More censorship of atheists on campus

Free speech outcry as images of the Flying Spaghetti Monster are banned from London South Bank University for offending religious people

As usual, the religious people on campuses are unable to take even the slightest criticism and are seeking to censor any satire of their beliefs.

Even more outrageously, it appears that the SU (which is controlled by people of a particular faith... guess which one) made the LSBU Atheist Society's registration as a soc conditional on them not being allowed to criticise religion or hold debates with religious socs (again, guess which soc demanded the latter)

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Reply 1

Huskaris

I'm an atheist. And sometimes I really am ashamed of what a bunch of self righteous ********s some of my fellow atheists are.

Reply 2

Are you Shaw?

Are you serious? While I don't agree with suppression of freedom of speech, this is clearly just intended to poke fun at religious people. It's practically hate speech.

Reply 3

MostUncivilised

Original post by Huskaris

I'm an atheist. And sometimes I really am ashamed of what a bunch of self righteous ********s some of my fellow atheists are.

You remind me of gay people who say, "I'm gay, but I can't stand other gay people. I'm really straight acting".

What exactly have the LSB Atheists done wrong in this situation?

Reply 4

MostUncivilised

Original post by Are you Shaw?

this is clearly just intended to poke fun at religious people. It's practically hate speech.

So satire is hate speech?

Reply 5

Huskaris

Original post by MostUncivilised

You remind me of gay people who say, "I'm gay, but I can't stand other gay people. I'm really straight acting".

What exactly have the LSB Atheists done wrong in this situation?

With all due respect that analogy is *******s.

The problem with so many atheists is that they know they are right. Sure we do, we know that there's no god or (and this is a personal opinion) if there is than I am 100% sure no human has ever written down what "god" or the ultimate creator is, so all religions are incorrect.

So we know we are right and enlightened, why do we have to go and ram that down everyone's throats, which correct me if I'm wrong, is one of the key things we hate about religious people?

Live and let live.

Reply 6

Are you Shaw?

Original post by MostUncivilised

So satire is hate speech?

Would you like it if I put a poster of a black guy outside in chains with writing on it saying: 'The good old days' and claimed it was satire?

Reply 7

Observatory

Original post by MostUncivilised

So satire is hate speech?

Most "hate speech" is satire. Actual vitriol is unpleasant and tends to back fire. But self-important interest groups hate being mocked and are not very good at responding to it.

Reply 8

MostUncivilised

Original post by Huskaris

So we know we are right and enlightened, why do we have to go and ram that down everyone's throats, which correct me if I'm wrong, is one of the key things we hate about religious people?

How is an atheist society that had their posters (at their own damn stall) taken down "ramming things down everyone's throats"? In this case it seems clear that it's the religious people who are ramming it down people's throats.

Reply 9

MostUncivilised

Original post by Are you Shaw?

Would you like it if I put a poster of a black guy outside in chains with writing on it saying: 'The good old days' and claimed it was satire?

Bogus analogy. Who here is the one who is engaging in oppressive behaviour? The people who put up a gently mocking poster, or the religious people who flipped out and ripped down the poster and had the SU close the Atheist's stalls?

If religious people are so offended by different ideas, maybe they're not mature enough to be at university?

Reply 10

Plainview

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is childish and redundant.

Reply 11

Are you Shaw?

Original post by MostUncivilised

There are other ideas and then there are clear attacks and intolerance made to make people feel uncomfortable.

Reply 12

Huskaris

Original post by MostUncivilised

I think you're being disingenuous. You know exactly what I'm talking about, that brand of atheist which I am talking about is very present on here.

Generally it's teenagers who can't accept other peoples beliefs or opinions because they are wrong, which is perfectly logical but at the same time flawed, because they don't understand faith the same way you could claim religious people don't understand or refuse to believe scientific method.

Most people grow out of fanatical atheism when they mature a bit although some remain and make a lot of money selling books etc.

Like I said I'm an atheist but I just can't stand the way atheists can be sometimes. It's just cringeworthy

Reply 13

Chlorophile

I agree that this is ridiculous and that the poster should not have been taken down, but stop acting as if this is part of a wider persecution of Atheists. There is much more hatred of the religious in this country than hatred of atheists.

Reply 14

MostUncivilised

Original post by Huskaris

Generally it's teenagers who can't accept other peoples beliefs or opinions because they are wrong, which is perfectly logical but at the same time flawed, because they don't understand faith the same way you could claim religious people don't understand or refuse to believe scientific method.

Comparing the two is asinine. Do you have different sects of atheism going around blowing each other up? Do you have sects of atheism demanding gay people be executed? Do you have them demanding that they be given exemptions from discrimination laws?

Reply 15

xDave-

Whenever I read that someone was offended, I can't help but roll my eyes.

Reply 16

Axiomasher

Original post by MostUncivilised

Difficult call in my view. I don't necessarily think it should have been banned but its tone is provocative - and I say that as an atheist. I suspect that had the Flying Spaghetti Monster not been superimposed on a easily recognised piece of religious art there wouldn't have been a problem, at least there shouldn't have been.

Reply 17

Huskaris

Original post by MostUncivilised

Do you have examples of atheists taking the piss out of and shouting at/arguing with religious people resulting in a reduction of any of the things you have mentioned?

Don't get me wrong I'm happy to be an atheist and I wish everyone around me was. Acting like a dick will not help the situation at all.

Reply 18

Snagprophet

Hate speech is a retarded term which is used for trying to suggest aggressive bullying, and often to say ''these people are the new Jews, those people are the new Nazis''.

It is used for drawing parallels with genocides before Human Rights existed, on the basis of religion. This makes no sense. No-one is born religious. You might be born to a religious family but there's nothing in your genetic code which ties you to any religion.

What's ridiculous is that people ridicule Christianity for so long yet when it's another religion it's suddenly wrong.

Reply 19

MostUncivilised

Original post by Huskaris

Don't get me wrong I'm happy to be an atheist and I wish everyone around me was. Acting like a dick will not help the situation at all.

You call it acting like a dick, but in fact robust and aggressive criticism (and god forbid, jocular mocking) of religion is part of what has seen the ebbing flow of religion in public life.

There's a line (for example, saying all religious people are idiots, would be needlessly provocative). But the South Bank Atheists did not cross it, and I think it's extraordinary to be criticising them considering they are the ones who have been censored, who have been told that they cannot even criticise religion as a condition of starting their soc.