Coming out

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George Skene / Orlando Sentinel / MCT University of Central Florida psychology professor Charles Negy reads from a letter complaining about his teaching. He sees the religious polarization in American society reflected in his psychology class. (TRIBUNE MEDIA MCT)

ORLANDO, Fla. -- In his first class of the fall semester, University of Central Florida professor Charles Negy suggested to his cross-cultural psychology students they might want to read his email to last semester's class that went viral on the Internet -- twice.

In the email that created a sensation at the time and again just weeks before the fall term began, Negy chastised the devout Christian student who told the rest of the class to ignore the professor questioning their religious beliefs.

"Students in my class who openly proclaimed that Christianity is the most valid religion, as some of you did last class, portrayed precisely what religious bigotry is. Bigots -- racial bigot (sic) or religious bigots -- never question their prejudices and bigotry. They are convinced their beliefs are correct," Negy wrote.

The confrontation between the agnostic professor and the Christian student is, in miniature, a re-enactment of the ongoing clash in American society between strident true believers and increasingly vocal non-believers.

"I think the tension you are seeing now is the more non-believers there are, the less willing we are to accept that arrogant assumption" that Christianity is the only true religion, Negy said in an interview. "We are not going away any time soon, and the more of us there are, the more confident we feel."

According to a Pew Research Center survey, 29 per cent of Americans say they do not believe in God.

"There is certainly a concern about the increase of secular and non-religious people becoming more vocal," said Mat Staver, chairman of the Liberty Counsel, a non-profit law firm that advocates for Christian religious views. "What we have seen in the past few years is an aggressiveness among atheists and non-believers toward those who believe in God."

Fred Edwords, national director of the United Coalition of Reason, said the rising profile of non-believers in the United States began around 2004 with several popular books by atheists and humanists such as Christopher Hitchens. Local groups of atheists, agnostics, humanists and freethinkers began springing up throughout the nation, and a movement to unify the different varieties of non-believers started in 2009.

Edwords compares the growing size and visibility of non-believers to the gay-rights movement in its infancy. Non-believers often refer to "coming out of the closet."

"What we are finding is more people coming out. We have four or five new groups in Orlando," said Jack Maurice, founder of the Orlando Freethinkers & Humanists organization. "Coming out is a lack of fear."

The increase in the non-religious, along with declines in church attendance, is the subject of many sermons about the United States becoming a godless nation. Both sides -- the fundamentalists, evangelicals and conservative Christians, and the atheists, agnostics and non-believers -- proclaim the nation is headed the way of Europe, where many countries have become predominantly secular.

"I see a movement to a more secular society," Staver said. "That is a continuing trend that should concern all of us."

Many blame professors such as Negy for contributing to a generation that has largely turned its back on organized religion. The Millennials, ages 18 to 29, are far less religious than their parents. About 25 per cent of them have no religious affiliation compared to 13 per cent of baby boomers at the same age.

"I think the negative criticism (of Christians) is much more in academia than the general population," said Clark Whitten, senior pastor of Grace Church Orlando in Longwood, Fla. "There is a patronizing way that is offensive when they make you feel small-minded to believe in faith."

Whitten said the student was right to stand up in defence of Christianity: "I don't see it as bigotry. I see it as the truth."

Negy said he never tries to convince his students they should change their beliefs or adopt his views on religion, but to learn to think for themselves -- as he did when he was their age.

Negy grew up as Southern Baptist in Texas and didn't begin to question his religious beliefs until he was a college student in Spain and learned about Islam. He found himself thinking, "Is Jesus the true prophet or is Muhammad? What proof is there that either is?"

"And then I realized, 'Oh, my God, I've been believing this for 25 years because everyone around me believes it,' " Negy said. "I understand if you are raised to never think critically, and question those beliefs, you are shocked that anyone would question that validity. That's what I want to do in my class."

-- The Orlando Sentinel

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 8, 2012 J12