2008 Woodie Awards
Some believe God isn't real
By: Kortny Hahn
Issue date: 10/31/07 Section: News
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Holland sophomore Alex Ash practiced Christianity until he was 13.
That's when his religious views started drastically changing.
"I still attended church at that age, but I never found satisfaction being at a Christian church," he said. "I am not the type of person that follows the regular norms and following a religion that makes you fulfill guidelines gives me a claustrophobic feeling."
Ash is now an agnostic, but says other religions are great for guiding some, especially when they extend hope.
"Just because someone believes something differently than you do doesn't mean they are horrible people or even mean at all," Ash said. "Take time to learn about people from different backgrounds. You would be surprised on how much you can learn about yourself and about the world around you."
Ash is one of a growing number of atheists and agnostics on CMU's campus.
An agnostic is a person who is not committed to believing in the existence or nonexistence of God or a god, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. An atheist is someone who does not believe there is a God.
Some students said they were raised that way; others changed their views later in life.
"When I was younger, religion was more or less forced on me," Bridgman freshman Jody Leonard said. "I had no choice but to go to church and listen to what everyone there thought was right."
Leonard said she became an atheist about seven years ago.
Before that, she was a Methodist who started out a Lutheran.
She chose to explore several other religions to see if she "fit" better into them, before deciding on atheism.
"I understand all the stories, but there's nothing behind them that proves them true," Leonard said. "Without evidence, I can't make myself believe them."
There are several differences between agnosticism and atheism, Leonard said people sometimes confuse the two. An agnostic does not believe in God per se, but believes in some sort of higher power.
That's when his religious views started drastically changing.
"I still attended church at that age, but I never found satisfaction being at a Christian church," he said. "I am not the type of person that follows the regular norms and following a religion that makes you fulfill guidelines gives me a claustrophobic feeling."
Ash is now an agnostic, but says other religions are great for guiding some, especially when they extend hope.
"Just because someone believes something differently than you do doesn't mean they are horrible people or even mean at all," Ash said. "Take time to learn about people from different backgrounds. You would be surprised on how much you can learn about yourself and about the world around you."
Ash is one of a growing number of atheists and agnostics on CMU's campus.
An agnostic is a person who is not committed to believing in the existence or nonexistence of God or a god, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. An atheist is someone who does not believe there is a God.
Some students said they were raised that way; others changed their views later in life.
"When I was younger, religion was more or less forced on me," Bridgman freshman Jody Leonard said. "I had no choice but to go to church and listen to what everyone there thought was right."
Leonard said she became an atheist about seven years ago.
Before that, she was a Methodist who started out a Lutheran.
She chose to explore several other religions to see if she "fit" better into them, before deciding on atheism.
"I understand all the stories, but there's nothing behind them that proves them true," Leonard said. "Without evidence, I can't make myself believe them."
There are several differences between agnosticism and atheism, Leonard said people sometimes confuse the two. An agnostic does not believe in God per se, but believes in some sort of higher power.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 16
John
posted 10/31/07 @ 9:31 AM EST
For about 14% of the U.S. population the headline of this article makes about as much sense as saying that some believe the Tooth Fairy isn't real. It is not a matter of "belief" to hold as fact something that has no evidence to support it. (Continued…)
Joel Welty
posted 10/31/07 @ 10:22 AM EST
Variety of beliefs is the strength of our species. For too long, atheists and agnostics have been dismissed without being given any consideration by the theists. (Continued…)
Richard, Pastor of an RCUS Church
posted 10/31/07 @ 12:31 PM EST
The article is very interesting indictment against the churches inwhich these young people were raised. However,the excuses for rejecting belief in God are at best superficial and without merit. (Continued…)
Jake
posted 10/31/07 @ 5:00 PM EST
Are you Pastor Rick, the guy who has no cridibility who preaches between Pearce and Anspach? It definitely sounds like you, because this is the exact crap you were spewing when I went to school. (Continued…)
Daniel Hall
posted 11/01/07 @ 2:00 AM EST
It is good to see media recognizing the one-sixth (apx) of the USA population who are nonbelievers.
Just think about that- one in six people you might pass on the street are not only not Christian, but do not believe in any gods whatsoever. (Continued…)
Diane
posted 11/01/07 @ 2:19 AM EST
Kudos to CM-Life for publishing this article and to the students/interviewees brave enough to be quoted. One thing that was not mentioned in the article is that atheists have been shown to be the most reviled minority in America, and consequently most of us tend to stay "in the closet. (Continued…)
Tom
posted 11/01/07 @ 11:39 AM EST
It's funny that in today's day and age that people still believe in the invisible man in the sky, and that he controls everything, and that you'll go to "Hell" if you make him angry. (Continued…)
Rick
posted 11/01/07 @ 12:29 PM EST
For those who are interested.
http://www.secularhumanism.org/
arb
posted 11/01/07 @ 1:44 PM EST
the fact that 1/6 of the population is intelligent enough to realize that there is no god (or at least that christianity is a sham) proves how stupid america is. (Continued…)
Nick Smith
posted 11/01/07 @ 8:56 PM EST
Wow, I'm surprised this article hasn't blown up into hundreds of comments.
Anyways, I'd agree it's impressive to see someone who actually has the guts to come right out and say what they're saying above. (Continued…)
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