A newly-recognized club on campus is designed to help college students learn why they believe what they believe.

Ratio Christi, or “the reason of Christ” in Latin, is a national group that started in 2008 at Appalachian State University. A couple of years ago, Ratio Christi was established at SDSU to equip students to defend their faith.

Dennis Helder, associate dean of research and academic advisor of the group, said it is open to all students, but especially those who want to know more about the rationality of the Christian worldview.

“A key opportunity is to be able to understand the major arguments for and against all of the major worldviews from atheism to Zoroastrianism and to be able to assess their strengths and weaknesses, especially with respect to Christianity, and to dialog with students about these major worldviews,” Helder said.

Ratio Christi encourages anyone to come to the meetings, no matter what their viewpoints. The goal is to examine what it means to be a Christian and create an open dialog between those who attend meetings.

Helder said more than 25 people have attended meetings this semester, including club secretary Amanda Dickinson.

“By facilitating discussion, [Ratio Christi] allows students to explore different perspectives and is designed to combat the apathy that has taken over our current generation’s worldview,” Dickinson said. 

She said students should join the club because every person should be able to define and defend his or her beliefs. 

“Students cannot simply accept the faith of their parents and expect to live out that faith and be able to pass that faith on to their children,” Dickinson said. “If they desire to combat the spiritual apathy that has taken over our generation, students should come to Ratio Christi.”

By attending meetings, students could learn what other beliefs exist on campus and why other students believe what they believe, said club member Josh Beukelman. They can also reason with others in the defense of their faith.

“The purpose of Ratio Christi is to deeply investigate the topic of religion and truth,” Beukelman said. “Anyone who wants to find truth in their lives should come to Ratio Christi.”

The club plans to host a Veritas Forum this spring, which is an event that engages students and faculty members in discussions about life’s hardest questions and the relevance of Jesus Christ in the modern world, according to the Veritas Forum website.

Helder said students should get involved in Ratio Christi because a university is a place to learn about all aspects of the world, but often only certain aspects are taught or presented, sometimes with a noticeable bias.

“Ratio Christi gives students an opportunity to see that the Christian worldview is not only viable, but also the most rational when all the evidence is considered,” Helder said.

Ratio Christi meets every Monday at 5 p.m. in the Daktronics Engineering Hall, Room 209.