[weirdos] time to terminate this superstition

People, sorry – I really seem to be hitting this topic lately but maybe it’s hitting us instead and we are simply picking up on it. Last one for now – promise.

“I am not a religious person, but I like to think my beliefs are broadly Christian. This is, after all, still a predominantly Christian country. But I find it appalling that Christians are starting to be persecuted like some weird religious sect, while other religions are deemed to be 'untouchable' both in law and satire. The latest manifestation of this worrying trend is that some universities are, unbelievably, starting to ban Christian Unions.” No, it’s not me but Iain Dale.

Anonymous replies... iain, in 1998 the christian union systematically went around the university trying to get rid of every single student in halls they did not like the look of … these organisations … have been taken over by a bunch of unlibertarian, evangelical nutcases. The university chaplain correctly stated there was "nothing christian about our christian union."

Sam Tarran said ... If there are problems with the Christian Union shoving the Bible in people's faces, as some here have described, then surely wouldn't it be better to act against its wrongdoings rather than ban it altogether?

Firstly, there is no doubt at all that there is a systematic movement, especially in the halls of higher learning, against the cross. Anonymous is also right - many of these people are appalling and you have to run and hide until they’ve gone away. There’s no one more off-putting than a religious zealot who produce precisely the opposite of their desired result.

Should we ban the movement or the individuals? My fellow humanist bloggers would say suppress all religion – it only causes wars but that’s nothing but the old three card trick.

Analogy – there are two boys from a college sitting on a bench, reading. A pair from another college come along and start taunting them, jostling them and so on. Along comes a street kid, reads the situation and goes and gets his mates to champion the first ones. Soon there’s biffo everywhere, blood on the benches, the centre manager ejects them all and two women look at each other and mutter, ‘Boys - nothing but trouble wherever they go!’