What they are not

By Lael Telles
November 3, 2009

Chris Busby, a UW junior, was raised in a Southern Baptist community in Alabama but now identifies himself as an atheist.

When Michael Amini walked out of a Mormon endowment ceremony in May 2006, his parents asked him if it was the most amazing experience of his life. The UW senior was about to embark on his mission trip to Singapore, but he emerged from the temple questioning the entire foundation of his faith.

“I found the ceremony disturbing,” Amini said. “I was immediately convinced the whole church was false.”

But instead of turning his back on the first 18 years of his life, Amini opted to leave for mission training in Utah. After several days, he phoned his parents to explain that he had confessed a sin to the bishop and he would not be permitted to continue on the mission.

When Amini then started to explore non-Mormon texts, he came to identify himself as an atheist, which he defined as “the lack of a belief that there is a god.”

Like Amini, other UW students raised in very religious families or communities started to identify as atheists after a great deal of thought and exploration once arriving in college.

Most religions center on a single doctrine like the Bible or the Quran, but because atheism doesn’t have a guiding text, it is up to individuals to define their beliefs for themselves or form groups to discuss philosophy and religion — or, more precisely, the absence of it.

“The word ‘atheist’ doesn’t say anything about you,” Amini said, “just what you are not.”

For Amini, identifying as an atheist meant losing most of his friends and a full scholarship to Brigham Young University. It divided his family, and their relationship is still strained today.

Similarly, UW sophomore Kevin Constantin was raised in a Christian household and attended the same church until he left for college.

“I was always asking why and questioning everything in church, and they didn’t like that,” Constantin recalled. “[It felt] like they were hiding the truth from me or they were embarrassed to answer.”

Constantin found himself feeling angry toward the church and everyone who attended, especially when they “spouted off hatred toward homosexuals,” he said.

“I didn’t want to be a part of a religion that justified that kind of disrespect,” Constantin said.

The move away from home to college also had a profound affect on Abraham Smith*.

Smith, a UW junior and biology major, grew up in a Muslim family, but gradually realized his beliefs lay outside Islam.

“As I became more educated, I couldn’t reasonably believe everything my parents were teaching me,” Smith said. “I think I’ve always had that skepticism, and, combined with my studies, especially evolutionary study, I could not keep religion and science compatible for myself.”

Smith and Constantin have yet to come out of the “religious closet” and tell their families about their atheist beliefs, something others who have “outed” themselves struggled with. Smith said his family would likely disown him and cut him off financially, so he will continue to live a dual life until he has a foundation of his own.

Chris Busby, an out-of-state student from Birmingham, Ala., who was raised in a Southern Baptist community, shared one such outing experience with his family. He found his parents’ reactions were largely dependent on geography.

“My mother took it all right; she was raised in Denver,” Busby explained. “My father wasn’t too happy about it; he had never really left the state.”

Busby thinks his father’s negative response was due to his limited experiences with religious diversity. Busby’s parents continue to fund his education, but once he graduates from college, he does not intend to continue his relationship with them.

Because morals are often associated with religion, atheists are frequently asked where they get their morals without a god to guide them.

When Busby was younger, he gave a primitive and simple answer to those who asked why he didn’t steal and murder: “I don’t want to go to jail.”

But, after leaving his faith, Amini struggled with this issue.

“Mormonism affects everything: how to vote, what is right and wrong,” Amini said.

Soon after he left the church, Amini wrote down a list of moral questions in an attempt to define his beliefs, but he realized he was unable to answer them. When Amini arrived at the UW, he discovered a theological and philosophical forum in the Secular Student Union (SSU), where he was able to discuss these matters with other UW students.

Through the SSU, Amini came to more specifically identify himself as a humanist, which he defined as the “embodiment of philosophy that puts the welfare and betterment of humanity above all.”

Even so, Amini and other atheists continue to participate in discussions with people from different belief backgrounds, persisting on his path of questioning — a perpetual process.

“If I had to say the single most important reason I became an atheist,” Constantin said, “it would be that religion told me not to question, and that is all I really want to do.”

*Name has been changed to preserve anonymity.

Reach reporter Lael Telles at lifestyles@dailyuw.com.

(daily link here: http://dailyuw.com/2009/11/3/what-they-are-not/)

part I:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5jyi_idtyw&feature=channel

and part II:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAF-xrXU6aI&feature=channel

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215121559.htm

Neuropsych and religious experiences:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124156.htm

Religion and child sexual abuse:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215121559.htm

and for fun, one of my favorite science columnists:

http://judson.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/the-ten-days-of-newton/?scp=5&sq=religion&st=cse

oh, and how could I forget this?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/us/politics/20warren.html?scp=8&sq=religion&st=cse

In case anyone has not gotten the word, a certain McCain insider doesn’t actually exist. The New York Times tells the story about the hoaxer who spread the word that Sarah Palin didn’t know that Africa was a continent.

Only days after California voters overturn a court ruling allowing same-sex marriage, a Connecticut court makes a similar ruling.

Dan Savage, the editorial director of The Stranger, writes in The New York Times that while the success of Prop 8 is disappointing, the Arkansas ballot measure that banned adoption by same-sex couples is terrifying.

Lisa Miller reminds us in Newsweek that while the U.S. is a highly religious country, the white born-again evangelicals who make up the Republican base are only a minority.

Mark Oppenheimer at Slate talks about the probability of the country electing Presidents of other minority groups in the near future. As expected, of the groups considered, atheists come in dead last. He says: “When the lion lies down with the lamb, when the President is a Republican Muslim and the Democratic speaker of the house is a vegan Mormon lesbian, when the Secretary of State is a Jain pacifist from the Green Party, they will all agree on one thing: atheists need not apply.” I appreciate his optimism, but I’m not so sure I like his concluding line: “If [an atheist] ever ran for president, he would need God’s help just as surely as he wouldn’t ask for it.” Excuse me, but haven’t we had about enough of God’s help in the last 8 years?

Another interesting article. How many 10 commandment statues are floating around in public spaces in the US?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/washington/11sect.html?em

For Atheists, Politics Proves to Be a Lonely Endeavor
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/18/us/18religion.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=religion&st=cse&oref=slogin

Using Biology, Not Religion, to Argue Against Same-Sex Marriage
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/nyregion/12marriage.html?scp=3&sq=religion&st=cse

Bush Aides Say Religious Hiring Doesn’t Bar Aid
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/18/washington/18discrimination.html?scp=2&sq=religion&st=cse

Some of you might have already seen this, but I think this is really interesting. Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers filed a lawsuit against God. Chambers “seeks a permanent injunction ordering God to cease certain harmful activities and the making of terroristic threats.” Here is an article discussing the lawsuit.

Now the lawsuit has been thrown out, on the grounds that “because the defendant has no address, legal papers cannot be served.” Here is the article discussing the judge’s ruling.

This is the kind of story that would seem more at home at The Onion, but it’s always interesting to read this stuff from real news organizations.

Salman Rushdie, author of the Satanic Verses, will be making a stop in Seattle to sign copies of his newest book. Don’t miss it!

Link

Thursday • June 12 • 7:30pm
Salman Rushdie
The Enchantress of Florence (RANDOM HOUSE)
Reading & Book Signing
Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Avenue
“Salman Rushdie’s sumptuous mixture of history and fable in The Enchantress of Florence is magnificent,” says Ursula K. LeGuin. In telling the story of a woman attempting to command her own destiny in a man’s world, Rushdie plumbs themes of East and West, love and betrayal, religion and unbelief, and sex. Rushdie’s previous award-winning novels include Midnight’s Children, Satanic Verses, and Shalimar the Clown. Tickets are free with the purchase of The Enchantress of Florence from University Book Store; otherwise tickets are $5 at the door. Books and tickets available May 27.

Signing Guidelines

• A signing line will form following the event.
• Salman will personalize pre-signed copies of The Enchantress of Florence.
• Salman will sign backlist titles.
• No memorabilia will be signed.
• Photos are permitted during the signing only.
• Signing guidelines are subject to change.

The Secular Student Union of the University of Washington in Seattle, WA is proud to make the following announcement:
Effective today, June 8, 2007, the International Humanist and Ethical Youth Organization (IHEYO) voted unanimously to grant the SSU consultative member status.

This makes the SSU the first and only IHEYO member organization in North America.

This historic event marks the beginning of the American Working Group and the beginning of an extensive effort on the part of IHEYO to expand in North America.

—–

What is IHEYO?

I met a great deal of my heroes this week, and forged some powerful connections with groups here and overseas.

Lawrence Asabe, Humanist leader from Uganda

View them all in my Facebook album.