“My name is Eric Fromm. I am Senior at NCU majoring in communications, and I am an atheist.”

That’s the start of a surprising column co-written by Eric Fromm, student body president in the Northwest Christian University’s student publication, the Beacon Bolt, that sparked an unusual online discussion about students and their beliefs at the school in Eugene, Ore.

Northwest Christian University is, according to its Web site, a school “that fosters wisdom, faith and service through excellent academic programs within a Christ-centered community. It has 623 enrolled students, 62 percent of them female.

Fromm, who won an election to become president of the study body, told the Register-Guard that he decided to make his atheism public because of rumors on campus of his beliefs, and he wanted to clear the air. His post says in part:

For those of you who didn't already know about my nonbelief, this news may be a bit shocking, but I was an atheist long before I came to NCU. I was baptized Lutheran, and raised Methodist, but as time went on I slowly came to the conclusion that God wasn't real. For me, church was an empty ritual that I participated in so I could see friends, scripture was largely mythological, and Jesus was a great moral teacher, but he wasn't God.

Now you may ask, "Well, if you're not a Christian, why did you come to NCU?" Truth be told, I came to NCU not because of its religious affiliations, but because it had a solid communications program. I knew that the school catered to Christian thinking, so before I enrolled, I visited the campus to make sure that the chapel services were comfortable enough that I could fulfill the requirement. No one was speaking in tongues or handling snakes, so I decided to stay.

The co-author of the piece, called “Eric Fromm: Lifting the Curtain,” is Brandon McGinnis, the student editor of the Beacon Bolt who is a former roommate of Fromm and who describes himself on the blog as “a Christian, a rookie theologian, an aspiring writer, a storyteller, an Episcopalian, and a believer in exile.”

The Register-Guard quoted Fromm as saying:

I don't have to hide anymore. I know that people accept me for who I am.

Inside Higher Ed quoted Michael Fuller, the university's vice president for enrollment and student development, as calling Fromm “a man of very high character and respect” and “a great advocate for our student body, which is exactly what he's supposed to be and do.”

We're an open and welcome community, and we meet students exactly where they're at.

The school’s Web site, however, notes here that most faculty and staff are Christians and are asked about their religious faith when hired. It says:

All full time faculty members are expected to demonstrate “a maturing Christian faith.” The overwhelming majority of part time faculty and NCU staff are Christians as well. Whenever we conduct a job search to fill a position, we ask candidates to submit a ‘statement of faith’ in which they describe their own Christian experience and how they relate that experience to their work.

Fromm’s post started an online discussion in the comments section in which he was praised for coming out as an atheist and attacked for it. Other comments came from university students and former students declared that they, too, were atheists. One commenter wrote:

I was wondering who the other ones were.

Never felt comfortable talking asking but I knew I couldn't be the only one.
http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/11/07/christian-colleges-student-leader-comes-out-as-atheist/

Fromm's article below
My name is Eric Fromm. I am Senior at NCU
majoring in communications, and I am an atheist.
Yes, you read that correctly, I am an atheist. For
those of you who didn’t already know about my
nonbelief, this news may be a bit shocking, but I was
an atheist long before I came to NCU. I was baptized
Lutheran, and raised Methodist, but as time went on
I slowly came to the conclusion that God wasn’t real.
For me, church was an empty ritual that I
participated in so I could see friends, scripture was
largely mythological, and Jesus was a great moral
teacher, but he wasn’t God.
Now you may ask, “Well, if you’re not a Christian,
why did you come to NCU?” Truth be told, I came to
NCU not because of its religious affiliations, but
because it had a solid communications program. I
knew that the school catered to Christian thinking,
so before I enrolled, I visited the campus to make
sure that the chapel services were comfortable
enough that I could fulfill the requirement. No one
was speaking in tongues or handling snakes, so I
decided to stay.
I was very excited to begin my freshman year. I was
starting a new life in a new city, I was growing up,
and I was making friends. Because of my fiends,
NCU became a place that I could actually call home.
I was comfortable. I was accepted. But I wasn’t at
peace. I struggled with religion constantly
throughout my freshman year. I would attend
chapel, see all the energy and community, and want
to be a part of it, but I knew I couldn’t because I
couldn’t force myself to believe in God.
I didn’t actually tell anyone I was an Atheist until my
sophomore year. While my close friends accepted my
atheism, others were not so kind. When people found
out that I was an atheist, they started treating me
differently. Sometimes they would verbally attack
me, sometimes they would give me the cold
shoulder, and sometimes they just gave me dirty
looks. I find it ironic that some NCU students will
talk about how they were ridiculed in high school
because for their faith, but now, when the roles are
reversed, they are doing the very things that hurt
them. Matthew 7:5, right?
Every day I’m burdened by the fact that my peers
might reject me because I’m different from them. I
won’t be rejected because of my race or social class,
but simply because of the fact that I don’t believe in
God – because I am an atheist. I’m writing this
primarily because I don’t want to keep my atheism a
secret any longer, but I’m also writing this because I
want to take my peers to task on their inability to
accept those who don’t fit their Christian pattern.
Growing up in church I heard a lot of lessons about
how Christians shouldn’t judge others, but it seems
like some people slept through that lesson.
If you would like to ask me any questions or have
anything you would like to say about this matter,
please communicate with me directly as efromm@
nwcu.edu
Co-written by Eric Fromm and Brandon McGinnis
beaconbolt.com/2013/10/30/798/

Good for him• Everyone is entitled to their beliefs

Good for the guy....funny though, how some xtians are now treating him

Good for him if its in nigeria,d guy wont be able to return to d institution cos of d hate and wickdness dat he will experience from his counter part wont be describable.

I remember calling atheist cowards. This dude dissociates himself from atheistic cowardice. Good move.patiently waits for dmanfrommars, logicchild, foxylace, mr trull and playton to follow .