It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that a large portion of our student body, particularly ones who were raised in Minnesota, identify as Lutheran when asked, even if they are not practicing Lutherans.

If asked, I would identify as a Lutheran as well. But over the last few years, Gustavus and its many influences have challenged this. I freely admit that it has not been comfortable, but I have emerged with my faith intact, strengthened and much less dogmatic than before. I now find myself liberated from the oppressive doctrines of organized religion, able to think about issues that confront us with much more clarity, all the while retaining the same sense of morality as I have for as long as I can remember. I owe it to the atheists.

The critically acclaimed Broadway show The Book of Mormon has been described as “an atheist’s love letter to religion,” arguing that religion can do great things if its lessons are understood to be moral guidelines and not literal commands. I found this to be quite refreshing. Maybe we can learn a thing or two from atheists after all.

A total commitment to logical reasoning is useful and appealing. And the idea that the universe and how we came to be is much more complex than we are ever to likely to understand is one I find more exciting than conventional Christian, Muslim, even ancient Greek or Roman theology.

Perhaps, for the sake of the advancement of technology and the human race, we should be more focused on the hows and not the whys of the natural world. I have never understood for example, why some people cannot accept science as a means to exploring God’s creation or a way to explain the method of creation. I have also never encountered a satisfactory argument for why it is contradictory to believe in both evolution and a higher power.

Perhaps human error, bias, and moral relativism should be taken into account when trying to find meaning in religious texts that even the most devout believe were written by people, not God.

Perhaps the teachings of Jesus should supersede hating, burning, stabbing, pillaging and arbitrary restrictions on how to live one’s life found in the Old Testament.

Perhaps, when running for public office or arguing a contentious social issue that affects our society, people should be able to back up moral convictions with arguments that work for everyone. To quote our current president:

“Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values … I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all.”

I still believe in a God. But I recognize that for our society to function, religion and reason need each other. I do not believe they are inherently opposing concepts either, which is why it is so frustrating to listen to people like Rick Santorum talk about the melding of church and state.

So thank you, atheists. You have both strengthened my faith and broadened my scope of thinking. For what it’s worth, none of you would burn in hell for all eternity if I had anything to say about it.