orb@whuts.UUCP (SEVENER) (09/08/86)
> > I hate to burst you bubble, Tom, but I at least am interested in > "equal access" *on principle*. It 1964 here at UC Berkeley we had > a movement called FSM -- the principle of which was that a public > university by its very nature ought to be a forum for ideas of all > kinds, and ought to offer (where reasonable) its facilities for the > non-violent expression of all points of view. At Berkeley, a wide > variety of religious groups are allowed the use of its facilities, > along with an even wider variety of non-religious groups. This is > as it should be, and a high school need be no different. Why *not* > prayer groups and witchcraft covens on our high school campuses? > I find left-wing repression of ideas as abhorrent as right wing > repression, despite being a leftie myself. I think your liberalism > could stand to be a little more liberal. > > ucbvax!brahms!gsmith Gene Ward Smith/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720 I agree completely! I see no reason to ban Christians, Witches, Nazis, Communists or even Propertarians from the use of public school facilities *after hours*. To me this is what democracy is all about: allowing all groups the right to free expression and organization. But Christians have *NO RIGHT* to impose their beliefs on the whole student body as part of any mandatory "school prayer" or any other such thing. If they are willing to engage in joint debate of their beliefs with representatives of other beliefs before the whole student body, that is something else again. I think it would be healthy if schools held many more lessons as debates teaching students how to think rather than the idea of cramming a bunch of rote facts down students throats. But if Christians were forced to debate atheists and others before the whole student body you would undoubtedly find them screaming and howling in protest about "attack on religion" and so forth. Thus, for an interesting example, the archdiocese of New York has banned Gov. Cuomo from a scheduled speech at a graduation ceremony at a Catholic school as a first step in its policy of banning any speakers who don't agree with Cardinal O'Connor's views on abortion. The diocesan office stated that "...Cuomo is so smart, he may mislead students and laymen on the proper teachings on abortion..." Of course, as Cuomo himself pointed out, Cardinal O'Connor practices a double standard in banning liberal beliefs about abortion while implicitly endorsing right-wing Republicans and supposed "right-to-life" candidates who actively pursue the death penalty even though it is also against Church teachings. Hypocrisy will never cease in some quarters..... tim sevener whuxn!orb