In an area where religion is popular, ETSU’s Secular Humanist Alliance holds open meetings and events around the topic of non-religious beliefs.
“We just provide another group for people to come and talk and experience different ideas,” said SHA President Emily Willis. “It’s another sense of community that’s outside of Christianity, which seems to be the main focus of a bunch of different groups here.”
Secularism is a combination of values with the underlying belief that the “here and now” is more important than “eternity” elsewhere. Often referring to non-religious people, atheists, humanists, agnostics or freethinking individuals.
“I love the relaxed discussions and the judge-free zone for all creeds and colors,” Willis said. “It’s definitely opened my eyes to thinking more for myself instead of thinking just what other people have told me to think.”
SHA announced that Gayle Jordan will be giving a lecture at ETSU about leaving the Southern Baptist faith 10 years ago and running for Tennessee State Senate as an openly secular candidate in 2018.
Labeled “the most dangerous woman in Tennessee,” Jordan will be sharing her story on March 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the East Tennessee room on the second floor of the D.P. Culp Student Center.
Returning this spring, SHA will also be hosting a talk with Dave Warnock as he continues his Dying Out Loud tour to discuss life and death after being diagnosed with ALS.
Among these events, SHA also holds bi-weekly meetings with open discussions about a variety of topics. The next discussion is about atheism throughout history and influential atheists’ work for non-belief.
“It’s open to everybody,” Willis said. “Anybody who cares about it can come and attend. We like to keep it more centered on secularism and atheism, but anyone is open to come and talk.”
Meetings are held in the Culp Center’s Carrier Center, room 210. The next meeting is on March 24 at 5 p.m. For more information, contact secularhumanistetsu@gmail.com.
