Cambrian College Interview

The other day Shaun Lamirande from the Cambrian Shield came to interview me about happenings at Cambrian. Here are some of the thoughts I shared with him.

When it comes to being unable to start a Christian Club (or any other religious club) at Cambrian, being unable to hand out Christian (or other religious) material/flyers myself, and even a students being told by a professor that they would get in trouble if they handed religious stuff out, I have the following thoughts:

#1: A Post-Secondary Institution of Higher Learning should allow all types of diverse thoughts, even dissenting viewpoints because students should be making choices for themselves about which ones they will accept, and which ones they will reject.

#2: Many Colleges/Universities have Christian Clubs, Islamic Clubs, Wicca Clubs, etc. Why not Cambrian? This seems very narrow-minded – much too narrow-minded for a post-secondary institution.

#3: Saying “No” to one thing is saying “Yes” to another. So saying “No” to all religious stuff is saying “Yes” to irreligion or atheism for everyone. Why not allow students to make choices rather than been so closed-minded? I don’t think saying “No” to all religious stuff is sensitivity – I think it is censorship.

#4: Skepticism, fear, and anger toward traditional religion are growing in power and influence. But at the same time, robust, orthodox belief in the traditional faiths is growing as well. So instead of trying to outlaw or privatize one or the other, students should be aware of both sides and both sides should have a level playing field where they can civilly discuss and promote their view. Once again, anything less than this ends up falling into the realm of narrow-mindedness, and perhaps even censorship.