If I have noticed anything on this campus on a regular basis it is the preponderance of different Christian groups. I see them praying in great circles, and sometimes they sing very pleasant songs. The Christians flood the streets with their fliers in an attempt to recruit more adherents for their student groups.

When one handed me a flier, I politely declined. But I started to think. Rather than inform them that I was in utter disagreement, I silenced my view. I did not want to excite them. But if someone puts their belief on the street, I see no reason why I should hide my own view.

I believe my hesitance is an example of how American society unfairly censors non-Christians. We are afraid to disturb the false image of cultural uniformity, fearing a disturbance in our illusion of cultural agreement. But there are more than just Christians on campus. Let’s let people know that we exist.

I often feel underrepresented and that others find my views discomforting, but there are 58 times more atheists in the world then Mormons and twice as many atheists as Buddhists with up to 700 million atheists, agnostics and nonbelievers in the world, according to research compiled by Phil Zuckerman in "The Cambridge Companion to Atheism."

“Nonbelievers in God as a group come in fourth place after Christianity (2 billion), Islam (1.2 billion), and Hinduism (900 million) in terms of global ranking of commonly held belief systems,” Zuckerman wrote.

But you would never know, because too often we are afraid to speak. Too often we forget that to be silent is unjust. Too often we let the majority ride roughshod over us.

We are too polite – cowed into muzzling ourselves before we step outside each morning. When we get to the work world, our voices will be even more muted. We will become analytic tools suppressing our personality for efficiency and productivity. But we are in college – the place of civil discourse and debate. We should revel in disagreement. This is our time to speak our minds.

I regret that I let such an opportunity pass, when I failed to discuss my belief system with the leaf letter Christian on the street.

I do not care if you are an atheist or a flagellating Franciscan Monk. Have a voice. Speak now, speak loudly and speak often. Without a voice, you are a silent whisper lost in dark corners. If you do not speak, someone will speak for you. Life is in the open light with vocal cords flaring.

I want to hear a cacophony of diverse voices. All is not uniform. Do not let allow the majority a monopoly on truth.

The next time someone hands you literature that you are polemically opposed to, let them know. But keep it civil; after all, next week it might very well be me, passing out literature and looking for adherents.