Atheist student tells his side

By Jameel Naqvi

Who knew religion was so controversial?

At last count, my story on Atheist students at Larkin High School generated 83 comments on our website.

Interestingly, I didn’t receive any emails or calls from upset parents.

Here’s a quick refresher: a group of Atheist students set up a table at the Larkin cafeteria one week ago. Other students could approach the table to ask the Atheists a question or engage in dialogue with them.

At least one parent wasn’t too happy about it, saying her children were raised in church and shouldn’t have to encounter such people.

Principal Jon Tuin said he would offer the same opportunity to Christian student groups — or any student-led religious group, for that matter.

One perspective I didn’t get was that of the Atheist students. Joaquin Vasquez-Durant, a senior at Larkin who participated in the event, contacted me to offer his side of the story.

According to Joaquin, the conversations between the Atheist students and other students and school staff were mostly civil. One staff member, who Joaquin describes as a devout Christian, even brought up the argument from design.

Essentially, that’s the argument that human beings and other living creatures are extremely complex. That complexity — with each molecule and organ playing its part to produce even the simplest motions or thought processes — can only be explained by intelligent design, or so the argument goes.

But during seventh period lunch, Joaquin recalls, such subtle arguments became scarce. Some students, he says, started to get angry, accusing the Atheists of being anti-Christian and — gasp — immoral.

Joaquin referred them to Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Those are the Old Testament books that forbid homosexuality, relations with both a mother and her daughter, sacrifice to Molech, and so forth.

But for the most part, Joaquin says Christian students and staff at Larkin were supportive of him and his fellow Atheists.

“Throughout the entire day, close Christian friends came by and gave us high fives, hugs and bro fists,” Joaquin writes. “We would love to thank our school for not stepping down for us.”

And that’s all I have to say about that except — what’s a “bro fist?”

Ÿ Jameel Naqvi can be reached at (847) 608-2718 or jnaqvi@dailyherald.com.