Should I remove anti-Catholic advertising?

[gostdom]

Hi all,

I frequently find myself on a public university campus very early in the morning, before almost anybody else is around. Occasionally, there are ads on public bulletin boards that I pass for various groups and events that promote things that are contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

The question is, should I tear down these fliers and throw them out? I can see the argument for this going both ways, but I feel more compelled to remove them than not. What do you think?

God bless!
gostdom

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Hi all,

I frequently find myself on a public university campus very early in the morning, before almost anybody else is around. Occasionally, there are ads on public bulletin boards that I pass for various groups and events that promote things that are contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

The question is, should I tear down these fliers and throw them out? I can see the argument for this going both ways, but I feel more compelled to remove them than not. What do you think?

God bless!
gostdom

If they are permitted by the owner of the bulletin board (the university) then you have no right to take them down. You can write/Email the university that you find them offensive and why. (not that it will do any good, unless they don’t know thay they are up there)

 

[True_Believer_1]

“I may not agree with what they have to say, but I will defend, to the death, their right to say it”.

If it is truely anti-Catholic, counter it by being truely pro-Catholic. Be an example to others of what it means to be a truely good Catholic, actions speak much louder then words. In other words, “Preach the gospel always, using words when necessary”.

May God Bless You and Guide You.

**NOT JUST STRONG…CATHOLIC STRONG!!! **

 

[havana1]

If they are permitted by the owner of the bulletin board (the university) then you have no right to take them down. You can write/Email the university that you find them offensive and why. (not that it will do any good, unless they don’t know thay they are up there)

Yes, you do have a legal right to take them down if they’re not covered by glass panes. I take flyers and notices off bulletin boards all the time. How else is a person going to know a location or phone number of an event unless they have that flyer with them? (Nobody stands there with a notepad writing down the details from a flyer.) The owner of the bulletin board permit applies to approval to display it, not to remove it without written permission. Big difference.

 

[Lee_M]

Yes, you do have a legal right to take them down if they’re not covered by glass panes. I take flyers and notices off bulletin boards all the time. How else is a person going to know a location or phone number of an event unless they have that flyer with them? (Nobody stands there with a notepad writing down the details from a flyer.) The owner of the bulletin board permit applies to approval to display it, not to remove it without written permission. Big difference.

I don’t know what legal rights there are to bulletin board flyers, but it still doesn’t make it right to remove it if it is contrary to our beliefs. I agree with the other poster. I would put pro-Catholic literature beside it.

 

[Sonny1954]

This is a case where what the law says and what the heart feels may really diverge. My opinion is that if the advertisement is there legally by school policy, than no one has a right to deface or destroy it. One might use those same school procedures to put up a counter-advertisement.

I’m curious about what constitutes anti-Catholicism in this instance? If the ad announces a meeting of a Gay-Lesbian group on campus, I personally don’t see that as anti-Catholic; and I think we’d have a hard time proving it in court. If it is an ad promoting the firing of Catholic faculty and staff on the basis of where they go to Church on Sunday, that would be clearly anti-Catholicism and just as clearly against the law.

 

[Paul2274]

I’m curious about what constitutes anti-Catholicism in this instance?

Occasionally, there are ads on public bulletin boards that I pass for various groups and events that promote things that are contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

He isn’t saying “anti-catholic” but contrary to catholic teachings.

I think the PP has it right that if the school allows those things to be posted then there is no right to take them down, although I would love to do that, I don’t think it should be allowed to be taken down.
On the flip side, change the scenario, say you were putting up a flyer for a catholic religious education meeting… it would not be right for another group who dislikes what you have posted to take it down. Regardless of what the flyer says… the act of taking it down when it is not yours to take down makes it wrong to do. Now maybe I might move the flyer to a less noticeable part of the board or maybe slip another flyer over that one but you can’t take it down.

Paul

 

[gostdom]

UPDATE:

I did some research on the university’s website and found some rules for at least the bulletin boards in one of the buildings.

In particular was a rule that no one who is posting a flier may remove or obscure any other active fliers. Notably, however, it had no rules on the content of fliers or information on reporting offensive fliers. (Although, that’s not surprising on a public university campus.)

There are also no rules against “interested parties” taking down fliers or tear-off tabs to take with them for information. Although, in my case, it would be dishonest to remove them under this pretense.

So, the question becomes, do I essentially break the rules? I have two choices: 1. Leave the fliers that may attract people to sin or immorality. 2. Illicitly remove the fliers to potentially save people from sin or immorality.

This can get pretty philosophical, but who’s really breaking the rules? The ultimate rules are those set down by God. Any other man-made rules are fine, as long as they don’t violate God’s rules.

So, for example, God has told us in many ways that homosexual acts are wrong. If a student group at the university posts a flier inviting people to come and celebrate homosexuality, clearly they are in the wrong with God’s rule. Am I not simply correcting their mistake for them by removing the flier? Furthermore, isn’t the school’s rule not to remove active fliers overridden by God’s rule in this case?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Yes, you do have a legal right to take them down if they’re not covered by glass panes. I take flyers and notices off bulletin boards all the time. How else is a person going to know a location or phone number of an event unless they have that flyer with them? (Nobody stands there with a notepad writing down the details from a flyer.) The owner of the bulletin board permit applies to approval to display it, not to remove it without written permission. Big difference.

If I post a flyer, I intend for people to be able to see/read it for the duration of the time I’m permitted to have it up there. Not for 10 minutes until the first person who does not like it comes along and removes it. I would expect that if someone wants to call or come to an event that they will write down the informtion and leave my poster where I put it.

 

[gostdom]

Thanks Br. Rich. I think what havana1 meant was that, when a person sees something they like, they can sometimes take down the flier so that they have the info for the reminder’s sake. I suppose it’s safe to say that the person posting the flier is responsible for making sure there are tear off tabs with info, otherwise people may just take the entire flier as their reminder.

Also, incidentally, I just wanted to say that my wife is totally on your side. And I should listen to my better half!! She agrees with the logic that we wouldn’t want our fliers torn down, so therefore we shouldn’t tear down other people’s fliers. She suggested that it would be better to attend the controversial event and speak up in debate or find a way to peacefully protest it or organize my own event promoting the other side of the issue. Clearly these options will be much more difficult than removing fliers, but they’d likely have a greater impact and they wouldn’t break any rules.

God bless!