The Bible and Playboy are not typically equated, but the Atheist Agenda at the University of Texas at San Antonio hoped to convince the student body of their parallels as it exchanged students’ religious texts for pieces of pornography during its “Smut for Smut” campaign.

“Forty-two religious texts were exchanged,” said Carlos Morales, president of the UTSA Atheist Agenda. “We ran out of pornography.”

Ideological divisions among the student body at UTSA were revealed as Atheist Agenda traded copies of print and video pornography for holy texts during a three-day period in early March. Atheist Agenda said religious texts were worse than pornography, while pro-Christian students contended the event should not have happened.

 As Atheist Agenda members handed out the pornography in exchange for religious texts March 1 on the steps of UTSA’s library, Christian protesters began gathering around them in the early afternoon, according to a March 2 article in UTSA’s student newspaper, The Paisano. UTSA police arrived on the scene later that afternoon to separate the two groups, and agnostics bridged the gap between the two, pleading for peace, according to The Paisano.

Morales said the religious literature was much more harmful than pornography, describing it as anti-woman, pro-violence, pro-genocide, sexist and racist.

 The pornography was kept sealed in manila envelopes and was purchased by members of the Atheist Agenda. The group screened identifications to ensure those procuring the pornography were at least 18 years of age.

 The Atheist Agenda will read the scripture it received as pieces of literature and donated the excess books to halfpricebooks.com, Morales said. No religious scripture was defaced or destroyed.

Thomas Jackson, founder and former president of the Atheist Agenda described the group as an anti-theist social organization dedicated to the philosophy of free thought and the promotion of aggressive activism against theology and theological institutions.

Morales claimed that the event was intended to shock and awe students in order to get religious people to come to the event and spread ideas. This mode of aggressive activism has been a contentious issue for members of a pro-Christian group, who created a Facebook page titled “Dear Atheist Agenda, JESUS LOVES YOU!!!!!!!!” to oppose the Atheist Agenda.

“As Christians we must remember it is not ours to judge, but to instead love everyone,” said Peyton Vickers, the site’s administrator, on the Facebook page.

Spenser Eggleston, a student in the Facebook group, was angered by the events and said he disagreed with the university’s decision to allow the event because he felt it insulted his religion.

“I was angry, yet I was humble because anger would only make them feel victorious,” Eggleston said in an e-mail. “I do not support UTSA’s decision because even though I believe in free speech, the Atheists did this to purposely anger the religious community.”

Stephen Duke, a member of the Atheist Agenda, described threats toward himself and other members of the group via the Internet, mail, word of mouth and face-to-face interaction.

“One of our members told me someone wanted our group president to be shot,” Duke said in an e-mail. “Some guy on Facebook threatened to bring a rifle to school but ‘was only kidding.’ Overall, though, I think the campus took it in stride and everybody acted appropriately.”

Despite the derisive subject matter, the event was sanctioned by UTSA as a matter of free speech, said Marianne Lewis, UTSA’s director of public affairs. The Atheist Agenda went through the same protocol required by any student organization, she said.

“It created a lot of dialogue and in that regard, I think that’s what the university is a forum about: dialogue and different viewpoints,” she said. “There was no violence, but there was a lot of healthy, passionate exchange of information.”

“Beyond the Hill” is a feature in The Daily Orange which highlights national collegiate news that is of interest to Syracuse University students.

Published on March 22, 2010 at 12:00 pm