Collegiate Times

Earlier this year, California Congressman Pete Stark became the first person in American Congressional history to profess his ultimate belief … in nobody. That’s right, Pete Stark is an atheist, and now that he is 75 and about to retire, he has no problem admitting it. You’d think he would have mentioned it before now; after all no one would think of him differently, would they? I mean this is America, we’re all for one and one for all, right?

It’s not likely that you know many people who confess to be openly atheist. Plenty of people call themselves agnostic or nonreligious, but still acknowledge, in one way or another, the existence of a supreme being. Openly atheist people are hard to find, and because of this there isn’t a real organizational structure for people who deny belief in god. Maybe atheists have problems relating to like-minded individuals, or don’t organize themselves out of apathy.

A survey conducted by the University of Minnesota suggests otherwise. In telephone interviews with 2,000 households, interviewees were asked whom they thought most threatened the American way of life. Out of several heavily debated minority groups, including Muslims, immigrants, and homosexuals, atheists were considered the most harmful group to the American dream. Does America have some sort of vendetta against atheism? Why the distrust?

People have certainly got ideas.

Atheists are commonly accused of being too morally flexible, being that with no god figure playing big brother and no threat of eternal damnation, any John or Jane Q. Public is liable to start killing people left and right. Obviously this theory is grounded in reason, because I for one have never heard of any war fought in the name of God: That would be absurd. Nonreligious people are often portrayed as self-serving individuals, concerned only with their own wants, hedonistic threats to society. For what reason this stereotype developed, I don’t know. But with the evidence stacked up against it, atheism appears to be in a bad way.

Wait, what evidence?

I’m looking for proof that belief in science and reason over a great bearded man in the sky is directly harmful to humankind as a whole. If our country’s so terrified of atheists, I’d like to know why. The theory that a godless life leads to moral corruption is frighteningly untrue. The pope undoubtedly thought he had the moral high ground when he declared war on Islam in the name of Christendom, but anyone can tell you that murdering innocent people because their beliefs differ from yours is of questionable morality integrity. Then again, some people will disagree. I see members of Fred Phelp’s Westboro Baptist Church protesting the memorials of our own 33 dearly lost with signs reading “God hates America.” I hear about members of the IRA hurling grenades at poor schoolgirls. I regularly look for atheists and infidels rioting in the streets and preaching messages of intolerance but am consistently disappointed when this never happens. Something must be awry with this theory of moral looseness.

There is hope for beleaguered people who are tired of this skewed image; they call themselves “Brights.” According to their website, a Bright is anyone who holds a “naturalistic world view … free of supernatural and mystical elements.” The Brights are not a political force out to change the world, but more simply a group of people who share the same belief in a naturalistic take on the world, a place for atheists to organize and try to mold the misshapen impression of nonbelievers into a more accurate image: human beings who care and love one another as much as any Christian, Jew, Muslim, or Scientologist. The Brights gladly open their doors to anyone who is questioning his or her faith, rock solid atheists, and anyone else who wants to share their ideas free of religious oversight with an ultimate goal of promoting equality and fairness between all people.

I’m not on my own crusade against religion. I don’t want to change what you believe in, but I am asking you to think for yourself, explore all your options, and make your own decision on how you choose to live your life. We’re all born with the invaluable ability to think and live in a way that’s best for us, and only we can choose what path we will walk down.