flowering on campus

"Atheist student groups flower on college campuses," reports USA Today.

Or would you rather be a "None"? Some would. All apparently prefer to stand with Bertrand Russell, Ibn Warraq, and other free-thinkers in rejecting labels and identities that seek external support.

"The goal," said [one student], "should be to obtain inner peace for yourself and do random acts of kindness for strangers." [He] calls himself a "spiritual atheist." He doesn't believe in God or the supernatural but thinks experiences like meditation or brushes with nature can produce biochemical reactions that feel spiritual.

Great, but in "Atheism & Spirituality" we're going to go a step further and ask not just if non-believers can feel but if they can actually be whatever an atheist could mean by "spiritual." "Where there are rocks," says Alan Watts, "watch out. Watch out! They're eventually going to come alive." Stay tuned.