Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to Meredith Mitchell’s article, “Tired of trends,” and implied issues that I read. While I am fairly certain these problems are not intentional I feel that they must be cited for those who will read this article and read these implications as fact.
First there is the fact that she uses the terms agnostic and “god free” seemingly as the same thing. An agnostic does not deny the existence of God, but is much more of a questioning idea. More specifically it is the idea that we cannot know one way or the other whether or not God, the Devil, etc., actually exist. As such they do not consider themselves free from God. Even if Ms. Mitchell meant to associate this “freedom” with atheism this is a misnomer as atheists do not believe that any God exists and how can you be free from something you do not believe even exists to be free from.
Then there is the major problem in the article that she seems to be implying that those who are agnostic are just hopping on the trend bandwagon or rebelling against the Bible belt. I know a few atheists and agnostics myself and most of them are such because they have examined the relevant texts (the Bible, the Qur’an, or the Vedas of Hindu tradition) and are not satisfied with the answers they provide. This is not a popular view and they have to defend this viewpoint constantly. While I recognize the article may have been aimed at the smaller section who take up this view shortly then discard it when they realize how difficult it is to be one the article reads as though she is counting most if not all atheists/agnostics in that number and this followed by the implications that following this trend is the result of “not knowing yourself” seems very wrong when many have a deep understanding of themselves and the world around them and thus are led to their respective ideology.
I must end this letter by citing a few things I do not wish to imply myself. First off I do not mean to discredit those who are fully aware of themselves and through that find faith in the divine. I merely mean to point out that this also applies to the other side as well. I also do not wish to speak for any of those on campus who count themselves as atheist or agnostic. I am merely expressing my own view, and if I have made a mistake in this letter am more than happy to be corrected on it, however I would appreciate not having these corrections yelled at me across the hall.
I believe someone once said to always end with a joke, and I happen to have a perfect one. “What do you call a dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac? Someone who stays up all night wondering if there is a Dog.
-David Johnson

Author