There has been a rapid growth in the number of student-run atheist societies in the last 12 months and their effects are being felt. Week-long campus festivals celebrating atheism, humanism and secularism have been springing up around the country. This is thanks to the launch of the AHS (The National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies).
This week sees the country’s largest atheist festival so far at Leeds University. Comprising nearly 40 free “interfaith”, ethical and political debates, talks, films and social events for students, ‘Rationalist Week 2009’ will run 24 hours a day for 7 days in a large tent baring a ‘there is no god’ sign over the entrance. This is the festival’s third year and it is expected, once again, to draw crowds of hundreds across the week.
Chris Worfolk, organiser, on the aims of the week:
‘As well as bringing our “interfaith” and educational events to a wider audience and we’re really aiming to dispell some of negative stereotypes surrounding atheism. This is about fun and also social responsibility, so we’ll be raising awareness of things like the organ donor’s register and hopefully some blood drive stuff too.’
Event titles include ‘It’s Only Water’ – concerning homeopathic medicine, a church service to the cult god the Flying Spaghetti Monster and the ironic ‘Why are evil dictators always atheists?’.
Leeds Atheist Society is one of the most active in the country. It runs educational, “interfaith” and social events every week and has recently set up a charitable Humanist Action Group (working at local homeless shelters etc). They have experienced discrimination, vandalism, theft and death threats from religious groups on campus, who oppose the open expression of an atheist viewpoint and blasphemy.
The sudden increase of atheist activism among UK students is due to the launch of the AHS in February (known, active groups went from seven in 2008 to 25 and counting – set to rise sharply next academic year). Their national launch was attended by many prominent atheists, including Richard Dawkins, Polly Toynbee and A C Grayling, who gave the following statement:
‘As well as making the case for reason and science, it is great to know that the AHS will be standing up against religious privilege and discrimination. All people are entitled to their beliefs but we secularists (whether religious or humanist) are right in arguing that the state must be entirely neutral in these matters. A situation where the religious beliefs of a few may dictate the personal choices of everyone – in abortion, for example, or assisted suicide – is quite wrong. Yet some religious groups defend and even aim to expand their considerable privileges – public money for their “faith-based” schools, seats in the House of Lords, exemption from laws inconvenient to their prejudices. The AHS shows that increasing numbers of young people are unwilling to put up with it.’
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If you’d like to find out more about the AHS or, if you are a student, how they can help bring similar events to your university, please contact AHS via their website: www.ahsstudents.org.uk