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Freedom of religion? Atheists want to speak out but find Utah induces claustrophobia By
Ann Lundgreen In case you haven't noticed, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church, is synonymous with Utah. This dominant religion is a way of life for many Utah and Cache Valley residents. Also in case you haven't noticed, Mormons like to talk. It isn't unusual to be shopping at the grocery store and overhear a woman talking about the new bishop, a ward member or an upcoming Relief Society activity. Everyone, whether they are Mormons or members of the Catholic church, seems to know the meaning of words such as stake centers, Mia Maids, and the Melchizedek Priesthood. These words are commonplace to most Cache Valley residents. Being a Mormon in Utah isn't exactly difficult. But what if you aren't Mormon? What if you don't even believe in God? For some, living in Utah means keeping their mouths shut. Atheists may be hard to come by in Utah, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Nicholas Flann, an atheist and computer science professor at Utah State University, says the word "God" is used too much. Flann says no one agrees with the same definition of God and therefore the word serves no purpose and has no meaning. "If I were to tell you something was going to be done on Wednesday," Flann says, "everyone would know what I meant when I said Wednesday. It comes after Tuesday and before Thursday. Wednesday is Wednesday. Everyone agrees and understands that. The word God does not do that; it has no meaning." Most Christians can't understand why atheists don't believe in religion and in God. But, to many atheists, religion just doesn't make sense. Flann says, "I was brought up Catholic, but it never made any sense to me. Even as a child I didn't see the relevance of it." Joanne Hughes, an atheist and member of the research faculty at USU, was raised in the Roman Catholic faith and the religion didn't resonate well with her either. "In my mid- to late teens the Roman Catholic Church was discussing why women couldn't be priests," Hughes says. "That really bothered me." Religion is, however, important to both Flann and Hughes. Religious people at school and in the community surround Hughes' 10-year-old son. For this reason Hughes and her husband decided to attend the Cache Valley Unitarian Universalists congregation three years ago. "We have been with the Universalists to [help our son] understand religion for his benefit. We wanted him to learn about God and religion from other people aside from his friends at school." Flann also associates with the Universalists to teach his daughter about religion and God, but says he feels uncomfortable being there at times. What is atheism? It is a question that many Utahns are not quite sure about. According to Mathew, who uses only his first name, atheism as an absence of belief in the existence of gods. "Some atheists go beyond a mere absence of belief in gods. They actively believe particular gods, or all gods, do not exist," Mathew says. Agnosticism is similar to atheism. Mathew says an agnostic is a person who believes no one can know for sure whether God exists. "Agnostics," Mathew says, "believe the evidence for or against God is inconclusive, and therefore are undecided about the issue." Many religions define God differently. Some churches believe God and Jesus Christ are one and the same, while others believe they are two different personages. This causes many atheists to question the credibility of religion and of God. Madalyn Murray O'Hair founded the national organization American Atheists in 1963. Ten years later the Utah Atheists chapter was founded and has been growing ever since. Mike Rivers, the Utah state director, says the Salt Lake Valley Atheists, formerly the Utah Atheists, meet on the first Sunday of every month. Rivers says, "American Atheists discontinued chapters a number of years back. This allows the individual groups greater freedom in their operations and political activities." Rivers says an average of 35 people attends the monthly meeting and about 300 people are registered for the Salt Lake Valley Atheist e-mail list. He says the group is actively pursuing "state and church issues, writing letters to the editor, publishing guest editorials and making every effort to attend functions where we are likely to find like minded people." In the summer of 1999 the Freethought Society of Northern Utah was founded in response to the need for such a group in northern Utah. Bruce Flamm, author of "World Trade Center Massacre: Why did it happen and Where was God?" discusses God and the reasons why Christianity is flawed in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. "How do Christians know Muslims are wrong?" asks Flamm. "How does any believer really know for sure which God is the right God? Radio and television personalities ask that we pray for the victims in New York City. But whom should we pray to? Yahweh? Jesus? Allah? Are millions of Christians praying to the wrong God or are millions of Muslims praying to the wrong God?" What is life like for atheists living in a state dominated by religion? In one word, "Claustrophobic," says Hughes. Hughes, originally from Canada, moved to Utah 17 years ago with her husband. She says she likes Utah, but rarely discusses her beliefs with anyone. "My husband and I were worried Utah people would 'missionary-ize' us, but they haven't. People have treated us OK here, but we prefer not to talk about our beliefs with just anyone." Flann agrees with Hughes. Flann is from England, and says people in Utah have been "pretty accepting," though he is careful with whom he chooses to discuss his beliefs. Rivers says there is great opposition to atheism in Utah. "We have allowed the [Mormon] church to define and vilify us for too long without stating who and what we really are," Rivers said. "Religion needs a demon/villain to drive its followers. And what better villain than atheism. The recent tragedy of the World Trade Center attack brought out people's animosity towards the nonbeliever." Rivers quoted several statements made by journalists following the tragedy on Sept. 11, which he says demonstrate that animosity. "Statements by the ABC talk show host Star Jones said under no circumstances would she vote for an atheist since we presumably have no moral code. [And] an inaccurate description by Hollywood personality and E Online! columnist Ben Stein who, in describing the attack on the World Trade Center, asked, 'What do you do with such atheistic evil?'" Life in Utah as an atheist can be hard if not frustrating at times, but atheists refuse to let that get them down. Flann remains optimistic about his beliefs and says the most important thing to believe in is evolution. "If you believe in evolution you don't need anything else. You can't be a Christian and believe in evolution. Christianity is inconsistent with what we know about the world," Flann says. Flann says religion is blinding because it causes people to not ask questions. He says many religious people don't truly understand what it is they believe in. Flann and Hughes both appreciate how accepting America is with regard to religion and the diversity of those religious beliefs. "The greatest thing about America is the freedom of religion," Flann said.
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