Comments on: A Study of Religious and Nonreligious Campus Organizations http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/ Atheism with Positivity Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:59:02 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Friendly Atheist » 2008 » April » 01 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/comment-page-1/#comment-147406 Friendly Atheist » 2008 » April » 01 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:05:40 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/#comment-147406 [...] What lessons can atheists learn from their Christian counterparts on campus? Why are there so many different Christian groups on any one campus? Why are so many students turned off by what CCC [...] [...] What lessons can atheists learn from their Christian counterparts on campus? Why are there so many different Christian groups on any one campus? Why are so many students turned off by what CCC [...]

]]> By: anything4shoes http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/comment-page-1/#comment-143443 anything4shoes Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:07:00 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/#comment-143443 I thought this was interesting and enjoyed the other comments. The one thing I found odd though was that on the spreadsheet you have not listed "Mormon" as Christian. They are a Christian religion and to make your spreadsheet more accurate, should be lumped with those at the top. I thought this was interesting and enjoyed the other comments. The one thing I found odd though was that on the spreadsheet you have not listed “Mormon” as Christian. They are a Christian religion and to make your spreadsheet more accurate, should be lumped with those at the top.

]]> By: steve http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/comment-page-1/#comment-142502 steve Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:04:25 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/#comment-142502 Perhaps you are underestimating the number of Christians on campus? Perhaps you are underestimating the number of Christians on campus?

]]> By: Patience http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/comment-page-1/#comment-141859 Patience Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:12:16 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/#comment-141859 Frankly, I would rather have a dozen Christian groups with only a handful of members each than a single large group. Smaller groups get less money from the college, and have less influence. They basically split the metaphorical Christian vote (on which club to attend) and become useless. Frankly, I would rather have a dozen Christian groups with only a handful of members each than a single large group. Smaller groups get less money from the college, and have less influence. They basically split the metaphorical Christian vote (on which club to attend) and become useless.

]]> By: Prose Before Hos http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/comment-page-1/#comment-141748 Prose Before Hos Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:48:22 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/#comment-141748 <strong>Asimov on God...</strong> “To surrender to ignorance and call it God has always been premature, and it remains premature today.” Isaac Asimov Subscribe to Prose Before Hos via email or via RSS feed.       See Also: Respecting believers, Do Atheist... Asimov on God…

“To surrender to ignorance and call it God has always been premature, and it remains premature today.”
Isaac Asimov
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See Also: Respecting believers, Do Atheist…

]]> By: Secular Dignity http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/comment-page-1/#comment-141548 Secular Dignity Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:46:48 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/#comment-141548 I went to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign back in the early 1990s. I actually was in a church group for a while, then I stopped going. There are a LOT of Christian groups there. The biggest ones were non-denominational (IV and the Navigators). Then I looked for an atheist group. There was a small one that met a few times. One of the problems was that a lot of the fliers kept getting torn down. If their religion is true, what is their to be afraid of? I went to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign back in the early 1990s. I actually was in a church group for a while, then I stopped going. There are a LOT of Christian groups there. The biggest ones were non-denominational (IV and the Navigators).

Then I looked for an atheist group. There was a small one that met a few times. One of the problems was that a lot of the fliers kept getting torn down.

If their religion is true, what is their to be afraid of?

]]> By: Kathryn http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/comment-page-1/#comment-141514 Kathryn Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:41:08 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/#comment-141514 I don't think that an atheist group is necessarily unneeded. What we need is more of them. I know plenty of atheists/agnostics at my school, but none who had ever heard of our resident "atheist humanists & agnostics" group, which just shows how poor visibility is. And I really don't see anything wrong with the existence of a large number of Christian or other religious groups to serve a campus of 40,000+, they are for completely different groups of people, and they even out the numbers so there's no huge megachurch or whatever on campus (that would really by terrifying). I don’t think that an atheist group is necessarily unneeded. What we need is more of them. I know plenty of atheists/agnostics at my school, but none who had ever heard of our resident “atheist humanists & agnostics” group, which just shows how poor visibility is.

And I really don’t see anything wrong with the existence of a large number of Christian or other religious groups to serve a campus of 40,000+, they are for completely different groups of people, and they even out the numbers so there’s no huge megachurch or whatever on campus (that would really by terrifying).

]]> By: Efrique http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/comment-page-1/#comment-141453 Efrique Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:35:54 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/#comment-141453 Yeah, I counted the Christian groups that had stands at the start of the academic year. I stopped counting at 30, because it was getting hard to tell with some of them (a few of them seem to act as Trojan horses, and I try not to get near those - I didn't have the energy to engage them in the agonizing conversation that almost inevitably results from saying anything to them). A few of the groups are for farily specific subsets (left-handed-accountants-for-Jesus!), and I guess that's fine, if they can sustain the membership, but many of the general groups appear to espouse entirely identical aims and activities, and all of them are on about exactly the same damn sky-fairies. Why so many groups? It's ludicrous. What's it all for? Why do you need 14 or 15 groups all doing exactly the same thing? Yeah, I counted the Christian groups that had stands at the start of the academic year. I stopped counting at 30, because it was getting hard to tell with some of them (a few of them seem to act as Trojan horses, and I try not to get near those – I didn’t have the energy to engage them in the agonizing conversation that almost inevitably results from saying anything to them).

A few of the groups are for farily specific subsets (left-handed-accountants-for-Jesus!), and I guess that’s fine, if they can sustain the membership, but many of the general groups appear to espouse entirely identical aims and activities, and all of them are on about exactly the same damn sky-fairies. Why so many groups? It’s ludicrous. What’s it all for? Why do you need 14 or 15 groups all doing exactly the same thing?

]]> By: Andres http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/comment-page-1/#comment-141440 Andres Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:27:43 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/#comment-141440 I think it's important to consider why atheists would or should unite in the first place. When two people assert that they are atheists, one can only assume that they have one commonality, disbelief in a god. But it's arguable whether this commonality is even a common value because it is not a positive assertion. For example, why would all non-Hindus unite? or why would all non-Polish people unite? Why would all non-bearded people unite? Yes, given this silly categorization, one can assume at least commonality amongst them, but that's pretty much about it. In any one of these groups there could be very different people with very different ideologies. So I ask, why would atheists unite? Some atheists are socialists, some are capitalists, some are aggressive about convincing people about atheism, and some are subjectivists. I think it's plausible that atheists have more to disagree about than to agree about. However, in light of what I have just written, I do see one common thread that may unite atheists - social marginalization. It's true that openly atheistic people are a minority. And it's probable that each of them experience similar acts of discrimination. This discrimination may in turn compel people to unite over just treatment and tolerance of the atheistic. So common concerns would probably lean towards policy issues and social equality. Lastly, just because there are Christian athletic clubs and Muslim pre-med clubs doesn't mean atheists have to mimic them. Why the need for voluntary segregation? I like the idea of atheists spreading out into other communities and sharing atheism with others that may not have otherwise been exposed to it. I think it’s important to consider why atheists would or should unite in the first place. When two people assert that they are atheists, one can only assume that they have one commonality, disbelief in a god. But it’s arguable whether this commonality is even a common value because it is not a positive assertion. For example, why would all non-Hindus unite? or why would all non-Polish people unite? Why would all non-bearded people unite? Yes, given this silly categorization, one can assume at least commonality amongst them, but that’s pretty much about it. In any one of these groups there could be very different people with very different ideologies. So I ask, why would atheists unite? Some atheists are socialists, some are capitalists, some are aggressive about convincing people about atheism, and some are subjectivists. I think it’s plausible that atheists have more to disagree about than to agree about.

However, in light of what I have just written, I do see one common thread that may unite atheists – social marginalization. It’s true that openly atheistic people are a minority. And it’s probable that each of them experience similar acts of discrimination. This discrimination may in turn compel people to unite over just treatment and tolerance of the atheistic. So common concerns would probably lean towards policy issues and social equality.

Lastly, just because there are Christian athletic clubs and Muslim pre-med clubs doesn’t mean atheists have to mimic them. Why the need for voluntary segregation? I like the idea of atheists spreading out into other communities and sharing atheism with others that may not have otherwise been exposed to it.

]]> By: Shishberg http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/comment-page-1/#comment-141428 Shishberg Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:43:19 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/17/a-study-of-religious-and-nonreligious-campus-organizations/#comment-141428 Well, from experience at <a href="http://www.unsw.edu.au/" rel="nofollow">my own university</a>, most if not all Christian campus groups are associated with a particular church or denomination. Technically they're not <i>supposed</i> to be directly promoting an organisation outside the uni, so often they pick a generic Christian name instead of one that obviously says who they are. But you don't have to look too hard to work it out. And anyone looking to join a Christian group will generally join the one that matches their own dogma. So the reason there are a gazillion Christian groups and only one atheist group is the same reason that there are a gazillion Christian denominations and only one atheist one (well, a handful, if you think of "humanist", "freethinker", "Bright" etc as different). Well, from experience at my own university, most if not all Christian campus groups are associated with a particular church or denomination.

Technically they’re not supposed to be directly promoting an organisation outside the uni, so often they pick a generic Christian name instead of one that obviously says who they are. But you don’t have to look too hard to work it out. And anyone looking to join a Christian group will generally join the one that matches their own dogma.

So the reason there are a gazillion Christian groups and only one atheist group is the same reason that there are a gazillion Christian denominations and only one atheist one (well, a handful, if you think of “humanist”, “freethinker”, “Bright” etc as different).

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