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Against the Grain

Sept. 13, 2006

By LAURA FRASE
Staff writer

Every Sunday a small group gathers among the lounge chairs of the Bill Daniel Student Center, ready for heated debates over religion, politics or simple pet peeves.

No, this isn't the debate team.

It's the unofficial Atheist and Agnostic Society, created by San Antonio junior Justin Mueller more than two years ago.

The organization started on the bin.baylor.edu, when Mueller began asking if there were any atheists at Baylor. From the response, meetings began and a Facebook.com group was born.

The Facebook.com group boasts 87 members, but at the meetings, there are about a dozen to 20 consistent members, Albuquerque, N.M., junior Gigi Le said. And the meetings on Sunday afternoons seem to be working out for the organization.

"I mean, we're not going to come on Sunday morning, we're sleeping," Le added.

The group doesn't just talk about religion, but focuses on philosophy, politics and other topics as well.

One of the founding ideas behind the organization is to cultivate a discussion group.

"We have all sorts of varying belief types from fully nothing to something," Le said. "It's just an exchange of ideas. Sometimes it will be polite discussion or fierce debate depending on our mood."

But, Le said the group also acts at a type of "safe haven" for people who aren't religious at all.

Even though the organization can't have official guest speakers, it finds plenty of volunteers to speak to the group.The group has had regular speakers from Antioch Community Church, people "very vocal" about their faith and even people who don't believe in dinosaurs, Mueller said.

"We had to catch them up on their public education for third grade," he said.

In addition to speakers, the group is planning a field trip to the creationist museum near Dallas where the members will "try to have a nice little debate with the entire museum," Mueller said.

The organization's informal meetings and guest speakers have attracted a growing number of Baylor students, whether it's just out of curiosity or seeking a new belief.

"Our original meetings were more like an AA group, with a circle of people," Mueller said. "You know, 'Hi, my name is Justin.' 'Hi, Justin.' 'I'm an atheist.' Followed by cheers."

From those early meetings, the group has grown "almost exponentially," Le said.

Mueller and Le say they feel confident the group will continue to expand.

The first year and a half was very touch and go," Mueller said. "But now we have kind of a tone going, so if both me and Gigi were killed tomorrow in a violent Baptist uprising, the group would still go on."

With such a growing number of atheists on campus, Mueller said that students don't always come for its religious, or non-religious, aspects.

"You also have a lot of people that are at Baylor because of the Baylor tradition; it's a family thing," he said.

Mueller added that one of the group members is here "solely" because her parents work for Baylor, meaning free tuition.

"Who's going to turn down free school?" Mueller said.

Mueller said he came to Baylor because it was the best option among the colleges he had chosen.

However, Le came for one reason alone: forensic science.

"I have long since changed that major ... but that was my reason," she said. "I mean, I came from a very liberal town, liberal state, so I didn't realize how religiously fanatic it was until I got here."

After they both came to Baylor and feelings of unwelcomeness tore into them both, they had nobody to relate to.

"I created the group out of sheer desperation and seeking some form of a circle of friends," Mueller said.

While Mueller formed a group of friends through the organization, he wants more from it. He wants it to be recognized.

Mueller said he is "irked to say the least," about policies regulating student groups

"We get no recognition, no table, no advertisement, no funding," he said.

In spring 2005, Mueller approached Dr. Dub Oliver, vice president of student life, to begin the process of making the Atheists and Agnostics Society an official student organization on campus. The request was denied because of Baylor's policy, Oliver said.

Baylor's Student Policies and Procedure states: "The recognition of a student organization represents University endorsement and approval of the goals and purposes of that organization as being consistent with and in support of the goals and mission of Baylor University."

Oliver said he believes an atheist group would not be consistent with Baylor's goal.

However, Oliver said he supports the group's purpose for discussions.

"The university is a good place for the interchange of ideas, but because there is a good interchange of ideas, it doesn't necessarily mean they have a chartered organization to go with them," Oliver said.

Despite a previous rejection, Mueller plans to address the policy again.

Until the organization is able to gain funding one way or another, Le said they "hope to fundraise through brownie sales, atheist auctions or pay to take an atheist to church."

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