Nat Jackson likens his transformation from Christianity to atheism to that of a kid finding out Santa Claus isn't real.
"In the beginning, you believe completely," Jackson (senior-anthropology) said. "But eventually, you start finding presents in the closet, and then you hear other people saying that they don't believe, and it just progresses from there."
Jackson is leading the movement to re-establish Penn State's Atheist, Agnostic Association, which has been dormant for the last few years.
"We're getting a lot more support than I expected," he said.
Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, said because today's college students have less "religious baggage" than their parents, they have become much more accepting of atheism.
She also referenced The American Religious Identification Survey, which was done in 2001 with support of the City University of New York's Graduate Center.
The survey found the number of people in America who do not identify themselves with any religion to be about 29.4 million or about 14 percent of the total population. However, Roger Finke, professor of sociology and religious studies at Penn State, said atheists and agnostics are "still a small percentage of the population."
Finke conceded that students on campus are often vocal about their beliefs on a variety of subjects but added that "among the general population, people are still somewhat suspect of atheists."
He referenced a 2003 study done by University of Minnesota sociologist Penny Edgell that found, on average, Americans would rather elect a homosexual president than an atheist one.
Edgell's study also found that educated people are more likely to be accepting of atheism, a fact that may explain its greater presence on college campuses.
Meanwhile, Jackson and his fellow Penn State atheists hope to change the world's perception of them and their beliefs.
His main goal for the club is "to create a comfortable environment for people who may be initially uncomfortable speaking out and also to facilitate conversation," he said.
In 2005, the club sponsored a debate between club students and Gary Cattell, better known as the Willard preacher. Jackson said he would like to organize similar events, as well as bring in speakers. Christopher Long, associate professor of philosophy and the club's adviser, said besides wanting the club to be an open forum where people can discuss ideas, he also wants it to join forces with charitable organizations.
"People don't have to appeal to a transcendent god to do good things," Long said. "It's a different way of looking at the world. These students are united because of a skepticism about dogma."
College campuses are an especially active place for atheists to discuss ideas and organize activities.
American Atheists offers two scholarships, worth $1,000 and $2,000, every year to atheist students.
The Internet has also had a profound impact on the spread of atheist messages, Jackson said. Web sites such as Facebook.com allow users to form groups, find others with similar beliefs and debate with each other.
One of those debates, Jackson said, is over the meaning of life.
"People say 'what meaning can life have if there is no God?' " he said. "But I believe that this one life is all we have. There is no permanence and that makes it more meaningful."
