The Freethinkers club of Virginia Tech discussed issues of religious discrimination, the moment of silence in public schools, and changes made in the name of religion at a discussion yesterday evening in Squires at 5 p.m.
Five members of Freethinkers discussed topics connected to the groups’ philosophy of the separation of church and state. The first topic was the school pledge, and group members shared the history regarding the pledge, and the when religion began to play a role in it during the ‘50s.
The group also discussed the issues of the right of the government to interfere with religious beliefs, laws about establishment, the alienation of certain religious groups, and the role of historical fact in the Bible.
Members went further in depth into each issue, even as far as sharing different interpretations of the Bible. They debated issues over differences in the New Testament as opposed to the Old Testament and the fragmentation of the world’s major religions over time.
Evolution sparked interest within the discussion as well. The controversy over teaching evolution in the classroom, and alternatives that different groups are presenting was also a major topic. Intellectual design and creationism were among the most popular ideas discussed regarding replacing evolution as a subject in public schools.
According to the Freethinkers website, the groups aims to “educate the Virginia Tech community on the importance of church-state separation and also to increase awareness of cult phenomena.”
“The goal is to spread the idea of the separation of church and state, and the fact that it’s important to our society today,” said Emily Zenner, Freethinkers member and psychology major.
Jeff Hukari, senior computer science major and participant in the discussion, has positive comments about the meeting.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to listen to different viewpoints and different speakers over the years,” Hukari said.
The club is open to all people, not just Virginia Tech students. The Freethinkers promote and encourage the diversity of ideas and religion on campus, Hukari said. Richard Shryock, associate professor of foreign languages, is the faculty advisor for Freethinkers, but could not be present for yesterday’s meeting.
Zenner said the discussions are a very democratic process. No one directs the discussion, and no one is in charge. Also, ideas are not restricted to group meetings.
“We have a very active listserv,” Zenner said. “People post articles and ideas and send them out to everyone in the group.”
Rob Tejano, a junior civil engineering major, said he wanted to be treated fairly.
“We want people to respect our right to believe whatever we want,” Tegano said.
Zenner said the Freethinkers hold discussions every two weeks, focusing in on a different topic each time. The next discussion will focus on pseudoscience, which is any body of knowledge, methodology, or practice that is erroneously regarded as science, according to Wikipedia.
“The meetings are generally small, but I enjoy this being a small discussion group,” Zenner said. “I think it’s a good thing.”
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