Campus group: ‘Don’t believe in God? Join the club!’
PCUSA-affiliated college approves atheist organization
By Jason P. Reagan, The Layman, November 22, 2011
A Christian college recently recognized a pro-atheist group as an official campus organization, despite the possibility that the club may not agree with the college’s mission.
In October, the student government council of Presbyterian College (PC) in Clinton, S.C. formally approved the Secular Student Alliance (SSA) as a Registered Student Organization (RSO) – an approval which may entitle the group to college funds.
“This organization followed every protocol required of it to become an RSO and has been approved by each appropriate level of governance,” PC President John V. Griffith said in a recent interview.
“Appropriate level of governance” means the group garnered approval from the Student Government Association, the faculty and the president. PC policy states: “Students are free to form student organizations and have them recognized by the college so long as the aims and purposes of such organizations are not in disagreement with the aims and purposes of the college.”
Founded in 1880, the 1,200-student, liberal-arts college publishes a mission statement stating the college exists in part to “develop within the framework of Christian faith the mental, physical, moral and spiritual capacities of each student in preparation for a lifetime of personal and vocational fulfillment and responsible contribution to our democratic society and the world community.”
The school’s website also claims one of its goals is “to acquaint students with the teachings and values of the Christian faith.” The SSA’s stated motto on its Facebook page reads: “Don’t believe in God? Join the club!”
According to SSA President Harrison Hopkins, the group’s purpose includes providing “community for atheists, agnostics, humanists, skeptics and other freethinkers and the collective nonreligious” as well as fostering “acceptance of nonreligious students.”
Hopkins said the group plans to sponsor discussion on topics such as intelligent design and evolution as well as participating in college and community service projects.
PC shares a covenant with the Synod of South Atlantic of the Presbyterian Church (USA). According to the covenant, the synod, its presbyteries and congregations offer financial support to PC.
The document also states that PC “seeks to serve the church in its mission to the world by promoting the spiritual lives of its students.” Messages left with the synod office, seeking to find out how much financial support was given annually to PC, were not returned.
According to Griffith, none of the money from the synod will find its way into the SSA’s coffers.
“As for its funding, each RSO is eligible to apply for limited funding for events or programs that are open to the entire community,” Griffith said. “These funds are derived from student fees and are subject on a case-by-case basis to the approval of the Student Government Association.”
Such funding could mean the group can promote atheism under the aegis of an officially recognized PC organization. According to student government policy, the SSA could also be eligible to have representation in the governing council’s House of Representatives.
“Presbyterian College’s stated mission as a church-related liberal arts college … has not changed and will not change,” Griffith added.
Multiple attempts to reach PC’s trustees — many of whom are current and former PCUSA ministers –for comment were unsuccessful.
In explaining the rationale for the club, Hopkins wrote on the group’s Facebook page, “Even at church-affiliated schools, there exist small populations of nonreligious students, including agnostics, atheists, humanists and other freethinkers. Being at a church-related school, there are times that these students may feel left out or excluded.”
PC Math Professor Kara Shavo, the group’s sponsor, agrees: “College should give you the ability to be around others with different views and opinions,” Shavo said in a recent PC student newspaper article. “Everyone should have and voice.”
The article also states that some PC students have expressed “concern and anger over the founding of [the SSA].”
The president of PC’s Gay-Straight Alliance said she supports the SSA. Writing as a commentator on an atheist blog, Brooklynn Smith said she spoke to the college’s dean of students in support of the club’s formation.
Smith defended Hopkins and compared him to Jesus. “He’s not preaching the secular,” she said. “If anything, he’s teaching us a lesson that Christ first taught us … love your neighbor, support your neighbor, do not judge your neighbor.”
“There are already student groups on campus whose religious beliefs contradict those of the PC USA,” Smith added. “The PCUSA champions community and inclusivity.”
As for Hopkins, the formation of SSA is not the first time he has spoken out in favor of atheism publicly.
In May, Hopkins spearheaded a campaign to stop a school-endorsed prayer at his graduation at Laurens County (S.C.) High.
Prior to commencement, Hopkins contacted the Freedom From Religion Foundation, forcing the school district to refrain from a school-led prayer during the ceremony.
Hopkins told WSPA-TV of Greenville that a school-led prayer “gives the feeling to us that aren’t of that certain religion, that we’re excluded, like we’re not as important as the others.”
The Secular Student Alliance is a nationwide campus effort to, according to its website, “organize, unite, educate, and serve students and student communities that promote the ideals of scientific and critical inquiry, democracy, secularism, and human-based ethics.”
Popular atheist speaker Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, serves on the SSA’s national advisory board.