Whatever happened to the 1st Amendment, MSU?

       Blatant violations of the U.S. Constitution seem to be a very common theme at many of Murray State University's Hutson School of Agriculture events. Requiring all students, staff, and faculty members to pray to god before being allowed to eat is unconstitutional and a violation of our First Amendment rights. Not everyone in attendance at these events identify as christian students. Since Murray State is a publicly funded institution, professors (including the Dean of the agricultural college!) cannot promote any one religion over others, require prayer as part of any university sanctioned event, pray with students, or lead students in prayers. The Establishment Clause states publicly funded institutions may not establish a state religion or promote one religion over others. However, this happens at the School of Agriculture's back to school picnic every Fall semester, all of the IHSA horse shows the equestrian teams attend, and major events put on by the Horsemen's Association, in addition to events held by other organizations within the school of agriculture. 

     Nobody bats an eye or breathes a word about it- why is this? This is a public university funded by taxpayer dollars. The school is clearly violating the U.S.' Establishment Clause.


     These practices are not only unlawful, but also alienating and downright disrespectful to students not of the christian faith, whether they be jewish, unitarian, agnostic, muslim, buddhist, hindu, atheist, etc.

     I have spoken to several international students that chose to come here (they were buddhist, hindu, muslim, jewish, atheist, agnostic, unitarian, or just not religious)... and it makes them uncomfortable. They are being TOLD by university authority figures at the beginning of the school year that they must participate in prayer to a god they do not believe in and in doing so, may violate their own personal religious beliefs, or lack thereof. Since these students are brand new to the country and the university, they often feel compelled to go along with it, because, what other choice do they have? It pisses me off how this university, especially the School of Agriculture, so openly discriminates and alienates all non-christian students. These students are trying to get involved on campus and are being alienated from the very start. I have tried speaking up and was ignored and ostracized for my efforts. 


     I am all for engaging in religious discussions and do not have a problem with people talking about their faith, I actually do like hearing other people's views and engaging in religious discussions- but when people in authority positions at a public institution push one religion over others and do so to their students, I just cannot tolerate it anymore. It has upset me quite a bit about how many interested new and international students I have seen drop out of attending the Agriculture clubs and events due to the professors, academic advisors, club leaders, and even the dean of the Agriculture college pushing their beliefs on the students in attendance.


          If I had a dollar for every "friend" that I have lost, every time I have been ostracized or alienated from a club or team on campus, every occasion I have been questioned about my (lack of) belief, and every time I have been preached to since moving to Kentucky in July of 2012, I would be a very rich woman. I was deleted by 30+ of my "friends" when I came out as an atheist on Facebook several months ago. Several of those people I had considered to be very close friends since grade school. I have been receiving anonymous hate mail and threats on Facebook since then as well. I have been alienated and ostracized by clubs and teams on campus. Most people don't talk to me at all on campus anymore. I have heard people talk behind my back on multiple occasions. My truck has been vandalised on three separate occasions. My constitutional rights have been violated at a majority of the Agriculture college's events I have attended.

      I am NOT going to let this drop. Since the university has refused to take any of my concerns (and US law) seriously over the past three years, I am taking the next step.I will NOT let it go. If standing up for myself and defending my rights, and the rights of other non-christian students on campus, makes me an extremist, then I will bear that title with pride. 

     My primary goal isn't enlightenment, but if anything I post helps even one person begin to open their eyes, awesome. I post to show others that it is OKAY to doubt and to question and to TALK openly about these things. I post to show closet atheists, especially those in Kentucky, that they are not alone.

-Stef (That Stephans Chick)

September 11th.

"Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence, but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm?" -Richard Dawkins

13 years ago, our generation saw the damage religious beliefs are capable of causing. 

13 years ago, America's "us vs. them" mentality was further strengthened following the attacks, condemning all those of Middle Eastern descent as potential terrorists. 

13 years ago, we realized our nation was not immune from attack and we were not invulnerable. 

13 years ago, we were told Muslim militants committed acts of terror against the United States.

     When religious fundamentalists commit atrocities, their actions are wholly supported by their holy book; they are following the instructions proffered to them via their deity. What does that say about religion as a whole? If the fundamentalists of your religions are considered "extremists" for adhering to scripture and engaging in action as their holy book instructs them to- would that not make them a "good, faithful (insert religion of choice here)," for following the commands of their god?

     As an atheist and secularist, I am often asked why I care so much about religion and why I don't show "an appropriate amount of respect for other people's beliefs." I discuss religion because it often produces detrimental effects upon humanity and society. Because I understand and have borne witness to religion's propensity to coerce its followers into expressing intolerance, demonstrating hate, and committing acts of unspeakable and unimaginable violence. They use their holy book as justification for their terror, hate, and violence. Because I have witnessed religion manipulate people into committing heinous crimes against other human beings in the name of their god.

     Because 2,977 lives were stolen away by unspeakable acts of violence committed in the name of a deity. 2,977 families were ripped apart by senseless tragedy. Loved ones were lost. Children became orphans. Parents lost their children. Families were broken. 

     Our nation was broken by unfathomable and unimaginable acts of religious-fueled hatred and violence.

     Because as of September 11th, 2001 at 10:28am, there are two towers that no longer stand proudly among the New York City skyline.

     Why can I not respect religious beliefs? September 11, 2001.

-Stef (That Stephans Chick)

November 30

     According to a middle aged woman at the Walgreens in Paris, TN, I am what is wrong with America, because I am a "tattooed, unnatural haired, 'devil hate music listening' freak!" (All I had done was occupy a certain amount of time/space in her presence- in those brief seconds, she decided she needed to judge me after staring at me disgustedly, watching me wash my hands, and TELL me how she chose to view me, with NO prior insight into my life.) And it made me realize, that even today - in 2013!, people are constantly unfairly criticizing and condemning others and reaching these judgmental conclusions based upon faulty heuristic patterns of cognition everyday. 

     Do you know the people you're stereotyping and condemning for their physical appearance or lifestyles? Do you know me?:

1. Yes, I do have tattoos. No, they do NOT make me a 'bad' person or affect my abilities or intellectual capacities in any manner. Both of my tattoos hold deep personal meaning for ME, do not affect/harm anybody else, and are synonymous with my beliefs and my life story: Everyone is important and deserving of love. Hope is something inherently human and it's biological- we're inherently optimistic as a species, resilient through our struggles and experiences of adversity, and long to live our lives for as long as possible, even in the face of those (sometimes impossible) struggles. 

2. My hair was dyed an "unnatural" hue (I had dark purple in my blonde hair) because I lost my big sister, DeAnna, to cancer on Friday, November 22nd. She said as soon as her hair grew back after she was done with her chemotherapy treatments, she was going to dye it "fun colors." ...she never got the opportunity to do so. 

3. I don't believe in devils. The music I listen to doesn't idolize or promote worshipping "demons," either. While I do not believe in any gods and find religion to be more harmful than what good it does, I find it irrelevant to someone who doesn't know me and I wasn't bothering. Most wars, -cides/-isms (genocide, infanticide, suicide bombing, racism, sexism, opposition to gay marriage, civil rights restrictions) are waged in the name of religious doctrines- whether following the word of the Abrahamic God, Allah, or Mohammed. I am opposed to proselytizing and indoctrination because from birth, religions tell their followers they are "bad" and can only be saved from the abhorrent 'sin' of being human and eternal damnation/hellfire if they go along with what they're told is absolute truth without evidence, and swear their life over to that certain religion's god they must dutifully worship, yet live in constant fear of punishment. People are NOT inherently bad and do not need salvation from being HUMAN. Atheism is simply a lack of belief in gods, demons, or any other paranormal beings. You do not need a god to have morals or to be a good person. 

4. Yes, I do listen to a lot of heavier rock music. However, I do not find any of the music I listen to to be hate-filled or "evil." It is certainly not 'devil hate music.' Music is another form of human expression and SO much is expressed through song than is possible with the clumsy medium of words alone. Sometimes, the music has to scream out what you feel when you don't always have the words to convey your emotions and your life story to the world. "Where words fail- music speaks" is something that I find to be very true.

Think again before you begin to judge a person you don't even know the first thing about. 

-Stef (That Stephans Chick)

Do NOT exploit my sister's death.

Six months ago, cancer claimed another victim. My sister. 

     My big sister died. Do not exploit her death and her life as an opportunity to force your beliefs upon me.

     I don't need or want mindless religious platitudes. While fairytales and dogmatic sentiments may serve as a comfort to you, they do nothing for me. Please, THINK before those indoctrinated statements leave your mouth. There was no 'greater plan' that involved giving my sister cancer and removing her from our lives. She is not still here and she isn't watching over anybody; her conscious self no longer exists. 

     Where she still exists is in memories and stories and the things she once loved and everybody she left behind. Don't give me fantasies about an unproven heaven and hell. To leave us all behind and to not be able to be here with her son: if there was a heaven, tell me how it would not be a hell.

-Stef (That Stephans Chick)

Not everyone around you is a christian.

     Not everyone around you is religious. Not everyone around you is a christian. Not everyone believes in your god, whether it be Allah, God, Jehovah, etc. Not everyone adheres to some form of religious belief. I know this may be a difficult concept to comprehend, particularly down here in Kentucky, but some of us do not believe in any gods, including your conceptualization of the Judeo-Christian God. Not only is it arrogant to think otherwise, but it is grossly inappropriate and discriminatory to force your belief down other people's throats. Not everyone prays, because not everyone believes in a god. It is ignorant to act as though everyone shares the beliefs you were indoctrinated into as a child. 

    The First Amendment addresses one's right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Note, this ALSO guarantees the right of freedom from religion. Due to the alienation and discrimination it causes (and the fact that it violates the law!), any government-funded institution, such as state universities, student groups, and public schools, may not institute or enforce any particular religion's ceremonies, teaching, or rituals.

-Stef (That Stephans Chick)

I am part of America's most distrusted minority

I am an atheist. 

     For years, this was the biggest secret of my life. I was terrified of coming out as a non-believer. How would people react? What would they think of me, as a member of the most distrusted minority within the United States, because I had lost my belief in religion?

 Actually, I never 'lost' my religion at all. 

     At 4 years old, my Methodist family had me baptised, I went to sunday school, and sat with my family and listened to the pastor every Sunday. I was an acolyte. I went to confirmation classes and was confirmed as a member of the Methodist church at the age of 12. ...even though before I started confirmation classes, I knew that I did not believe a word of it. 

WHY? 
     I've always been a bookworm; as a young child I would read everything available to me, cover to cover. So, I read the bible. Yes, I read all the "good parts," the ones often cherry-picked and shared in church for the poetry and messages about love and acceptance. But, I also read the rest of that vile little book. 

     I read about the sins of acquiring knowledge, the dangers of temptation, learned proper ways to keep slaves, offenses worthy of stoning one to death, men's 'right' to rape women and marry their victim (as long as the girl's father was paid afterward), young girls being sold into slavery and marriage, women being subservient and inferior to men, God killing his creation and causing pointless suffering. I learned that as a female, I was born an inferior being, my body was sinful and as a female, I was guilty of all the evils that have fallen upon mankind. The bible said I was not allowed to speak in church, to teach, or to attain any position that would give me authority over men. I learned that if I was a christian, since I am female, I would not be able to be a leader. The bible prohibited it. From the bible, I also learned I was born guilty. I deserved to be punished. My body was inherently sinful. My body was not my own. If I went against God, I would be condemned to eternal torture in hell.  

     What I read did not sound like the acts of a loving and benevolent god. The god I read about was a malevolent, jealous, sadistic, murderous monster.

     Despite all this, I still went to confirmation and declared myself as a good little, obedient, Methodist child of God; a god that I didn't believe in. But I was confirmed, because that was what was expected of me. At 12 years old, did I KNOW I had a choice? As a child, could I have found the courage to disagree with my pastor, my friends, and my entire family? Could I have stood up in front of that entire congregation and found the courage to disagree with them? 
     How could we go to church and sing about God's love, when I had READ about all the atrocities committed by the alleged deity being worshipped? How could anybody rejoice for the day they'd die and go to heaven, as countless others were condemned to spend eternity burning in hell for their sins or slights against an 'all-loving' deity? How could I believe I was made from a rib, when I had learned about the big bang, natural selection, astronomy, and evolution in school? 

     Were my science teachers wrong or was the bible, and all of its contradictions, wrong? I realized they couldn't both be correct. 

     I chose science, reason, logic critical thinking, and education. I chose a thirst for knowledge and evidence, rather than blind belief. I threw off the chains religion had shackled me with. 

    ANY belief that oppresses, ostracizes, discriminates, and KILLS people for being different or for not following the social mores of a given belief system deserves NO respect whatsoever and deserves to be called out for the harm that it causes. 

    When a same-sex couple in love cannot get married because it is considered "offensive," when a third-world country ravaged by disease, overpopulation, and starvation is preached to about 'dangers' of condom use and vaccinations, when the rape victim is condemned to the traumatic experience of bearing her rapist's child, when homosexual individuals in Uganda are beaten to death due to their sexual orientation, when young girls must promise their fathers they will not engage in sexual acts before marriage, when sex is decried as a vile act and female sexuality must be shamed, when children are indoctrinated into religion from birth and told they will go to hell if they are bad or question what they have been told, when priests sexually assault innocent boys and escape prosecution, when wars are waged over whose god is the correct and 'true' god, when people thank their god for the food on their table while millions of innocent children starve to death around the world, when someone's loved one dies prematurely and grieving family members are told the death is god's plan, when a child is miscarried or stillborn and bereaved parents are told that god needed another angel, when parents disown their child for coming out as gay or atheist, when christians ridicule islamic beliefs and get upset when their own beliefs meet similar criticisms, when anybody "different" is ostracized from their family and community... how can you continue to defend your belief when these things are allowed to happen, when the Abrahamic religions condone ALL these acts? 

     It is this type of bigotry, misogyny, arrogance, ignorance, and intolerance that reveals the true nature of religious belief. 

- Stef (That Stephans Chick)

Who am I?

     I was born and raised in southeastern Minnesota, and spent 3 1/2 years studying Equine Science at NDSU in Fargo, North Dakota before transferring to Murray State in Kentucky, where I presently attend university. I am working on completing both my B.S. in Equine Management and my B.A. in Psychology.

     I am an avid equestrian, psychology nerd, rock concert addict, voracious scholar, tattoo aficionado, To Write Love On Her Arms supporter, mental health advocate, avowed atheist, and ambassador of reason and science.

Why am I here and what is the purpose of this blog?

     My intention for this blog is to share knowledge and experiences I have gained in various areas of my life, primarily focused around my involvement with horses, mental health/psychology, and atheism. My goal is to raise awareness and advocate for issues important not only to me, but to others as well. I am passionate about issues relating to equine welfare, psychological well-being, suicide awareness, human rights, and the promotion of critical thinking skills and freethought. Transmission of knowledge and education are integral keys to improving our collective future and helping others succeed. If we are to continue moving forward as a society, we must become more compassionate and tolerant toward our fellow human beings. We need to address the challenges currently posed against us and learn to embrace our differences and fight for equality. Through this blog, I intend to begin that process.

Care to join me?

- Stef Stephans (That Stephans Chick)