‘Go to hell, creationists!’
A rowdy demonstration at a German university shows that ‘tolerance’
does not extend to creation and the Bible.
The packed lecture theatre prior to the disruption.
The banner reading, ‘Go to hell, creationists!’
by Carl Wieland
Published: 30 December 2008(GMT+10)
Information scientist, author and evangelist, Dr Werner Gitt, a close friend of
CMI, told us that on 23 October 2008 he was subjected to the most strident opposition
he had ever encountered.
The venue was the Audimax theatre at the Leibniz University in Hannover, Germany.
Dr Gitt had been invited to give a lecture by the Forum Bibel-Glaube-Wissenschaft
(Forum of Bible-Faith-Science). The talk was titled, ‘Why I as a scientist
believe the Bible’.
The 600-seat auditorium was packed to overflowing for his address, with some seated
in the aisles. Just as Werner was about to commence his lecture, he told us, about
40 students began to disrupt the event. Most were part of a large group at the back,
while several individuals had positioned themselves strategically throughout the
room.
‘The group at the rear unfurled two large banners’, said Werner. ‘One
featured a foul-mouthed expression with the word “homophobe”, the other
said, “Creationists, go to hell!”. They then started making a deafening
noise, chanting and blowing party whistles.’
One of the students who had come to hear Dr Gitt got up and wrote in large letters
half a metre (1.5 ft) high on to a long blackboard wall at the front of the room
the words, ‘No, we’re going to heaven’.
More signs of ‘enlightened tolerance’ by these interjectors.
6182lLecture.jpg
Even the presence of five police was not enough; it eventually took another 20 to
control the unruly group.
Some of the organizers rang the police, and after about ten minutes of this ‘audio
demonstration’, two officers turned up. They were unable to persuade the rabble-rousers,
apparently associated with a leftist student body, to desist. Then three more police
arrived, but the five of them were helpless to stop what was happening. ‘That
seemed to embolden them—they felt they were strong enough to torpedo the whole
event,’ said Werner, ‘and they just kept on with their ear-splitting
racket.’ It was only after a much longer time, he explained, when about 20
more police arrived, that the visible group of troublemakers could be escorted out
of the theatre. He was then able to begin his address, a full hour later than it
was meant to be.
Asked by a German-language magazine how he had reacted, Werner replied, ‘We
simply waited, not showing that we were in the slightest impressed, nor reacting
fearfully. I’m glad that we held out and didn’t let the interlopers
have the victory. I think they were surprised that we held out and didn’t
falter. In spite of the one-hour delay, I was given the full time to present it.’
Did he ever feel personally threatened or afraid? ‘No, not really,’
said Werner. ‘It soon became clear that they were more about intimidation,
rather than actually becoming violent or throwing things. In any case, in the days
leading up to the lecture, we had already been told of substantial opposition, including
attempts to block the talk from happening. This included pressure applied to the
university administration. And posters were continually being torn down and having
to be reposted, that sort of thing. So that meant we had many good friends praying
earnestly for us. Ultimately, we’re all in God’s hands anyway—that
thought gave me a real inner peace in the midst of that uncertain situation.’
Asked whether he had ever experienced the like in his many years of giving lectures
both in his German homeland and overseas, Werner replied, ‘No, never. I’ve
had some fairly hostile question times, but nothing like this. I suppose when they
saw the title of my talk, it got to them. They probably searched the internet a
bit and saw that for me, believing the Bible means believing the creation account
in Genesis as well. So it looks as if they organized themselves to try to make sure
others couldn’t hear it.’
The lecture resumes. The blackboard behind Dr Gitt reads, ‘No! We’re
going to heaven’
Did the rabble-rousers succeed in discouraging anyone from listening? ‘To
my amazement,’ said Werner, ‘nearly all of the audience stayed right
throughout the hour-long delay, and then for the entire talk. In fact, they were
completely silent and very attentive throughout the lecture.’ Werner indicated
that this was particularly remarkable, given that the police had been unable to
identify and remove those demonstrators who had previously planted themselves around
the room and now blended in with the crowd
‘So they were there the whole time. Perhaps they were reluctant to give away
their presence by making any noise,’ Werner said. ‘The end result was
that, while it may not have been exactly totally voluntary, even these rebellious
students heard the message of the saving Gospel. May the Lord make it effective
in their hearts, too.’
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