The Orca’s Thumb

Birmingham City Council has blocked its staff from looking at websites about atheism. That’s their prerogative, of course. The following, however

The authority’s Bluecoat Software computer system allows staff to look at websites relating to Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and other religions but blocks sites to do with “witchcraft or Satanism” and “occult practices, atheistic views, voodoo rituals or any other form of mysticism”.

… doesn’t make any sense at all.

Atheism does not belong under the heading of form of mysticism – Christianity and Islam, on the other hand, do – right along with witchcraft, the occult, voodoo, and New Age nonsense.