic Temple, which is holding a high-profile “weekend of blasphemy against God” on April 28-30, at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, in Boston, MA. Shame on the Satanic Temple! And shame on the Marriott for agreeing to host this blasphemous evil event. Religious abuse to Christians– just like the crime of Anti-Semitism– should be strictly illegal. Can the Archdiocese of Boston do something to end this evil event??
The Satanic Temple states that Abortion is their sacrament. They often steal Communion hosts from Catholic churches, and use them for blasphemous Black Masses. They also do acts of destruction to Catholic sacred objects and statues. Their very existence– which is to attack and harm Christianity– should be outlawed.
In my original comment of Feb. 9 at 9:31pm, I placed the word “sacrament” in quotes. I believe that is correct English. The editors strangely removed the quotes.
Pray the Golden Arrow.
and the prayer “Admirable is the Name of God.”
Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered. Let those who hate Thee flee before Thy face.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Reparation_to_Jesus_Christ#:~:text=O%20Jesus%2C%20my%20Saviour%20and,toward%20Thine%20Immaculate%20Virgin%20Mother
The Boston Marriot at Copley Place has no idea what demonic portals will be opened at that location as a result of this event. Aside from objecting to their accommodating this group, I would now never stay there just for the demonic presence that will now occupy that place.
Terrible mistake someone is making….
Westmont is a private Christian college. No one is forced to attend or work there. Would someone go to a Jewish school and then complain that they’re not promoting ham sandwiches and BLTs?
I met Ms. Rose many years ago. I think the abortion lobby is threatened by her ability to articulate the life message and her relative youthfulness. May God bless and protect her and her family. She is a faithful defender of babies and women and girls, as well as our culture.
One person cannot do it all.
She is one of the few that also speak against the death penalty.
I am staunchly pro-life and even now doing my share of sidewalk vigils in front of the PP abortuary in my city. I admire Lila Rose for her courage and tenacity to speak out against abortion and euthanasia and I regret deeply not having met her at a pro-life leadership meeting in SF two years ago due to unavoidable circumstances.
That said, I think it’s perfectly acceptable to walk out on a speech or lecture that you find highly offensive, provided you do it as quietly and politely as possible so as not to disturb other people in the audience. The best thing, of course is not to attend the event at all.
Where the 150 students who walked out on Lila Rose were wrong was that their walk-out was pre-planned. They did not wait to hear her out, or, if they knew her speech would hurt their pure and tender feelings, why did they attend the meeting in the first place?
No doubt the purpose was to be rude, to feel smugly heroic for protesting what they feel to be objectionable, disturb other attendees’ peace, and probably start a riot. That a whole lot more people stayed put instead of joined them in the walk-out should put them to shame.
My point is, it is not against etiquette to walk out on a lecture if done politely and properly.