Dear editor,

It has come to my attention that people are defacing Secular Student Alliance advertisements… again.

In my experience, those who go so far as to censor others have too little faith in their own ideas to engage in discussion.

If you are so afraid that others have opinions, beliefs or experiences different than your own that you have to walk around campus smearing other people’s chalkings, perhaps you should reexamine

your own beliefs.

The SSA has always been open to discussions with other groups.

We invite the public to our own events and have gone to events where we have been invited.

We do not censor others’ opinions, whether they are members or not, or harass them for having those opinions.

Those who have censored the Secular Student Alliance’s chalkings are more than welcome, for example, to attend “Dying Without God,” which will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday in Engineering Building A, room 219.

It is open to the public, and we are more than happy to engage in respectful discussions

about beliefs.

Perhaps, for once, people can engage in intellectually honest activities such as talking about their ideas like adults, instead of behaving like children.

As SIU President Glenn Poshard was quoted in a recent article, “I hope some of these young people sitting here listened to what (Former Governor Jim Thompson)had to say about finding ways to walk across the aisle, bring people along from both parties. We don’t have to have a state and a nation that won’t sit down and talk to each other. We can be whatever party we are without just crucifying the other party.”

He was talking about politics, but the idea is the same.

Crystal Steltenpohl

graduate student

studying psychology