Atheism at Wheaton College

I would like to know if she still has to keep her atheism quiet. Now that you are free from the opressive atmosphere of a evangelical college setting are you able to be who you are or do you still feel the need to hide and pretend to be someone else?

That was great. I went through something very similar–attending a private Christian college (I wanted to be a missionary) and deconverting over my time there. I even helped organize a visit to my school by Hemant (with the purpose of advancing dialogue/understanding others) while being at least partially “in the closet.”
One of things I identify with the most is her statement about how it’s not as big of a deal post-college. In the real world you encounter people who are Christians and people who are atheists and (mostly) people who just don’t care that much.

These are great quotes too: This can create a tension between a student’s beliefs and acceptance of a discipline’s dominant paradigm, which may be inconsistent with evangelical thought….Identifying as an intellectual or preparing for a more academic career (e.g., a biologist) increases the likelihood of becoming apostate during college (Caplovitz and Sherrow 1977).

I have a few questions:

1) How is choice related to belief?
2) What is “God” to you?
3) Why do you respect faith?
4) You wrote that Christianity doesn’t harm followers (not including “fundy” versions), does this include beliefs such as “homosexuality as a sin”, and “many people will go to hell”?
5) Is there a purpose to life?

The draft chapter of the book is awful. Lily did say it was a choice, but the author really wants to drive this point home, in one paragraph using the word “decision” six times. Bullshit is it a decision, I don’t want to have to read the same nonsensical statement over and over unnecessarily. In another paragraph the author says Lily didn’t want to convert anyone, but a few sentences later says she wants to have debates, the things you have where you put forward arguments in favour of positions. The author’s meanings of “tolerance” and “respect” aren’t virtuous like the meanings that used to be common, but of an amoral, uncaring, disgusting sort of mindlessness.

Gotta love this frank expression of Wheaton xenophobia (pg11):

This call for detente is a call to change the college community. To not challenge
atheism (or any other belief system) would require either that students recognize
non-Christian beliefs as acceptable and put aside one of the defining characteristics
of Evangelicalism. In advocating toleration, Lily is challenging the boundaries of
Wheaton student culture.

In advocating toleration, Lily is challenging the boundaries of
Wheaton student culture.

Wow…what a blantant admission. I wonder if they quite realize what they are saying.

And that is a serious speculation. Everything is relative, we all know that. Small issues can look huge depending on your circumstances. As example, I would say that the gay marriage battle in California has way more meaning to a gay man in LA, then, lets say a mormon family in Murray, Utah. (The point in that example is on purpose)

So here we see christians, who I am sure think of themselves and kind and tolerant on an individual basis. I am quite sure that the parents and families of the kids attending this university, along with their christian trappings, feel they are tolerant and loving and understanding, etc. Their relative viewpoint is most likely from small towns and communities where they hardly know what an atheist is, let alone have to deal with one of us in their midst (at least knowingly).

So…how many of those people now would read the above quoted statement and agree? How many christian parents would approve of sending their children to a university that claims to be christian and then states plainly that they are, in fact, seeking an intolerant atmosphere at their school. They are stating that being intolerant IS the culture of the school. Very plainly.

And…as a corallary…how many of those parents who are OK with that, would still consider themselves tolerant and loving and kind, etc. And feel that intolerance is just fine for their kids to elarn. (I am thinking a lot…which says so much about this more and more unamerican group of people on the religious right)

The perspective that religion causes people to see things from is quite different from the American perspective. The american perspective would be for inclusion

Thanks to everyone who read the chapter. It’s just a draft, and I appreciate the comments.

I’m not sure how to take the “chapter is awful” comment. It’s an academic chapter, and so I’ll accept that it’s writing can be worse than you find in a book in Barnes and Noble. But I do want to know what the problem is with using “decision”. That’s how Lily sees it, what’s the problem with that term? Have another one? I’m open to suggestions.

The one comment that I do care about is this: “the draft chapter is prejudiced against atheism in big ways and small.” There’s a difference between Wheaton being prejudiced and me (the author) being prejudiced. Wheaton is not accepting of atheism or an atheist student. But I hope that I don’t come across that way. There is a balance between respecting how people see their own choices and how I see them. For the vast majority of evangelicals at Wheaton, they would not be true to their faith (as they understand it and value it) if they did not try to re-convert “Lily” back to Christianity.

On another comment: “They are stating that being intolerant IS the culture of the school. Very plainly.” Yeah, that’s right. And Wheaton is ok with that label, too–as a college, they will not accept certain beliefs and insist that everyone in the college, from grounds crew to the trustees to every student, must believe and practice certain things. It is part of the student culture. Even neutrality is drastic change for the culture, and is a challenge–everyone at the school MUST be a Christian, and a conservative one at that. If you’re not, you can’t attend. To say, “I’m an atheist” means risking expulsion. So, when she says that and wants to be accepted, it’s a threat to the status quo.

I’ll add that one reason that I don’t include any statements outside of her blog is because when I met with her, she didn’t need to be interviewed. She needed someone to just listen, without an agenda, and understand her. So, we just talked. Fortunately, she had enough written on her blog to make the chapter work.

Anyway, it is not a small thing to read someone’s work, and I appreciate it.