Discussing God makes some people uncomfortable, but a strong belief there is no God can be practically unnerving for others.

As part of his latest book tour, atheist icon Richard Dawkins will appear at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Carolina Coliseum in Columbia. The event is co-sponsored by the University of South Carolina Pastafarians and the Department of Biological Sciences.

USC junior anthropology major Ryan Jennings of Cope began his college career at Claflin University. He is a member of the Pastafarians, a campus organization for atheists, agnostics, skeptics and non-religious students.

Jennings describes himself as an "agnostic deist."

"I don't believe that a higher power doesn't exist," the 22-year-old said. "I'm just not convinced that it is the 'God' with an uppercase 'g.' I maintain a more deistic perspective on the existence of god mainly because there are many other ways to account for the things we cannot or could not explain."

Pastafarianism is a parody religion whose deity, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, is a graphic play on the Christian Ichthys, or fish symbol. Pastafarianism also satirizes the movement to require the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution.

Jennings says he had frequent questions about the validity of biblical text and the reasoning behind faith growing up. That process eventually led him to the Pastafarians.

"People around me always said the devil was to blame for my skepticism," Jennings said. "Those simple and naive questions in my childhood slowly developed more and more as I matured and eventually led me to look for answers ... outside of religion.

"A healthy amount of skepticism, I believe, is useful in learning about all things."

USC Pastafarians president and co-founder Andrew Cederdahl says Dawkins' Columbia appearance is also in honor of the yearly A.C. Moore Lectures in Evolutionary Biology and Society.

"The lectures are specifically designed to foster dialogue about the intersection of evolution and religious fundamentalism," Cederdahl said. "The biology department has a vested interest in the public understanding and acceptance of evolution, and we ... have a vested interest in a more hard-line stance against religious fundamentalism and the defense of atheism.

"It makes sense to collaborate for our different reasons because the interests of both groups can, and often do, intersect."

Jennings says he has received very little prejudice for his beliefs.

"I do believe that there is a vast amount of space for co-existence," Jennings said. "Religious beliefs or non-beliefs, to me, are a personal matter which shouldn't affect how you interact with other people. The main goal is to make sure that we do all that we can to ensure the longevity and tranquility of the human race."

The Pastafarians have expanded their outreach on campus and into the surrounding community with various events. Cederdahl says the organization has engaged students at Columbia International University, a Christian university, in moderated student debates on questions regarding miracles, intelligent design, morality and the historicity of Jesus.

"We are trying to expand community service within the organization (by) ... finding, planning and coordinating community service events which secular students can be a part of without religious motives," Cederdahl said. "We also hope this will challenge the negative stereotypes that atheists are selfish, immoral and do not care about the community."

Jennings says the main goal of the Pastafarians is to introduce critical thought and encourage diversity.

"We have a few different religious and secular practices and backgrounds that all come together and speak to their original perspective," Jennings said. "I'm a firm believer in the idea that you can learn something from everyone. The group is a chance for anyone ... to engage in dialogue with other people who may agree or disagree.

"Ultimately, you will eventually learn something about how others see the world or how you see your world."

T&D Staff Writer Phil Sarata can be reached by e-mail at psarata@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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