Story by Alison Moran
Video by Leilani Rapaport
Walking across the University of Oregon campus where cardboard signs reading “Knowledge is Power” and “Ask an Atheist Anything” greet pedestrians makes one thing automatically apparent: if you don’t believe in God, you’re not alone.
Often, the one holding the signs and engaging passersbys is Lucy Gubbins. Since the club’s start a year ago, the president of the Alliance of Happy Atheists! (AHA!) and her fellow group members can be seen in front of the EMU hoping to spark a dialogue about dogmas and disbelief in God.
It’s the group’s primary occupation to discuss issues concerning separation of church and state, current events, and faith and non-faith identities, says AHA! Vice President Greg Kirby.
“We are a group of individuals who love to have fun, think critically, laugh, and learn,” he adds.
Formed just over a year ago in April 2009 by Gubbins, Kirby, and a handful of other students, AHA! became an official ASUO-recognized student group on February 17, 2010. The group currently boasts a membership of more than 300 students, most of whom identify as either atheist or agnostic.
Gubbins admits she was nervous as to how the UO would initially react to a secular student group. However, AHA!’s popularity quickly grew.
“I find that more and more of my peers are religious skeptics,” Gubbins says. “Atheism is becoming increasingly common.”
According to the American Religious Identification Survey, in the U.S. non-religious affiliation is the third largest demographic after Catholic and Baptist faiths. In a nation that has long been dominated by Christians, 15 percent of the population now claims to be atheist, an increase by eight percent since 1990. In Oregon, 21 percent of residents identify as having “no religion.” Why the sudden rise? Gubbins believes it’s because of the growing presence of groups like AHA!
“As more atheist authors come out of the woodwork, more organizations come together to support causes, and more people openly identify as non-religious,” she says.
Even with AHA!’s first year successes, the group continues to face the challenge of how to tackle the controversial subject of God in a constructive and respectful manner.
“People want to join the group and bash religion,” says Gubbins. “We don’t want that. We emphasize the word ‘happy’.”