The Daily O’Collegian

When Tyler Weirick started at OSU, he didn’t know how he would meet new people and make friends who had similar ideals and beliefs.

As he made his way around campus, he saw many advertisements for Bible study groups, religious organizations and groups for different ethnicities.

For many people their personal beliefs are different from others, and they don’t fit any other ethnic affiliations besides Caucasian.

When Weirick managed to find a few like-minded people, an idea was born: Create a group for people who have different belief systems, but still desire to help society and bring about free thought.

Thus, the Oklahoma State Secular Organization was born.

Through the course the past summer, Weirick and Zach Welch worked with others to create a charter and constitution in an effort to be recognized as an official campus organization by the Student Government Association.

When questioned by the SGA, several of the senators were unsure what secularism was and why students on this campus would be interested in joining the group.

“Secularism was the word adopted by George Jacob Holyoake in the early 1850s to describe a system of morals and social action shaped exclusively by this-worldly considerations, irrespective of religious beliefs,” according to the Oxford University Press. “The word was derived from the secular education movement for the complete separation of religious teaching from other forms of education,”

To many people, secularism is equated with atheism, another oft-misunderstood word. To Welch, president of the OSSO, secularism means that religion shouldn’t be viewed as a way to judge people.

In a 2006 study at the University of Minnesota, researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, immigrants, homosexuals and other ‘outsider’ groups as “sharing their vision of American society.” Americans are also least willing to let their children marry atheists over other belief systems.

Members of the OSSO are attempting to debunk this false belief. As is written in their description on Facebook, “Our goals are to provide secular individuals of Stillwater a place where they can meet others whom share a similar stance on all things not of the material world, as well as to inform people that secular individuals are moral and functioning members of society.”

“We want people to know that there are people with these beliefs who work with them, sit next to them in class, or live on their floor in the dorms,” Weirick said.

“I mean, do you ask what people’s beliefs are the second time you meet them?” Welch said. “No, but now with things like Facebook, people can see it the minute they add you, so it becomes a big deal.”

Matthew Lovern, a zoology professor and the organization’s faculty adviser, says he was proud to advise and sponsor the group.

“OSSO brings a student group to campus that values individual freedom to pursue knowledge, wherever it takes us. We are secular in that these values — education, community involvement, and the freedom to pursue knowledge — are values that we hold without appeal to or requirement of any religious belief,” Lovern said.

While the OSSO feels that it may be battling a large prejudice, it is still finding ways to help the community and foster understanding among differing views.

The OSSO has two standing committees that help to alter people’s views in a proactive way. The Community Service committee is searching for a church, daycare or other community organization to provide services for. They are talking with members of the Humane Society, the Wesley Foundation and several other churches and would be open to hearing from other groups in the area. The community service committee worked with Stillwater Domestic Violence last semester.

The Outreach and Programming committee helps to spread the message by offering movie viewings, guest lectures, and by handing out pamphlets and brochures of interesting information regarding evolution, science, religion and philosophy.

The OSSO has 76 members on Facebook with a wide variety of majors-everything from English and Theater to Psychology and Biochemistry, as well as several grad students and alumni.

Tuesday is National Darwin Day, a day that is being celebrated as a holiday by more and more people across the world. That evening at 6:30, the OSSO will hold a viewing of “Flock of Dodos” in the Student Union Little Theater followed by a meet-and-greet reception.

“Flock of Dodos” is a documentary that highlights the debate between proponents of the concept of intelligent design and the scientific establishment that supports evolution. This documentary has received worldwide acclaim and has been shown at film festivals across the globe.

Weirick encourages those of religious denominations to come, too.

“I’ve had lots of my religious friends come to meetings, and we like that. The more people who are there, the better,” Weirick said.

“We are not here to judge anybody or fight with them. We just want to talk and learn, so anybody is welcome,” Welch said.