The Interfaith Center at the University of North Florida hosted a coffee and conversation seminar on Tuesday to discuss religious and non-religious perspectives as they pertains to holiday celebrations.

Coffee and conversation is one of the Interfaith Centers most important seminars and it is held twice monthly. Matt Hartley, Associate Director for Interfaith in the Department of Diversity Initiatives, served as the moderator for this event.

“We have had people recommend topics involving non-religious identities in the past. We choose events like that because we know we have students who are non-religious and who want to have their perspective represented,” Hartley said.

“Non-religious at the holidays” was the topic offered at this roundtable discussion where participants were able to share personal experiences that led them to question traditional religion and the role it plays in their lives.

The ultimate goal of the participants is to live fuller and more fruitful lives without pressure from the religious community, and to also be accepted without bias for identifying as atheist, agnostic or non-affiliated.

“Here in the south, it seems like everybody has an affiliation. It’s just more of supporting something that allows non-religious people to have a voice here,” Shells Libby, a senior philosophy major said.

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