I’ve always been a bit notorious for writing letters to the editor for our campus newspaper, but this is even more exciting: The Exponent let me write a guest column on atheism at Purdue and the Society of Non-Theists for their opinions page! It’s an area usually reserved for opinion pieces for Exponent staff, and I had over twice as much space as a letter. Writing it was a lot more challenging than blogging, since it had a word limit (I can’t ramble?! Nooooo!), has to be a lot more formal (aka, intelligent), and is to a totally different audience (mainly Christians instead of a mob of atheists). It’s not revolutionary and probably won’t incite the masses to send hate mail, but it’s a message that needs to be seen on campus. Consider it my last hurrah after three years of being President.
And since I wrote it, I’ll reprint it below in its entirety.
Non-theists, you are not alone on this campus
By Jennifer McCreight
Guest Columnist
Publication Date: 04/14/2010I grew up in Indiana, but coming to Purdue was a culture shock for me. Some people in my town were religious, but no one really cared about what others did or didn’t believe.
Less than a month after I arrived on campus, I sat in the McCutcheon laundry room reading Richard Dawkins’ “The God Delusion.” Another freshman approached me, wide-eyed, and asked if I was an atheist. When I said I was, she asked with sincere worry, “But how will you ever find a husband?”
Let’s ignore the assumption that getting a husband should be the most important goal in life. Actually, she was voicing a concern that many atheists and agnostics share. Sometimes it can feel like you’re the only person who doesn’t believe in God. I certainly felt that way when I came to Purdue.
There were over 50 Christian student organizations, a club for every other religion, religious advertisements in my mailbox, and preachers on the mall telling me I was going to hell. Political or ethical discussions and even small talk started with the assumption that I was a Christian.
That’s why I started the Society of Non-Theists in 2007: Not to convert or offend the religious, but to let other atheists and agnostics know that they weren’t alone. For our first callout, I expected maybe 15 people to come. So many students showed up that they were spilling into the hallway. People looked across the room as if to say “Where were you guys all this time?!”
While we’re a minority, we certainly do exist. About 16 percent of Americans are non-theists, and that number grows every year (1). Unfortunately, many are afraid to come out, and those fears are legitimate. Club members constantly share stories of discrimination, stereotyping and rejection from their families because of people judging their non-belief. Groups like ours provide a safe environment where non-theists can speak freely, something that is necessary to stay sane and happy.
Of course, we do more than serve as a community. Something as simple as being open about our non-theism can dispel negative stereotypes many have about us. We try to ensure the separation of church and state is upheld at Purdue and in Indiana. We hold events to promote skeptical thinking, and we help others by volunteering and raising money for charity. We encourage open dialogue about religion through group discussions and sometimes-controversial public demonstrations.
Even with all these activities, community has always been our focus. I’ve made dozens of close friends that I’ll have for a lifetime, and other members say the same. Who knows if we’d have met if we were too afraid to express our skepticism of the supernatural? Even people who don’t come to meetings frequently e-mail me, thanking me for letting them know that they have a voice on campus. Making Purdue more welcoming for non-religious students is more important than any grade I’ve received, and the club will be what I miss most when I graduate.
Future club members still have a lot of work to do keeping Purdue secular and increasing the acceptance of non-theists. We’ve had minor success cooperating with religious groups, but most still seem hesitant or unwilling. I will definitely feel disappointed if my graduation ceremony in May is full of thinly veiled prayers, religious commentary and the choir singing “Amen” like in the past.
Club flyers are torn down or defaced within hours of putting them up, and it’s rare to have an outdoor event without someone shouting something hateful. Our mere existence will always offend some, but we’ve come a long way. I’m no longer afraid or ashamed to call myself an atheist, and neither should anyone else on campus.
Just remember: Non-theists are good people, with similar morals and goals as theists. We don’t eat babies, we don’t hate religious people, we don’t wallow in depression and we don’t have drunken orgies (well, not all the time). We aren’t rebelling against our parents or God. We simply agree with Carl Sagan that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”
1. Pew Forum’s U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, May 8 to Aug. 13, 2007
Jennifer McCreight is a senior in the College of Science and the president of the Society of Non-Theists (www.purduenontheists.com). She writes at the popular atheist blog www.blaghag.com and may be reached at [blaghagblog@gmail.com]*.
Major thanks to Tom, Mark, Bryan, and Jon for helping me revise it! And of course, thanks to the Non-Theists for a great three years. It’s hard to believe that I won’t be your President any more in a week.
*My Purdue email was printed in the paper, though I prefer that you guys email me here.
I do find the question about finding a husband amusing even beyond the misplaced priority — doesn’t she know the ratio of female to male out atheists?
She didn’t even know there *were* atheists until she met me. When I explained that there were more atheists in the United States that Jews or Hindus, and those groups don’t have problems finding each other, she looked horrified that there were more atheists in the world other than me.I must say, she was very nice/polite, just obviously had never met an atheist before.
Hi Jen,Just read this in the paper. Great stuff! This is Liz from the Episcopal Church. I think we’ve met and spoke briefly. I was really thrilled to read about your focus on community. I am not entirely familiar with the non-theist movement, but I have heard that service/social justice work has been a tough point for some groups. I am so glad you are working to make the lives of others better! I think that most of us at ESA were surprised and happy to find out that we had more in common with you all than with many of our Christian counterparts.Yea–the husband thing is weird. I’ve gotten that before. (I used to live at Windsor) You kissed a boy??? How are you going to explain that to your future husband???Congrats and best of luck!Liz
Good article, Jen. It follows the “Hemant-style” of atheism with cooperation and example-setting, and shouldn’t rile any feathers. Which means that next week’s Exponent should be full of Christians explaining in great detail that you’re going to Hell and what’s going to happen when you get there (of course, such people will be representing a slim minority viewpoint, but hey).You write well. Maybe that blog thing has helped your writing skills a little?
Very nice article, I was happy to see others have noticed the strong Christian positions on campus by a few. Good luck!
Hey, I can definitely have the “PZ-style” fire and brimstone, too. “Hemant-style” is just more effective for my audience at Purdue. Does that mean “Jen-style” is going both ways? …I’m not even going to touch the implications of that.And honestly, I think I used to write better *before* I blogged. Blogging can develop all sorts of bad habits, haha.
Liz, thanks so much for the support! ESA is one of the groups I was thinking of when I mentioned some of our “successes” cooperating with religious groups. We definitely have a lot of common, aside from the whole God thing ;)And Windsor…I’ve heard stories. Glad I didn’t get placed there, I probably would have gone insane (though there dining court is good!).
You still have good formal writing skills, which is very important. I think that you get more riled up when science is attacked than in general. The “PZ-Style” (amazing how you knew exactly what I was thinking for the opposite of the “Hemant-style”) seems to always be on the attack, which is fine for PZ, but I like the middle of the road approach.Probably why I read your blog, hmm?
I find this interesting, because when I was in college, most of my friends were atheist or agnostic…not religious at all. Granted, I went to a much larger school. But I do think that sometimes, depending on where you live and what you are doing, it can definitely be isolating.I grew up in the Bible belt, and even just raising questions about the religion I was raised in was considered a hostile act. I endured a lot of teasing and harsh comments from my classmates and even some of my teachers. For a couple of years, everyone swore I was a devil-worshiping witch. (I was an officer in my church’s youth group, a VBS teacher and worked in the church nursery, and went to church camp every summer…don’t ask how they made the jump from that to into Satan and witchcraft.) It was hard.I’m very grateful now for my friends who don’t judge me for my beliefs and for my husband who–shocker!–shares my beliefs. It definitely helps things go more smoothly, and kudos on helping create that space for other non-theists at your school! :)
Great column, Jen. It was nice of the Exponent to let you use their platform. You have to tell us if you get any hilarious hate mail because of this. :P
As all have said above, great column. I don’t see how this could ruffle even the most indignation-prone of feathers … but then, some theists get all up in arms over the mere existence of atheists (hence, atheist billboard vandalism, amongst other things …), so daring to say both that we exist in their little world, and that we actually dare to try and do good things despite them? *le gasp*Comment on the above: I don’t think your writing has gotten any worse; judging from the old essays you showed us a while back (you know, the “debate” thing on evolution-vs-Creationism), it seems to be about the same, if not a bit more … “mature” (or whatever you’d call it). And, I definitely disagree that blogging can hurt one’s writing abilities; hell, mine have improved rather considerably, both in formal and casual styles. Though, granted, that’s just me.Anyways. Will be curious to see if you get any knotted-panties reactions soon. Do post them if you get them, will you? ;-)
‘I will definitely feel disappointed if my graduation ceremony in May is full of thinly veiled prayers, religious commentary and the choir singing “Amen” like in the past.’If the Christians are relieved enough to pray and sing when you leave, perhaps you shouldn’t feel disappointed so much as consider it a job well done. :-D
Huzzah!May the F.S.M. rain glorious noodles on your head.To prepare for the ‘You’re going to hell’ letters you might want to check out some Jim Jeffries YouTubes. He has a good take on heaven & hell (the one from his HBO special).
Great article :) But no room for comments on the Exponents site? And when will someone teach them about spacing?I hope you get good feedback!
I’ve recently read one of the Betsy-Tacey books, Heaven to Betsy. It was written early in the 20th century and set in the author’s home state of Minnesota. These are children’s and young adult books, basically school stories, but their attitude towards religion seems unusual today, a hundred years since they were written. For example, there were atheists around, and in one anecdote a farm village was raising money to build a proper church. The atheist donated as a matter of civic pride. A proper town needed a proper church. God had nothing to do with it.In fact, given that Betsy converts from being a Baptist to being an Episcopalian because of the beauty of the service and its use of music which was very important to her, God is surprisingly absent from the book and from the character’s religious decision making. Her parents, had they been living in this day and age, would have been driven from their Baptist church for playing cards and dancing, but in this book it was seen as unremarkable. In fact, her father did a stint as one of the church officers.Then again, the modern evangelical church with its political activism and bizarre eschatology is a recent invention. It was in embryo when these books were written. I can’t say our more modern attitudes about religion are anything of an improvement.(Gee, you were someone’s first atheist. A friend of mine was someone’s first Jew. They were a little kid who wanted to see her horns. At least the little kid could plead ignorance.)
I found your blog just a little while ago, and it’s fantastic. While I was reading “The God Delusion” in a cafe back in the States, people near me were muttering about how the book must be a parody of something. I can barely believe you managed to organize a club for non-theists (I can only imagine the hardships involved in that), and that really makes me want to try to do the same at my university here in Germany.
Very good letter. I would hope that we’d see groups like yours on every campus. They are desperately needed.
Well written piece. If only there were more people like you around.
Very good article. As an older atheist, who has returned to school, I can tell you first hand that it doesn’t get any easier with age. Once you have a family you have to worry that your views may potentially put them in harms way or at least subject them to some form of ridicule. It is very difficult when you have children and have to be careful not to cause them to be singled out and picked on. I live in a rural Indiana town and for the people of this community saying prayers at public school events (graduations, various concerts and holiday programs) is completely acceptable. I get strange looks when I refuse to bow my head to everyone’s imaginary deity, but I don’t speak out because of the trouble it could cause my daughter. That runs contrary to who I am, but I have to think of her well being. I’m very open about my non-theism, but I don’t run up and scream “I am an atheist” at every religious person I meet. I’ve seen the views and beliefs of religious individuals motivate them to say and do some truly mean/evil things. I am the only atheist I know, and as such I fear the fact that one day I or my family could be the target of some misguided zealot. I don’t feel it is my place to change anyone, just as I don’t feel they should be knocking on my door to spread their beliefs. I’m a live and let live kind of person, though I am happy to discuss/debate religion with anyone as long as they do so with intelligence and civility. Needless to say I find very few people willing and able to meet those criteria. I applaud you for being open about your views, and especially for being a leader in the non-theist community on your campus. I only hope that younger non-theist, such as yourself, continue to be a beacon of light for your generation.
Wow. That was such a great piece that you wrote, and I found it really personally touching. It’s true that many of us feel isolated – we’re far outnumbered, and Christians DO just assume that if you’re a decent person, you must believe what they do (small talk, big talk, everything! – they’re not shy about their beliefs – there’s an unawareness that what they say can be hurtful, or least, disagreed with).Where I grew up, in grade school, I literally was the only non-church going child in any given class. Year after year, I was bullied by self-righteous Christian kids, some of whom weren’t allowed to play with me by their parents (and they made sure they told me so!). I wasn’t even calling myself an Atheist then, my parents just didn’t go to church!I wasn’t bullied persay, in college – but I found myself surrounded by a high concentration of Mormons and other Christians who – even though our major was biology – openly condemned non-theism and scientific evidence, and right under their surfaces, they were hostile toward opposition (they’re going to be GREAT scientists, right? ;-) ). To cope, I often glossed over my views with an image of religious ambiguity.I think you’re incredibly courageous to have started the Society of Non-Theists at your university and have reached out to others by writing your guest column. I wish, not only that someone had let me know that I wasn’t alone in college, but that I’d have had the courage to do the same.You’ve proven that our first major step as Atheists – personally and societally – is to assert ourselves! Thanks for a great article.-Stephanie
You mean eating babies isn’t allowed? Man, I’ve been doing this whole Atheism thing wrong.http://laughinginpurgatory.blo…
Very interesting, and a well-written piece. Where I live (in the UK), the position is almost entirely reversed. Being a Christian has usually put me in the minority and I have encountered a great deal of ignorance and hostility from the secular majority. It’s helpful to have a support system and a sense of community, whatever your beliefs – especially if you find yourself in a minority. And it’s good to hear that some people can attempt to overcome their prejudices and work together for shared moral goals, whatever the foundation of those morals.
I dont know whether you wil see this or not! But I have only 1 simple question! You claim that you are an atheist. An atheist denies the existence of god. A theist claims that god exist.Neither can prove each other right. Don’t you think? This is my question!That concludes neither an atheist nor theist is right. At this juncture agnostic is only right path who does not agree nor disagree about the existence of god! :) Just a thought.PS: I believe in God and in more so in Science but I would NEVER try to make you to believe or disbelieve, but i can give a rational arguments. I am neither muslim nor christian. I am an Indian and more into Indian/Dharmic religions (Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist)Thank you,desertkite
I dont know whether you wil see this or not! But I have only 1 simple question! You claim that you are an atheist. An atheist denies the existence of god. A theist claims that god exist.Neither can prove each other right. Don’t you think? This is my question!That concludes neither an atheist nor theist is right. At this juncture agnostic is only right path who does not agree nor disagree about the existence of god! :) Just a thought.PS: I believe in God and in more so in Science but I would NEVER try to make you to believe or disbelieve, but i can give a rational arguments. I am neither muslim nor christian. I am an Indian and more into Indian/Dharmic religions (Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist)Thank you,desertkiteEmail: desertkite (at) gmail (dot) com
Atheism, as with theism, is about beliefs. Agnosticism is about knowledge. They are different things, and an agnostic can perfectly well be an atheist. Atheism is not about being right, it’s simply your view on the existence (or lack thereof) of any god(s).
This reminded me of when my brother was in grade 8, being picked on to the point of being beaten after school. It wasn’t until recently (he’s now 22) that he told us the reason. We had assumed it was because he was small growing up, but apparently he had told his classmates that he was an atheist. Bad enough that he was beaten up for it, but when a teacher intervened, she told my brother not to say he was an atheist. If my mother had known about the teacher’s comment, she would’ve been complaining to the school, but we didn’t find out until a few years ago.
A theist claims a god or gods exist. Not just one.Second, prove that flying, invisible, undetectable unicorns aren’t causing hurricanes.It is true that you cannot prove a negative. But you can disprove claims related to god. Like, say, the earth is 6000 years old (it isn’t), that animals came about as they are (they didn’t) and that there was a massive, worldwide flood (there wasn’t.)Yes, atheists don’t think a god exists. But the burden of proof lies with the believer – if you believe in undetectable unicorns, the onus is on you to prove it. Otherwise, you’re speaking nonsense
Wow, this was really interesting to me too because I’ve always grown up where atheists are the most common everywhere, and religious people are the ones who are constantly picked on.My beliefs align closest with atheists, but I’ve been hesitant to label myself as such because I’ve seen so many rude and mean-spirited atheists who gang up on anyone who goes as far as to even admitting that they are Christian or anything related. Christians are frequently stereotyped and assaulted with insults accusing them of being mind-numbingly stupid, anti-science sheep regardless of how reasonable the individual person may actually be in reality. There comes a point where the atheists are the ones “hopping the bandwagon” and using the theists as targets to further their own feelings of intellectual superiority.Of course, you appear to be a very reasonable person so thankfully you aren’t a part of this crowd =) but I just thought I’d mention, because it seems to be two sides of one issue. Both theists and atheists can be oppressing of the other if they are in the majority.
Atheists can be just as mean as theists can. Pastafarians can be just as mean as Invisible Pink Unicornists.~ Ham Nox
Nice! just for fun: smarter people are more likely to be atheists and liberal politically. not as intelligent people are more likely to be religious and politically conservative.great article.
Found you through the Daily Beast post.I really wish we had that organization when I went to Purdue. I could’ve used it back in 1993Moving to Indiana was a shock to the system when I was in HS and then going from NW Indiana to Purdue….icksI’m finally in Oregon where I finally feel that I don’t have to worry about “offending” someone that much. Huge stress reliever.
i’m a theist of the Christian persuasion. reading ur article has really made me sad and quite angry that those who call themselves Christians have made u feel like an outcast. as Christians, we are supposed to be inviting, full of hospitality, and caring (to Christians and non-Christians alike) i always felt bad that most Christians are socially retarded. i don’t wanna hang out with them because of their stupid comments (a la “how will you ever find a husband?) in that, you are not alone! =)