Story by Natalie Casanova \u2022 Print Editor<\/p>\n
Photos by Jon Shapley \u2022 Video Editor<\/p>\n
Silence fell over the crowd as British evolutionary biologist and famous athe- ist Richard Dawkins took the podium.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Atheists] are a major force in this country, it cannot be ignored,\u201d he said from the steps of the Texas State Capitol on Oct. 20.<\/p>\n
The crowd erupted in cheers after each of Dawkins\u2019 potent assertions. Texans from a manifold of age groups and backgrounds gathered at the Capitol for the free portion of the 2012 Texas Freethought Convention. There they listened to Dawkins and other notable atheist and secular speakers from all over the country and the world speak.<\/p>\n
In America, Dawkins said, the number of \u201cnones,\u201d or people who do not claim a specific religion on census documents, is growing. He noted that about 20 percent of the entire population falls under this category, and 30 percent of US citizens ages 18-29.<\/p>\n
This demographic aligns heavily with college students. Secular Student Alliance (SSA) Texas regional campus organizer Kevin Butler said it showed at the convention as more than 100 students of the SSA attended from schools all over the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur numbers are increasing, we\u2019re winning,\u201d Butler said. \u201cWe fight for numbers because that\u2019s what politicians listen to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Butler, also a student at the University of Texas at Dallas, said the only defining characteristic of an atheist is his lack of belief in any god or deity, and nothing else. But from his personal experience, he said, most atheists and secularists promote equal human rights.<\/p>\n
Before he found the SSA, Butler said he had no idea he wasn\u2019t the only non- believer in his community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt so isolated,\u201d he said. \u201c[SSA] lets students know they\u2019re not alone … we\u2019re in this fight together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Butler comes from a predominantly Catholic family and was very religious during high school. He has been an out atheist for about two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI began walking away from religion my senior year [of high school] when I came out as being gay,\u201d he said. \u201cIt tore me up when I went to church.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he was vaguely Christian and began to think deism, or the belief that some type of god exists but not a specific one, was a plausible view until he realized it was a huge leap of faith to connect any spiritual feeling to a specific god or to the existence of a supreme being at all. After researching and watching many lectures, such as \u201cA Universe from Nothing\u201d by theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss, he began to affirm his atheism.<\/p>\n
Studying science, nature and sociology was a major deciding factor in Butler\u2019s deconversion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, \u2018wait a second, is that what [atheists] talk about?\u201d<\/p>\n
Butler said atheists in other countries may have it even harder, such as in Afghanistan where a person can be killed if they come out as an nonbeliever. Half of Butler\u2019s family also doesn\u2019t know he is an atheist because he doesn\u2019t feel comfortable telling them. This seemed to be the case for many atheists at the convention.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want my father to stop me from seeing my younger brother,\u201d Butler said.<\/p>\n
Notable student atheist Jessica Ahlquist said nonbelievers don\u2019t have a go-to place for community or support. Ahlquist filed a lawsuit against her public school in Rhode Island for hanging a religious banner. She won the case and received much public scorn locally for the ordeal, but nationally she gained attention as being a leader in the atheist movement, standing up for the First Amendment. She is also very outspoken on matters of gay rights, and compares the feelings, consequences and reactions of coming out as an atheist to coming out as gay.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou risk losing friends and family and loved ones because of it,\u201d she said. Many members of the University of Texas at Austin (UT) SSA group also attended the freethought convention, including president Loren Bane and former president Erick Rodriguez. Their organization works with other local groups and events, such as \u201cExplore UT,\u201d to promote youth science education.<\/p>\n
The group also hosts lectures on science and philosophy and provides a supportive community for questioning students.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany young adults don\u2019t realize being nonreligious is an option,\u201d Bane said. \u201cThey have never even known about it before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodriguez said part of the reason for having groups is to provide a safe place for nonbelievers to discuss their views because sometimes they are assaulted with threats or prayers while on the UT campus.<\/p>\n
\u201c[We have] received multiple death threats from other students,\u201d Rodriguez said, \u201cwhich the police are still investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Texas Freethought Convention president Paul Cooper said one of the themes of the 2012 gathering was \u201cGet Out and Vote\u201d for all age groups and political parties, especially in local elections. He said some evangelicals in the Texas State Board of Education think their religious idea that the Earth is only 6,000 years old and that humans coexisted with dinosaurs should be reflected in how children are taught in public schools. Atheists strongly disagree with those views, but are not represented on the school board because of a lack of political influence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to show up at the polls,\u201d he said. Separation of church and state protects everyone, he said, even Christians from other denominations of Christians.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not trying to destroy religion,\u201d Cooper said, \u201cwe just want to make sure that it\u2019s kept in its proper place within American society so that way all people of all faiths and not of faith can exercise their freedom of expression without worrying about other people coming in, telling them they have to do a certain thing a certain way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former member of the Maine House of Representatives and notable atheist author Sean Faircloth said there is a social and political perception of atheists being a shunned minority, but the demographic is much larger than the strong religious right is willing to admit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hoping secular students will run for office,\u201d Faircloth said. \u201cTo not only push for a say in politics, but to be the politician.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the wave is cresting,\u201d Fair- cloth said, \u201c[There might be] somebody who is 22 years old now who will be an open atheist president [in the future].\u201d<\/p>\n
Public Relations officer for Secular Students at Collin College (SSCC) Liz Dudek said SSA groups are not only a social network for non-believer students, but also a forum to discuss religion, politics, science and social issues safely and freely without judgment. She said getting secular people to vote is a good way to balance out the conservative religious right.<\/p>\n
Dudek came to her group as a questioning Christian on the edge, and she said the support she received from the other members helped soften the image she had of atheists, and she said coming out wasn\u2019t as difficult for her as it can be for others. Her biggest trouble was growing distant from old friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a little bit disheartening because they were important to me for a long time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Deciding to come out to friends and family can be a tough decision, Dudek said, but it\u2019s entirely up to the person to weigh whether it\u2019s worth it or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes it\u2019s hard living a double life,\u201d she said, \u201cif you have to pretend for some people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outside the Capitol gates stood three street preachers from the Bulldog Min- istries group from Houston and Waco, Texas. They held large signs listing their ideals, and spoke about their religion and against atheism to passersby and convention attendees. Street preacher Rick Ellis\u2019 voice boomed over a PA system as he read scripture aloud.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way to escape, is through the shed blood of Jesus,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cThere\u2019s no other escape; there\u2019s no other way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many people stopped to speak with them, and lead street preacher David Stokes answered queries and explained his beliefs.<\/p>\n
Stokes said atheists believe religion is a very bad thing and want it eradicated completely, and that devastates him because he feels America is morally declining and needs the Christian god more than ever.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you study the atheist group and their movement,\u201d Stokes said, \u201c[you\u2019ll find] they are trying to remove Christianity and God from our country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though he preaches at atheist gatherings, gay pride events and football games, Stokes said he respects the First Amendment and the separation of church and state.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last thing I would want to see is a denomination or a religion controlling a country,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you look at world history, there\u2019s been a lot of devastation when any group becomes a leader. We\u2019ve seen that with christian groups having leadership over countries [and] I\u2019m not for that either.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stokes said he doesn\u2019t mind atheists speaking out about their opinion, but doesn\u2019t think they should be able to file lawsuits removing religious influence in government.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one thing to have a belief system,\u201d Stokes said, \u201cand it\u2019s another thing to try to destroy others\u2019 belief system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Austin Community College student Justin, who asked that his full name be withheld for personal reasons, discussed specific passages of the Bible with Stokes and challenged his reasoning for his views as well as discrepancies in the text.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s describes himself as an agnostic or de facto atheist and came to the convention for the speakers and the interactions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of liked the idea that I might [meet] street preacher protesting,\u201d Justin said, \u201c[and get to test] my on-the-fly debate skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
Butler said sometimes when people meet an atheist they think they want to debate right there and then, but that is not always the case. Many atheists have no qualms with religions, especially those who look to it for social support. He said the major issues come from religious-influenced prejudice and religious disregarding of science.<\/p>\n
Justin grew up in a non-denominational Christian home and said he became a nonbeliever in 2006 after reading Dawkin\u2019s famous book \u201cThe God Delusion.\u201d He hasn\u2019t come out as an atheist to some members of his family.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are certain people in my family that I don\u2019t tell,\u201d Justin said, \u201csome that I knew would fly off the handle about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Justin\u2019s advice for students: \u201dFigure out what you believe, why you believe it and analyze your justifications. If it doesn\u2019t make sense, you have no real reason to believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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