For the record, although I'm in serious disagreement with the theology, the philosophy, and most of the politics ("personal" and otherwise) of virtually all of the "cults" and "cult"-like organizations in question, as a First Amendment absolutist I must support their right to exist on campus as long as we allow "mainstream" religious organizations to exist there as well.

I should hope we learned from the Branch Davidian debacle what can happen when people overreact to organizations that seem weird or sinister to outsiders.

That being said, I would also hope that our universities can do a sufficiently good job of imbuing our students with the intellectual rigor necessary to engage in analytical reasoning and rational problem-solving, so they don't need mysticism or superstition to help get them through the uncertainties and difficulties that will confront them in life.

Unfortunately, given the recent debacle concerning teaching evolution in public schools in Kansas, it seems as if our entire society has a long way to go in this regard.

-- David G. Whiteis, Indiana-Purdue University at Ft. Wayne (posted 8/24, 12:08 p.m., E.D.T.)

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