Religion
Related: About this forumAre Atheists The New Campus Crusaders?
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/6790/are_atheists_the_new_campus_crusaders/February 7, 2013
Are Atheists The New Campus Crusaders?
By KATHERINE DON
Members of the Illini Secular Student Alliance having good, nonreligious fun
Katherine Don
Katherine Don is a freelance writer and editor in Queens. She tweets on pregnancy and childbirth care issues.
This month at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a select group of students will show their humanitarian spirit by participating in the Bleedin Heathens Blood Drive. On February 12th, they will eat cake to celebrate Darwin Day, and earlier this year, they performed de-baptism ceremonies to celebrate Blasphemy Day, attended a War on Christmas Party, and set up Hug An Atheist and Ask An Atheist booths in the campus quad.
These activities and more are organized by the Illini Secular Student Alliance (ISSA), one of 394 student groups that are affiliated with the national Secular Student Alliance (SSA). We brand ourselves as a safe place and community for students who are not religious, says Derek Miller, a junior at Illini and president of the ISSA.
Secular groups on college campuses are proliferating. The Ohio-based Secular Student Alliance, which a USA Today writer once called a Godless Campus Crusade for Christ, incorporated as a nonprofit in 2001. By 2007, 80 campus groups had affiliated with them, 100 by 2008, 174 by 2009, and today, there are 394 SSA student groups on campuses across the country. We have been seeing rapid growth in the past couple of years, and it shows no sign of slowing down, says Jesse Galef, communications director at SSA. It used to be that we would go to campuses and encourage students to pass out flyers. Now, the students are coming to us almost faster than we can keep up with.
The Secular Student Alliance provides its affiliate groups with support and materials, including banners, pins, and informational materials with titles like What Is An Atheist?, a brochure with cheerful graphics and information about the identities of secularists, including nontheist, freethinker, and humanist.
more at link
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)trotsky
(49,533 posts)Jesse Galef, communications director for the SSA: "... the students are coming to us almost faster than we can keep up with."
CCC harassed and preached to students. I remember being accosted by one.
Students are themselves coming to the SSA.
So no, the SSA isn't the new CCC. Good freaking grief.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)It's dishonest and hypocritical.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)humblebum
(5,881 posts)religion and the practices and traditions of religious groups, they are plainly a bigoted group. No different than any anti-racial or anti-cultural group.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,321 posts)... and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good" on the sidewalk? What was the reaction of the atheist group? To chalk other Bible verses.
While chalking, the group was approached by several students, one of whom told them they were going to hell. It wasnt long after before they were reported and University Police arrived on the scene.
After seizing their IDs, the students were called into the office of the Dean of Students, Edwin Cowell.
He told us we hadnt broken any rules and that we were free to continue chalking tomorrow, said Matt Boyd, a member of the Atheist Society who helped with the campaign. But he still ordered horticulture to remove the verses.
http://www.thesuflyer.com/2011/12/04/atheist-society-and-cru-members-clash-over-chalk/
Be honest - which group attacked which? Oh, that'd be the Christians attacking the atheists; and yet it was the Christians who complained to the campus authorities that the secular group was using verses 'out of context'. We can see there that Cru was the bigoted group.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)Clearly anti-religious activities. Perfectly legal but very bigoted. No different than holding a "black-face" event would be.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Matthew 5:10 (NIV) Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Here we atheists are trying to give you folks a go to heaven free card and all you do is whine about the rules. It's not our fault, atheists didn't write the Bible, someone else is responsible for that.
What a bunch of ingrates.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's?
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)But I think you may be overreacting a touch by equating a little criticism of your religion with Jim Crow, not that I offered any actual criticism to start with.
I actually grew up in the time and place of Jim Crow, I guarantee you that an atheist black would have gotten exactly the same treatment from the system there and then as a Christian one.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)None of the three are characteristics I have any control at all over and I don't even get a go straight to heaven card out of the deal.
Yet somehow I bear up under the awful burden of being mocked as a member of the majority.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)cbayer
(146,218 posts)anti-theist at all.
How could any of that hurt believers?
humblebum
(5,881 posts)it was all done in fun?
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Lighten up. These sound like good groups promoting good causes, not like theist haters.
Goblinmonger
(22,340 posts)I appreciate you position on this one.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)And this is one of them.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)are forming groups based on common interests and ideologies. I see absolutely nothing to indicate that they mean any harm to anyone. I do see evidence that they are using their organizations for good and to build bridges.
I think Lighten Up is exactly the right phrase to use.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)does not mean that questionable practices such as those referenced should be ignored.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)find common ground with others while celebrating what they share with each other. No need to attack them from outside, imo. I would let them figure it out.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)parody on Asian themed parties? Perhaps those who complained should just lighten up? I don't think so. And the truth be known, those were probably conducted by very normal college kids just having fun. But I think they finally figured it out.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)If they were having mock crucifixion parties or were dressing as muslim suicide bombers, you might have a case.
But de-baptism and war on christmas parties just don't reach that level.
Looks like they got into a "chalk" war with another group which they resolved in a positive way.
I just see no good reason to criticize them based on the information available.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)do not agree with you and I would also question the motives behind these events. If their purpose was to get a reaction, then they need to be called on it. I think if any group is openly ridiculed for race, or culture, or for any number of other reasons, and these things occur often enough that we are desensitized to such practices, then society has a problem.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)understanding and cooperation.
That's a good thing. Sounds like groups on both sides have made some missteps but have increased their interactions and cooperation with other following that.
Let me ask you this. Do you object to these organizations in general? Do you think non-believers have suffered a certain degree of marginalization and even discrimination?
humblebum
(5,881 posts)interactions and cooperation are definitely among them. No I do not object to any on campus organization and I do think non-believers have been marginalized and discriminated against. That in no way justifies condoning certain things that have been done. Any on campus organization must be held accountable for their actions, however.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)It's refreshing to see some peer to peer calls for accountability.
Goblinmonger
(22,340 posts)The atheists are organizing! Get the pitchforks!!
2ndAmForComputers
(3,527 posts)That should tell you something.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)agreement, and are able to lighten up. That is great. But how often do we see simple public displays of voluntary religious belief or events complained about or condemned, when in fact they have hurt no one, and are really no big deal? Case in point, a restaurant that gives a discount to customers who bring in a church bulletin. Did you notice the firestorm of criticism that resulted over that incident, when in reality it was no big deal?
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,321 posts)As cbayer says, they are silly. They are not in the least 'bigoted'. 'De-baptism' is something some people want to go through to symbolise leaving a church and belief behind. No more 'bigoted' than baptism is. And a War on Christmas party is obviously laughing at the ridiculous claims from Fox News and others that there is a 'War on Christmas'.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)activities need to be called out. There is nothing wrong with extolling the virtues of secularism, but if this a way they choose to do it, then it needs to challenged.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)But thanks for sharing your opinion.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)I mean, even cbayer thinks you are full of it.
But again, thank you for your opinion.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)even a majority to agree with me? But if you want to see real passion displayed, or outrage feigned, just watch how the hippie and other hardcore atheists react when public prayer happens, even when it is voluntary and perfectly legal, or any similar situation. Remember next time to lighten up, hippie.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)You should be proud of them.
Maybe I should apologize. I really didn't mean to try and belittle your opinion, even though I personally feel it is complete and utter hogwash, but when I saw that was cbayer even disagreeing with you and saying how nonsensical you were being, it made me feel a bit sad for you. I mean, if she cannot find something redeeming in your posts, I know of no one else that could.
But hey, you can hold your opinions, regardless how nonsensical or ridiculous they are. That's the beauty of our democratic secular system. Were we somewhere else in the world, your opinion, and even mine (mostly mine though, since mine stems from things based on testable evidence and not religious dogma), along with the facts that support them, would not be tolerated.
Anyway, keep up the good fight. If you stopped posting, no one would get to know just where you are coming from. And that would be sad.
Have a nice day, HB, I know I will!
cbayer
(146,218 posts)for most of these organizations.
They work together with other secular and with religious organizations, often for causes that I, at least, value.
I don't see anything at all in the article that would justify the position that they are anti-theist groups.
Ligyron
(7,633 posts)pinto
(106,886 posts)The college was once overwhelmingly white, conservative with fraternities, sororities and faith-based groups (Christian, evangelical) forming much of the cultural context on campus. That was 1980. In the intervening time the college has made determined efforts to diversify and it shows, both on campus and in the neighborhoods (a large proportion of the student body lives off campus).
Now I see Asian/Pacific Islander student associations, Muslim associations, African American associations, LGBT associations, etc. holding events in the park or hosting booths at Farmers' Market downtown. Along with the Christian associations. The town literally looks and feels more diverse. I think an SSA association would be a great addition to all that.
(on edit) And that some SSA groups strongly encourage political participation, voting and separation of church/state is a plus, imo.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)to promote greater understanding and cooperation.
That's a very good thing, imo.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)are not?
I hate it when I am at a light and the car I front of me is preaching to me.
Now there are atheist bumper stickers.
I'm tired of the fish and Darwin fish and the blessed be and the I don't believe in god folks.
Who gives a shit?
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Some people feel the need to wear it and others don't.
Bumper stickers are generally easily ignored, or in my case, just not read due to my eyesight, lol.