New student group questions role of religion in society
Religion
J. Claire Wilson
Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: News
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The Razorback Freethought Alliance, a new student group at the UA, plans to question the role of religion in society and promote reason, science and the freedom of inquiry in education, according to the group's Web site.
"I was raised in a very strict, fundamentalist tradition of Christianity," said Teresa Blalock, vice president of the Razorback Freethought Alliance.
"In high school, when I began to question things like whether or not everything in the Bible should be taken literally, I was told that some things should simply be believed based on faith. This wasn't a satisfactory answer for me, yet I had no other alternative," she said.
Kevin Metcalf, a law school student who has worked 18 years in law enforcement, founded the Razorback Freethought Alliance.
"Working in counter-terrorism led me to investigate the Islam culture and beliefs so that I could better understand the extremist perspective that includes acts of violence," Metcalf said.
"This led me to explore my own beliefs, and I found that they were not any better supported than any other belief system based on faith." Metcalf said he "recognized the inherent danger of basing action on faith and revealed religion."
Others on campus, including Bill Harter of the physics department, said they see the need for this group to help change the way students see the world.
Harter decided to become the faculty sponsor of this group because he "was quite concerned with the inability of current students to think clearly and critically as well as their tendency to accept primitive superstitions."
The Freethinkers, as they are called, are a unique group, Harter said, for "where else can a student escape the mind-shrink and make-believe that permeates the current society and mature into an adult?"
Educators may be to blame for this, Harter said, because "many professors welcome the dumb-down era that began 20 or 30 years ago since they no longer have to work as hard at teaching and can concentrate on their research."
"I was raised in a very strict, fundamentalist tradition of Christianity," said Teresa Blalock, vice president of the Razorback Freethought Alliance.
"In high school, when I began to question things like whether or not everything in the Bible should be taken literally, I was told that some things should simply be believed based on faith. This wasn't a satisfactory answer for me, yet I had no other alternative," she said.
Kevin Metcalf, a law school student who has worked 18 years in law enforcement, founded the Razorback Freethought Alliance.
"Working in counter-terrorism led me to investigate the Islam culture and beliefs so that I could better understand the extremist perspective that includes acts of violence," Metcalf said.
"This led me to explore my own beliefs, and I found that they were not any better supported than any other belief system based on faith." Metcalf said he "recognized the inherent danger of basing action on faith and revealed religion."
Others on campus, including Bill Harter of the physics department, said they see the need for this group to help change the way students see the world.
Harter decided to become the faculty sponsor of this group because he "was quite concerned with the inability of current students to think clearly and critically as well as their tendency to accept primitive superstitions."
The Freethinkers, as they are called, are a unique group, Harter said, for "where else can a student escape the mind-shrink and make-believe that permeates the current society and mature into an adult?"
Educators may be to blame for this, Harter said, because "many professors welcome the dumb-down era that began 20 or 30 years ago since they no longer have to work as hard at teaching and can concentrate on their research."
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 25
D.R. Bartlette
posted 9/12/07 @ 10:44 AM EST
Good for them! It's about time we got to hear from the rational side of things, instead of just the predominant Protestant point of view.
Alex
posted 9/12/07 @ 1:03 PM EST
Huzzaah!
Best of luck to them.
Ken
posted 9/12/07 @ 1:54 PM EST
Nothing should be just accepted based on the fallacy of Authority. Freethinkers unite
Would someone in the know, post the URL for their web site here. (Continued…)
Andrew Roberts
posted 9/12/07 @ 6:45 PM EST
How is having a Protestant or any other religious type of viewpoint irrational? I do not agree that being non-religious means you will be unhappy, but I also know that happiness is relative, if you do not fully know true joy or are not on the pathway of feeling it then how can you fathom it? I think it is much easier to live a non-religious lifestyle than a religious one. (Continued…)
Kevin
posted 9/12/07 @ 7:50 PM EST
The "Razorback Freethought Alliance" has been renamed due to copyright issues we wanted to avoid in the future; we are now "Occam's Razors" with respect to that concept and William of Occam himself. (Continued…)
Occam's Razor
Kevin
posted 9/12/07 @ 8:03 PM EST
I forgot to add our Facebook address: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4798389535
Kevin
Dan Marshall
posted 9/12/07 @ 9:00 PM EST
As our nation moves toward a clean-shaven version of the theocratic state of Iran, the perspectives of free thinkers and those otherwise unencumbered by religious biases become even more salient. (Continued…)
Occam's Razor
Merlyn
posted 9/12/07 @ 9:26 PM EST
Merlyn,
I hope you will share how we can "know" there is a god. We disbelieve because there is no evidence to lead us otherwise. If there is, you are free to expose this information and let us in on the secret. (Continued…)
Christine Senn
posted 9/12/07 @ 9:28 PM EST
Please come to Georgia next!!
John Shuey
posted 9/12/07 @ 9:37 PM EST
Not only is there no evidence FOR the existence of any gods, but the evidence continues to mount AGAINST the existence of the narcissistic, megalomanical, sadistic god of Abraham. (Continued…)
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