According to a recent U.S. survey, on average atheists and agnostics are more knowledgeable about religions than religious people themselves. That is to say, they have been exposed to the opinions and beliefs of others more often than the average person of faith and have made a decision not to follow any particular belief system. This survey was conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, so you can rest assured that it is not merely an attack on religious people by science.

[media-credit id=20177 align=”alignleft” width=”250″][/media-credit]I have read the Nexus “Ask an Atheist” column and have not seen any replies that directly attack religion, Christianity or otherwise. Rather, these columns are insightful and answer the questions in a clear, concise manner that anyone can read and make a decision about. While I believe that Christians and other students of faith on campus should have the right to reply to the arguments put forth by these atheists, I also believe that most people have heard religious arguments many times in their lives. All you have to do is walk by the UCen or in front of HSSB to receive a pamphlet about how much Jesus loves you, see a poster about a religious talk being given in I.V., etc.

The appearance of the “Ask an Atheist” column is, perhaps, a reminder that religious folks have questions about why others choose not to participate in religion — questions that are not fairly or adequately answered by faith systems. I choose to be an atheist because I have learned about various world religions, not because I am simply a lost sinner who doesn’t care about my actions. If I believe in anything, it is the universe and the power of love. And if we love our universe, we will find the capacity to care for our planet and the creatures that inhabit it, whether they swim, fly, crawl or go to church.

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