why allow preaching in university?

[coltcat]

in the place I live, we have a clear law against any preaching or religious propaganda in university.
I do run into couples of christians in school before , I've heard scientology showing up in my countrys university recently.
but their action isnt really that a big deal , they just asking nicely if anyones interesting in their belief, if not than nothing happens (they ARE minority in here)
so we rarely need used that "no-preaching law" card.
cuz believers just stay really really low profile.
 
and I just hanging on youtube , found this guys channel and others
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MsObYXgNko&feature=fvst
It scared me , its legal? phew...
I wasnt think of this question seriously until now.
I assuming its legal.
as an outsider I just wondering , dont US university have some sort of secular law(or planed to start one)to maintain the secularism of the education?

[karadan]

Where are you from? I don't know of any laws prohibiting preaching on university campuses in the UK but that doesn't mean there aren't any. To be honest, that dude in the video is obviously completely insane. Another egotistical god-botherer who has to vet every one of the comments on his vids before 'approving' them. Ie, another venomfangx.

I've no time for that brand of insanity.

Personally, if someone wants to preach, i say let them. It is a free society. They should expect to be challenged though. I'd be the first person to refute everything they say.

[Tank]

Frankly as people at university are nominally adults I see no reason whatsoever to ban any legal activity at all. If students can't cope with preachers they really can't cope with life and should be wrapped up in cotton wool and stay at home. These people have to be faced, one can't just ignore them and hope they go away. Preachers on campus are fair game, go heckle the buggers, in a polite non-threatening way and hold them to account for their views. Let them in but don't give them an easy ride!

[coltcat]

maybe usually campus preacher looks like this are quite harmless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOngVCtHRc0
but disturbing and certainly not peaceful.
besides that the yelling and threaten are just annoying.
well , it just bothers me , never sees or thought of anything like this, excepting on internet.
for me its like preaching in the city hall or hospital.(do US allow preaching in hospital?)
just surprise me a bit, US universitys openness.
damn, you can even smoke on the lawn , and in these years we are thinking of ban it in university. LOL

[The Magic Pudding]

why allow preaching in university?

They work cheaper than comedians.

[Tank]

why allow preaching in university?

They work cheaper than comedians.

[coltcat]

Frankly as people at university are nominally adults I see no reason whatsoever to ban any legal activity at all.!

oh sure , bucuz I started at the point where we dont have any preaching in educational institution.
and in US all the religions plays a fair game in university.
so uh... after I seeing the situation is US , my question will be "do you folks (US atheists) consider it beneficial to not having any preaching in educational institution"
tks

[coltcat]

delete

[coltcat]

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[coltcat]

delete again... I got drunk, sry

[pinkocommie]

I think for kids in public school, K-12, there shouldn't be any religion or preaching or anything.  However, I really like the idea of college being a place where information kind of freely flows, so I like the idea of religious beliefs being represented at colleges, though I don't think the college itself should endorse or promote religious activity.  Not any more than any other activity, anyway.

[Whitney]

after I seeing the situation is US , my question will be "do you folks (US atheists) consider it beneficial to not having any preaching in educational institution"
tks

There isn't any preaching in the state funded educational institutions....there are, however, religious preachers who exercise their free speech on public property that happens to be the university grounds.

We had preachers at my university...one of them was quite hilarious.  We called him Preacher Bob (I assume he claimed to be named Bob) and he either was or pretended to be a fundamentalist preacher who was against women with short hair, short skirts etc and told anyone that was walking by who had such features that they were going to hell.  People would actually stand there and argue with him; even the religious people...it made them think about their beilefs.

We also had more normal preachers but they didn't spark anyone to challenge their own beliefs since they weren't confrontational...that's what's so funny about these evangelists for every one person they bring into the fold they probably drive away 5 with their crazy ideas.

[Sophus]

As far as "why allow it?" goes, it depends on how they're preaching. People forget we don't have complete freedom of speech. Typically, when it comes to schools, colleges and universities, if you're causing a disruption or trying to provoke violence you won't be seen as simply practicing your free speech.

[Martin TK]

I really think that once a person gets to the university stage of life, there should be three requirements; a course in critical thinking/Logic, a course in comparative religions, and a course in race relations/sensativity.

I am not fond of the Evangelical Christian preachers who get in your face and invade your space, and I'll certainly explain that I am prone to fits of rage against these practices.  I am patient with the quieter types, who just want to talk about their beliefs and such, but I always begin with the caveat that I will listen to their views IF they will listen to mine; me first.  It can be kind of fun to do that.  My mother who was a Methodist, and only became annoying about it later in life, used to say that to those Saturday morning visitors.  Our house got a reputation as one best left alone.