At least this particular group seems to admit they are a religion...one without common sense, but still a religious belief.
Nanette Asimov
Chaplain John Figdor has a divinity degree from Harvard. He counsels those in need and visits the sick. And he works with Stanford students under the Office of Religious Life.
So Figdor is the last guy you'd tag with the "A" word.
But, yes. The chaplain is an atheist.
"People are shocked when I tell them," Figdor said. "But atheist, agnostic and humanist students suffer the same problems as religious students - deaths or illnesses in the family, questions about the meaning of life, etc. - and would like a sympathetic nontheist to talk to."
Figdor, 28, is one of a growing number of faith-free chaplains at universities, in the military and in the community who believe that nonbelievers can benefit from just about everything religion offers except God.
Hired in July by the Humanist Community at Stanford, a nonprofit group independent of the university, Figdor is one of 18 "professional leaders" at the Office of Religious Life who typically work with sectarian student groups that pay their salaries. A graduate theological degree is required for the job, and the leader is entitled to office space on campus, a parking spot and a Stanford e-mail address. The leaders guide students in whatever way is needed, whether offering advice or organizing events.
But Figdor's flock already extends beyond Stanford.
"A lot of people go back to religious organizations when they start having children," whether or not they believe in God, because religion offers community, Figdor said.
"What I really want to do is create a vibrant, humanist community here in Silicon Valley, where people can find babysitters for their kids and young people can meet each other."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Stanford-gets-a-chaplain-for-atheists-4139991.php#ixzz2Gb5KNKoo
Nanette Asimov
L-R, Jeremy Jimenez and Chaplain John Figdor listen to guest speaker and author Dave Fitzgerald give a talk titled, "The Heathen's Guide to the Holiday," at Stanford Univeristy on Monday, December 3, 2012. Figdor is the professional leader of the Humanist Community group at Stanford. The group of humanists, atheists, agnostics and their supporters met on Monday, November 3, 2012, at Stanford University.
Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle / SF
Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle / SF
Chaplain John Figdor has a divinity degree from Harvard. He counsels those in need and visits the sick. And he works with Stanford students under the Office of Religious Life.
So Figdor is the last guy you'd tag with the "A" word.
But, yes. The chaplain is an atheist.
"People are shocked when I tell them," Figdor said. "But atheist, agnostic and humanist students suffer the same problems as religious students - deaths or illnesses in the family, questions about the meaning of life, etc. - and would like a sympathetic nontheist to talk to."
Figdor, 28, is one of a growing number of faith-free chaplains at universities, in the military and in the community who believe that nonbelievers can benefit from just about everything religion offers except God.
Hired in July by the Humanist Community at Stanford, a nonprofit group independent of the university, Figdor is one of 18 "professional leaders" at the Office of Religious Life who typically work with sectarian student groups that pay their salaries. A graduate theological degree is required for the job, and the leader is entitled to office space on campus, a parking spot and a Stanford e-mail address. The leaders guide students in whatever way is needed, whether offering advice or organizing events.
But Figdor's flock already extends beyond Stanford.
"A lot of people go back to religious organizations when they start having children," whether or not they believe in God, because religion offers community, Figdor said.
"What I really want to do is create a vibrant, humanist community here in Silicon Valley, where people can find babysitters for their kids and young people can meet each other."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Stanford-gets-a-chaplain-for-atheists-4139991.php#ixzz2Gb5KNKoo
