Our secular student group goes public in the school paper

I really love having my name in the paper, it's such a boost during this otherwise stressful week! There's just something about having your name in print (actual print, not blog print) that makes you feel special, validated, and important. Yay!

Yesterday, during the executive board meeting for the Secular Society, we were interviewed by Mathew Davoli for a BG News profile of our student org. The full version of the story is online: "Secular organization aims for equality"

I'm really pleased with how the article turned out! I'm always afraid what I say will be taken out of context, and since this was the first article about our organization, I was a little anxious. Overall, I think our organization comes across as very rational and inclusive - which is a great way to be received by the student body overall!

So far things are going swimmingly, and our first general assembly meeting is tomorrow night. I'm still waiting for something to happen - I usually read about more controversy surrounding groups of non-believers on college campuses, so I'm remaining weary. Who is going to make the first snide comment? Who is going to tell me I'm going to hell, or that they'll pray for me? It remains to be seen, and I like it that way!

Elmhurst College (United Church of Christ) is an unlikely trailblazer for LGBT inclusion

It seems religiously affiliated universities have reached a fork in the road, and they must choose to embark on a more inclusive, progressive philosophy; or turn-tail and run back to the 17th century. At least that was my impression after reading the following articles:

Where Trendy Is 17th Century is an interesting read about New Saint Andrews College embracing a Great Books curriculum, which includes a statement of faith that asserts a literal six 24-hour day creation of the Universe, that the Bible is infallible, is correct in all it addresses, and addresses everything (Everything? What does it say about Internet privacy policies?).

According to the article from Inside Higher Ed, feminists and skeptics at New Saint Andrews College "must offer to withdraw from college." This policy of believe what we believe or get the heck out is definitely an interesting approach to higher education. Not surprising, critical thinking does not appear in their objectives for students.

Thankfully, this article from The Friendly Atheist was able to provide new hope for religiously affiliated universities. It mentions a new intentionality for LGBT inclusion on admission applications at Elmhurst College in Illinois. The application includes the optional question: "Would you consider yourself to be a member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community?"

The dean of admissions is quoted in a Chicago Sun Times article:

“Increasing diversity is part of our mission statement,” said Gary Rold, Elmhurst’s dean of admissions. “This is simply closing the loop, in many ways, of another group who has a very strong identity. It may not be race and religion but it’s an important part of who they are.”

The college is reportedly the first school to directly ask the question, rather than implying LGBT identity through questions about interest in LGBT topics.

With this new information, Elmhurst College plans to embrace LGBT students by directing them to student services and groups, and even offering scholarships to aid in LGBT student recruitment. The word "intentional" comes to mind, and to me Elmhurst College is a shining beacon of progressive hope in the ranks of Christian colleges.

Agnostic atheism presentation for multi-faith student group

I was invited to speak to a multi-faith student group this past year about what atheists believe, so I figured I'd put my presentation online in case anyone is looking for more information on a detailed understanding of what people who identify as "agnostic" and "atheist" actually believe.

It's kinda funny, when I was approached to give the talk I was asked if I "knew anything about that, or would be able to speak on that topic" rather than "are you an atheist?" I know that's the culturally competent way to phrase the question, it just made me smile.

There is an important distinction between a position of belief, and a position of knowledge - which is why the term agnostic atheist more accurately describes my views.

Check out the presentation to learn more about the implications of these terms, along with a few helpful slides about "Myths and Misconceptions."

Subjectivity may not freely reign

This video is the first of a 16-part series narrated by the late Carl Sagan and produced as a tribute by Callum Sutherland. Sagan's voice is magical, and the vintage quality of the audio recording is nostalgic while bringing a sense of history.

There are a lot of misconceptions about atheism, and people often assume that we don't believe in ANYTHING. Where can the concept of hope exist when the world seems so confined to a physical existence?

While I don't have "faith" that there are things bigger than myself, I still believe in a universe that is massively mysterious and fascinating. This video, and others in the series, are a perfect example of where my sense of awe comes from. My mind is blown, and I struggle to grasp the vastness of the universe and my insignificant role in the cosmos - yet I am proud to acknowledge that I am in fact a piece of the universe, I am made from the universe, and that my story is part of the larger story.



Every word in this video is so concise, so painstakingly selected to carry the precise meaning that was intended. Religious views aside, I think the transcript itself, as a written work, is magnificent.

A double hidden minority: some thoughts on being a gay atheist so close to the job search

I started this blog for several reasons. First of all, I got in the blogging habit after creating a company blog for a competitive swimwear company. After that, I lost the majority of my virtual filter, and was compelled to make things public all the time.

Second, I blog to hone my interests and keep a record for myself. In the past, workout blogs have been very helpful for me to go back and look at my previous lifting routines. Blogs about my experiences in student affairs are equally beneficial because I can create a chronicle of my accomplishments and activities.

Finally, I blog so that others can find solutions to the problems that I've already faced: Whether it's looking for a better way to embed a Twitter post into a blog, or tips for identifying North American insects with Google searches.

On a deeper level, I had planned to share more personal experiences. I'm speaking in the past tense, because lately I've been second guessing myself when it comes to sharing personal tidbits with the JOB SEARCH only months away (officially).

"You shouldn't post anything about being an atheist so close to the job search," I would tell myself. "You might not want to mention the fact that you're gay and living with your partner," my inner voice would chime in.

But the more I think about it, the more I realize I have the privilege of choosing whether or not to share my minority status with the world. If I go in to an interview, I can (somewhat) convincingly portray myself as a heterosexual white male who may or may not be religious. If I blog about it, and my potential employer reads my blog, I remove all doubt that I'm a gay heathen.

Why should I hide these facts about myself? Graduate students of different races can't simply turn off their minority status by censoring themselves on Twitter. The more I think about it, the more I want to live my life out of the closet every day. I keep flashing back to my closeted high school years, and how important it was to control the spread of information when it came to my sexual identify. When I came out, I was liberated! Why go back in the closet now by censoring my (lack of) religious beliefs? Is it really that important to appear uncontroversial in a field that espouses open tolerance?

It might have something to do with the fact that atheists are rated as "least likely to share everyday Americans' vision of society" according to a study conducted by the University of Minnesota. On this measure of sharing the American vision of society, atheists ranked "below several other minority groups, including immigrants, gays and lesbians, conservative Christians, Jews and Muslims" (source). This is the source of my fear and anxiety.

So here's what I've decided. I'm not going to censor myself on Blogger or Twitter when it comes to my sexuality or my religious views. I hope that other grad students and student affairs professionals read my blog, and know that someone out there is living every day true to himself.

I will, however, follow the old adage to never bring up religion or politics in an interview. That's just plain good advice!

I'm interested to hear some advice from the #SAchat community about this! Am I being stupid? Shooting myself in the foot? Should I delete all my social media accounts before I interview and pretend they never existed?

What I learned: Say it out loud.

@EricTeske great blog post! Better to find a job where they like you for who you truly are.less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet ReplyStella Maher
StellaM_NYC

Great post. Be you, all of you! MT @ericteske:#saglbtq "some thoughts on being a gay atheist so close to the job search" http://t.co/1cXAit4less than a minute ago via HootSuite Favorite Retweet ReplyChristyn Toomey
Christyn238

The smallest church in the world is in Bowling Green, Ohio

What I learned: Landscaping makes everything look better.