When one hears the word atheism their initial response may be one of disdain because of the negative connotation it seems to have developed over the years. To some, the word atheist has become a term that they don’t quite know how to wrap their heads around when they discover that a peer or friend is one.

It’s a term that in the eyes of many atheist students, is widely misunderstood. So what do people think an atheist is and what are the facts?

Senior Skylar Nelson said she has heard some people think atheists believe in some sort of antichrist or some power that is the complete opposite of god. However, she doesn’t believe that’s the case.

“[Atheists] don’t really believe in a god or a devil,” Nelson said. “Their belief is not believing.”

When searching for a black and white, straightforward definition of atheism, it’s the belief that there is no god. Of course, depending on where someone looks, definitions will be worded differently. But, one thing is for sure: whether it be that someone just doesn’t have a belief or strongly voices the opinion that it’s impossible for there to be such a thing as a higher power, atheists as a group don’t affirm the idea that there is a god.

“There’s such a stigma against [atheism],” senior Alexa Andre said. “I just wasn’t raised in a home with religion, but I think some people view atheism as immoral.”

Some students chose not to discuss their beliefs because they thought others would automatically jump to conclusions and judge them for not believing in god. Andre said she felt a similar hesitation.

“[Some people] assume atheists have no moral compass because they don’t follow a god,” Andre said. “[They] assume that atheists believe religion is stupid or pointless, but I think religion is very important because it gives meaning to people’s lives.”

Sophomore Chase Davidson said he is atheist and studies many different religions to be more informed about their belief systems.

“There are a lot of misconceptions like that people don’t understand theology when they’re atheist or they don’t like it or they’re being an atheist just to disrespect their parents or other belief systems,” Davidson said. “I believe the study of [religion] is just a fascinating thing and that everyone should try to learn more about different religions especially ones that focus on multiple gods or ones that differ greatly from their religion.”

Davidson said he thinks people should be open to learning about what other people believe and make an informed decision.

“[People should] choose their religion, not just do the ones that their parents and grandparents did,” Davidson said. “ [They should] actively think about it and pick which one they believe works best for them.”

Freshman Karli Kuntz said she is not an atheist, but people have wrongly assumed she was due to certain aspects of her personal life. She said that because her family might not necessarily fall under what many faiths preach, people suspected she didn’t have one.

“Just because my moms are gay doesn’t mean I’m an atheist or don’t believe in God,” Kuntz said. “It’s wrong to assume things about [someone else’s] religion and lifestyle just because of their beliefs or how they live their lives. It’s kind of sad to me that people believe I have no religion because I have gay moms or I don’t fit in any of the religions because of my lifestyle.”

A junior who wishes to remain anonymous said he wasn’t always an atheist but researched other theories and made the decision on his own.

“I grew up Mormon and never really could accept that there was a god who could create the universe or look down and see atrocities, such as genocides, and not do anything,” the source said. “From there I started thinking of what I actually believed and thought that Evolution and the Big Bang Theory were the most logical and had the most evidence to support them.”

On that note, a belief system which is often mistaken to be the same as atheism is agnosticism.

Junior Gabe Massey said he is agnostic and shared his views on how the two differ.

“I think the major misconception is that people lump atheists and agnostics into one group of people who think that a god doesn’t exist,” Massey said. “But that isn’t really true, from what I know, atheists completely denounce the belief of a god, but agnostics see the possibility, but don’t really have a faith.”

Massey’s definition is fairly close to the one found in an encyclopedia. According to the 2010 World Book, agnosticism is the belief that ultimate questions, especially those about the existence of god, cannot be answered. It also states that agnosticism reflects the point of view that reason and scientific evidence should be the “sole guides” to finding the truth.

“I believe that a higher power may or may not exist, and humans really have no way of absolutely knowing that there is one,” Massey said.

Davidson said even though he wouldn’t call himself agnostic, he would be open to the idea that a higher power could exist.

“There’s nothing to prove it or disprove it at this point so it’s up in the air,” Davidson said. “I lean more to the side that there is no god, but I’m not going to say that it’s impossible.”