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[–]FediNetizen 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Setting your own standards inside your own community isn't the same kind of censorship. If a church doesn't let an atheist give a talk, is that a bad thing?

[–]Chipit 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Always excusing censorship. When we do it it's OK, when anyone else does it to us it's a hate crime. We've seen this so many times, most recently with the influx of feminists banned from reddit.

A better question is, if you had the power, would you force churches to allow atheists to speak? Why or why not?

[–]FediNetizen 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

A better question is, if you had the power, would you force churches to allow atheists to speak? Why or why not?

This is pretty straightforward. Part of the principle of free speech is the right to listen, and the right not to listen. You are free to associate with (and listen to) whoever you like. A church that doesn't host an atheist isn't "censoring" anyone in any meaningful sense, they're just exercising their right not to listen. The atheist is still free to speak his mind to whoever will listen.

[–]Chipit 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

You didn't answer the question. If you had the power, would you force the church to allow atheists to speak?

If you wouldn't, why not? Churches are problematic. They perpetrate systemic oppression, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, heteronormativity, cisnormativity, transphobia, and the status quo. If you don't act to dismantle things like this, then you are problematic.