<p>What, exactly, assigns inherent value to atheism? Some of the greatest theorists of modern science have been professedly religious - Albert Einstein comes to mind. Atheism does not necessarily imply free discourse of ideas, as it is, in essence, a Theism in and of itself. A theism is a term we use to describe our beliefs about God, god, or gods. Atheism merely defines belief in the non-existence of God, god, or gods. </p>
<p>Catholic schools operate on values that are different from public institutions, and thereby need not satisfy everyone else’s criteria. They operate for themselves, and those who don’t participate in the mission statement of a University have no one to blame but themselves for attending. Notre Dame has been around a lot longer than you have, and will be around for a lot longer than you will, and I can assure you it’s done pretty well for itself and will continue to do so.</p>