Consider the case of “Secular Student Alliance v. U.S. Department of Education”, in which an atheist group called Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed suit to challenge a Trump-era rule that guaranteed first amendment protections to religious student groups on college campuses. Why would atheists want to use government to coerce religious people against their will?

Are there such things as human rights in atheism? Of course not. The universe is an accident. Human beings are just accidental arrangements of atoms that evolved by chance. Their behaviors are determined by chemicals in their brains. And there is no reward or punishment waiting for us when we die. So, of course atheists look at American documents like the Constitution as a pack of nonsense. And of course they have no rational foundation for basic human rights, such as freedom of speech.

Well, lucky for these religious student groups, Alliance Defending Freedom – a Christian legal firm – decided to step in and oppose the fascist atheists. And they won! The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the Trump-era regulation defending freedom of speech is valid.

Here is what the ADF said about their win:

Universities are meant to be a marketplace of ideas where students can learn to respect diverse opinions and beliefs and not have to fear punishment or harassment because of their own values. The Department of Education under President Trump rightfully updated its regulations to ensure that institutions of higher education have policies that align with the First Amendment. Christian student group Ratio Christi has at least twice gone to court over discriminatory policies targeted at their beliefs, and the Department of Education updated its regulations to prevent these types of violations. We’re pleased the court upheld First Amendment freedoms for college students everywhere.

I learned about this story from the Sound Faith Consulting blog, and the leader of Sound Faith actually did an interview about these issues with the head of Ratio Christi, Corey Miller:

I still have a passion for what goes on at university campuses, and listening to that video reminded me of how much Christianity is attacked on campuses. It’s definitely something to pray about, and something to think about for people who enroll in universities hoping to get an education.

You know what I always say: whether trades or degrees, make sure that you are learning something that lets you solve problems for customers in the private sector. Don’t go for a non-STEM degree that just leaves you with student loans and no job and no money. If you are going to go non-STEM, at least be aware of the risks. The rewards can be great (you could work for the ADF as a lawyer) but the risks are much higher. So count the cost.