Was Harvard University right in canceling a Black Mass?

No. The catholic church deserves all the ridicule people can throw at it.

short answer. yes

Its all foolishness. Harvard should stay out of this kid stuff. And churches should not have any say on what goes on at non-religious institutions. Harmless stupidity.

Right according to whom?

Berkeley should step in and host. Free press!

@non_omnis_moriar That even makes me more curious. If it is harmless kid stuff stupidity, why do the school officials and the Church pay attention-? :)

Yes. Harvard has a right to not be co-opted into an act that disparages people’s beliefs. I’d feel the same way if a group was parodying Scientologists or Evangelicals or Wiccans.

No.
But as always, christians™ want freedom of religion only for themselves.
Also makes me wonder how many who are now supporting this censorship would be up in arms if the group had planned to mock muslim beliefs instead.

@ragingloli: “Also makes me wonder how many who are now supporting this censorship would be up in arms if the group had planned to mock muslim beliefs instead.”

Just last month, Brandeis recinded their offer to give an honorary degree to Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The way they handled this was pathetic, with groups labeling her an “Islamophobe”, which is a way to describe someone who is critical of Islam.
I’m not sure things would have gone much easier for a Muslim-mocking event – at least in “liberal” academia.

Yes.

It is a private university so of course they’re right (in a law sense). Harvard only banned it from their property, but the event was cancelled because they couldn’t find anyone else who would allow their ritual on their own property.

From the article..

The event was cancelled after it failed to find a location to host the black mass.

It isn’t a matter of right or wrong. This incident played out to the letter as the vast majority of folks here would predict. There’s little question that Harvard was within its rights when banning the event. There is absolutely no benefit to the university (nor its considerable endowment) in providing a venue for ridicule of an outfit with the muscle of the Catholic Church.

Their house. Their rules.

Harvard is a private university. So they have the right to approve or to cancel pretty much any event that goes on on their campus.

mazingerz88 They pay attention because of the influence of born again Christian fundies on campuses. It’s the whole reason the kids were going to throw a pseudo satanic mass (pure baloney by the way) to begin with. It’s why the whole thing is a student prank.

Just a brief logical note: there is a difference between having the right to do x and x being the right thing to do. The question does not ask whether Harvard had the legal right to cancel the Black Mass. It asks whether canceling the Black Mass was the right thing to do. Those are importantly different questions, but several of the answers here seem to conflate them.

Then I hope I was clear.

It was not the right thing to do.

@non_omnis_moriar Don’t worry. None of your answers so far have made the mistake I was pointing out.