I am not a Christian. This is not intended to be an aggressive comment.

It is simply a fact of who I am. I am not a Christian. I am, as my boyfriend once coined, a “hopeful agnostic.” I don’t know whether or not there is a sentient being that watches over the universe, or if life continues after death, and I am comfortable with not knowing. Not knowing means that there may be options in existence beyond those that I have seen offered in most organized religions. This, like existence itself, is pretty awesome.

I am also not stupid. I know that I live in an area of the country that is heavily populated by people who have dedicated their lives to God and Jesus. And I know that for some people, this belief is required for their life path. I say kudos to those who can feel the energy and the fullness of God in their heart, and can honestly say that they have a personal relationship with God. But this belief is not part of my life path. I find fullness in other things that I find beautiful. But I don’t find fullness in a belief in God.

Okay, so why all this setup? As I see it there aren’t any options on this campus for a person like me, a non-Christian, (not to be confused with “anti”) to gather with other non-Christian, non-religious types. Everywhere I look, there are signs and flyers and sidewalk chalk art advertising clubs for Christians. Well, of course there are many Christian clubs. There are many Christians on campus. But I know that there are others on campus who, like me, are not of the religious persuasion and could possibly find some solace in the fact that there are plenty of people who don’t believe, or don’t know if, there is a God.

I think it is time to introduce an atheist/agnostic club at Southern. It would be great to have a group where people like myself can gather, talk about their beliefs (or lack there of), read some of the books out there that discuss religion and atheism, and have a bake sale from time to time to raise money for outings. It would be fun to hear and converse about different levels and views of non-belief from people who aren’t “believers.” And I think it would be good for those who are believers to see a group on campus that, while not religious, is not also amoral.

Perhaps, if there is a nice response to this idea, I’ll look into what it takes to start a club here on campus. Is anyone else interested?