Sunday, February 03, 2008

Trouble in Waterloo


So it would appear the Laurier Freethought Alliance has been found out. Clearly this group of atheists, agnostics and free-thinkers had applied to the Campus Clubs committee of Wilfred Laurier University with the intention of undermining the Christian Lutheran base of the place.

They were planning on feeding Christians to the lions, you know.

Oh. Maybe not.

Well, they were certainly going to hold anti-Christian rallies.

Oh. I guess not.

So, what were they going to do?

Nothing.

Canadian Cynic and Red Tory have the story of WLU's attempt to stifle a society of free-thinkers by disallowing their existence on campus. Here's a copy of the rejection e-mail they received. (Emphasis mine)
While the Campus Clubs department understands the goals and visions of your organization, they are not compatible with the guidelines of what may be approved and incorporated into our department. While the promotion of reason, science and freedom of inquiry are perfectly legitimate goals, what is most in question in regards to your club's vision is the promotion of "a fulfilling life without religion and superstition". While this university is indeed technically a secular institution, secular does not denote taking an active stance in opposition to the principles and status of religious beliefs and practices. To be clear, this is not meant to say that the promotion of science and reason are illegitimate goals. But due to the need to respect and tolerate the views of others, the Campus Clubs department is unable to approve a club of this nature at this time. If you wish to adjust and rethink your club's application and vision, you may resubmit a revised proposal at any time.
Soak that in. The brain-dead worm that wrote that hasn't even looked up the definition of "free-thinker" or "atheist", neither of which are intolerant of religion. Atheists simply do not subscribe to religion or belief in a mystical unseen god. They don't care if you do - they simply, do not.

There is however, a group of intolerants on the WLU campus. It is the authors and supporters of the above email.

I'll borrow this from Red Tory to make a point.

I've never met an intolerant atheist. Too bad I can't say the same for some Lutherans.

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