Posted on March 26, 2006
Imagine not being able to wear a religious shirt to class out of fear that it would hurt your grade.
This is a reality for senior Doug Roper, who can’t wear his T-shirt reading “Got Jesus? Nope” without considering the consequences. He is one of 25 active JMU Freethinkers struggling with their freedom of expression.
Freethinkers has been active on the JMU campus since 2001 and provides an outlet for atheists, agnostics and humanists to openly discuss spirituality, organized religion, and other related subjects. Considering tough questions, such as “Did Jesus really exist?” and “Does religion do more harm than good?” the group hopes to promote open debate and the free exchange of ideas.
“There’s a freedom to talk,” said senior John Gullickson, a comparative religion major. “There’s a comfort of intellectual exchange that you don’t always get when you’re going against the grain.”
Junior Zachary Rezin, president of Freethinkers, agreed, adding that the group discussion has helped him solidify his viewpoints.
“It’s a good outlet for ideas,” he said. “The more knowledge I have on a subject, the more I can determine why I believe what I do.”
While Freethinkers provides an outlet for debate, there are many misconceptions regarding the group.
“We’ve been called the anarchy club,” Rezin said. “JMU does have one, but they’re not us. We’re nicer than people think.”
Sophomore Clare Sieren, vice president of the group, cited other stereotypes.
“Some misconceptions are that we try to covert everyone to atheism or that we’re against all religion,” she said. “We want to get it out there that religion should not be favored. Some people don’t have faith.”
While not all Freethinkers have faith, some do. The group welcomes members of all religious denominations and ideologies, as it thrives on open discussion and debate.
“We like to be challenged,” Rezin said.
Despite the many misconceptions working against the group, Freethinkers does all that it can to show the JMU campus what it is really about. It is a supportive setting for students questioning their faith.
In college, many students break away from the religious values they were brought up on, said Mary Thompson, faculty advisor for the group. As discussion in the classroom can become tense when the subject of spirituality arises, it’s important for students to have another outlet.
Junior Morgan Carroll, secretary and treasurer of Freethinkers, said this was one of the main benefits she found with the group. She likes knowing that she’s not alone.
“It’s comforting to know that others are going though the same thing,” she said.
Sieren agreed.
“It’s very comforting to know that others believe the way you do,” she said. “It’s nice to know that I’m not the only dissenter.”
