In his article, Tom Krattenmaker proposes an argument over the role of religion on college campuses. In the past, college universities were places of science, technology, and innovation. Religion, however, did not play as major of an intellectual role. As he states in his article, Krattenmaker feels that universities centers of “liberal secularism, where religious faith goes to die.”
However, nowadays, students have become much more comfortable with their religion socially and privately. According to a UCLA study, sixty seven percent of college juniors tend to pray every night. Also, in the article, Mr. Krattenmaker describes how over fifty percent of students nowadays try to combine “spirituality” within their studies. At the same time, students are becoming increasingly more comfortable discussing their faith and religious views. As Dan Merchant said after his release of the movie Lord Save Us From Your Followers, he was surprised by their “openness to [a religious] conversation.”
Why is it that, amongst our generation, students are more comfortable discussing their faiths? I personally believe that there is much more acceptance of various religions nowadays as there had been in the past. Perhaps, this is due to the integration of different faiths onto college campuses. As more and more immigrant families come to the United States, and raise their children to go to universities, more and more faiths are introduced onto these campuses. For this reason, I feel that the average university has a greater number of faiths represented than in the past. Therefore, students encounter and are forced to be more comfortable religion, thus making them more open to discussing it. However, is a mere presence of different faiths enough to make students comfortable with their own?
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I can’t really speak for the religious aspects of the college environment in the past, but I certainly agree that spirituality is important in colleges today and that students are probably more comfortable engaging in faith-based discussions than they have been in the past. I agree with Vignesh that there is more tolerance nowadays and that the presence of more faiths does foster a higher comfort level in religious discussion, whether it is out of pride for one’s own faith, a curiosity about someone else’s, or for some other reason. However, I also think that it’s more than just the mere presence of more faiths. As Krattenmaker points out, the younger generation focuses on different issues than those of the older generation. Many of the issues championed by the older generation have been subject to ridicule and criticism, giving certain aspects of religion a bad reputation. As current college students focus less on those particular aspects, there is less of a stigma associated with belonging to the religion and people are more comfortable with it.
I agree with Vignesh that at least part of why this generation can be open about our religion is that everyone tries to be tolerant. A person who is religious won't be ridiculed, at least to their face, and they won't automatically be thought of as stupid simply because they believe in God. I have the feeling that, at least for my parents' generation, university campuses were very polarized places. You were either a religious nut or you were a rational human being, and the two groups would never associate. And that might still be the case, to some extent, but as college campuses have grown much more open, with many religions represented, people have become more comfortable with their own faith.
I do think that Katie makes a good point, though. The evangelical Christians on this campus do not seem to fit the stereotype of the Moral Majority or Religious Right. They aren’t as polarizing a group. However, I do think that evangelicals here believe most of the same things that the Religious Right does about gay marriage, abortion, and embryonic stem cell research. They just are much more nuanced about the way they express their opinions.
Although I think Vignesh is correct that religion has taken a more prominent presence on college campuses due to the influx of immigrants, I think he misperceives the prominence of religion on college campuses for a necessary acceptance of the different religions. There are many religions expressed on campus and students seem to respect people of other faiths but I don’t think there is a complete understanding or acceptance of other religions. A great example is the recent controversy at Duke between the Jewish community and Muslim community as a result of Israel’s invasion of Gaza. The leaders of each organization publically expressed their desire to communicate and understand each other’s view point but the followers (and some of the leaders) of each religion still fostered some resentment for the others. I believe that this is the result of many people telling our generation that intolerance and prejudice is bad but not really addressing why the different religious groups are resentful. So the fact that more students are expressing their religions doesn’t necessarily mean that others are really accepting them and trying to understand them.
I agree with Limor in that there is more expression and recognition of religious faiths, but the acceptance and understanding isn't quite there yet. The increase in people willing to express and discuss their faith however is a very good sign. There is the possibility of a scenario where people's pride in their faith could go so great that it'll cause tension between different religions, but I think the opposite will happen. I think that we're heading in the right direction in terms of religious acceptance and understanding. College is really the first time for kids to be alone, away from their family's influence, and the fact that students are discussing their faiths shows that it's a subject surrounded by much curiousity and willingness to understand. We may not be there yet, but I think we're on the right track.
I can see in many of my classes that students are pretty open to discussing religion. Whether they are talking about their religion or about others, students generally tend to be accepting of the fact that others do not believe the same things they do. This does not necessarily mean that there is complete understanding and acceptance of other's faiths, this just means that there is an increased amount of respect for those who are have different ideas. Also, I agree that the issues we are facing now are usually looked at by students with an open mind, which is where tolerance begins. Students today seem to understand that they do not have to agree with another religion's doctrine, they just need to be able to accept and learn about other religions. The idea that people need to be converted to a certain faith has waned in colleges. Students feel like they can speak up about what they believe in and others will be more curious than they are skeptical.
I feel that religion has become "socially acceptable" again in recent years. Whereas before, and I think this is what the article is referring to, religion was seen as a weakness and lack of rationality, today a religious faith is not seen as a bad thing. I think that on college campuses, and particularly at Duke, students are becoming more comfortable with their faith because of the strong support communities that exist, such as IV, the Newman Center,the Freeman Center,the Hindu Students Association, etc. And though I agree with Limor and Neal that understanding and acceptance of other faiths is not a complete reality for many students, I think that the many interfaith activities and discussions that happen regularly on campus are signs that we're moving in the right direction.
I agree with Vignesh in that religion is more prominent today than in the past due to the wide variety of backgrounds and, as a result, more diversity in terms of religion. I also agree, though, with Limor and Neal that simply more religions and a basic respect for different religions does not necessarily translate into a deeper understanding of them. As for Vignesh's last question, I don't think you can make a connection between a presence of more faiths and a particalar individual gaining an understanding of his or her's own religion.
My dorm actually had a fairly interesting discussion about religion last week. The whole thing just kind of sprung up spontaneously. As I was walking down the hall, I noticed some people sitting around and talking. They were still there when I came back through ten minutes later, so I decided to join in. We started with four people, but, two hours later, the group had grown to more than a dozen. The discussion concerned religion and ethics, and, though we got hung up on a few points for a while, everyone remained consistently respectful throughout. We had a few Christians of varying denominations, a few people of other faiths, and one speaker who rejected religion and it effects altogether; all the same, we remained civil.
I'm not sure how I'd explain the fact that religious involvement in colleges has apparently expanded over the past decade. I guess it's possible that religion has become less divisive, but I'm not sure that's the case. After all, we still heard plenty from "religious right-esque" forces last election. Whatever the cause, I'm glad to hear students are being more open about discussing religion; even if (as some of you have pointed out) this doesn't necessarily mean we're all tolerating and understanding each other, at least we're willing sit down and have a conversation.
I think that many interesting points have been made. I agree that students are much more open to discussing religion, as it conforms to my experiences, and I also can acknowledge groups of every belief existing, though they may be less vocal about their views on issues. But I think that an underlying level of tolerance is one of the most important factors to notice in this increased level of openness. Whether it is a result of the generation coming of age or preparing for a college education, I think it is vital to note the tolerance each student has for the other religions. This base level of tolerance allows such discussions, for while groups may still have hard-set views on an issue, they are also more willing to hear opposing viewpoints without intense argument.
However, my view may be skewed by the presence of the Divinity school on campus. I think that having the school in such a prominent location contributes to the level of discussion, as the school itself sponsors many forums for interfaith discussion. However, I am still curious about the religious dynamic at other universities. How do these schools, especially the secular ones, relate to others? Judging by the tone Krattenmaker takes in his article, I believe it is genuinely a generational shift in students views of religion and its role in college life.
I believe one main reason why religion is a much more discussed topic among our generation is because our generation has significantly more freedom of choice in faith. I feel like youths our age have much more understanding from our parents that we need to branch out to. This is probably due to our parents generation going through their own rebellion and being flower children and hippies and what not. This allows people our age to be much more knowledgeable of other religions and therefore open to discussion.
I wanted to respond to Limor and Neal’s comments. I did not mean to say that the mere presence of diverse religions would lead to a greater understanding of people’s faiths. However, I merely meant to imply that the greater the diversity, the more comfortable people have to be around different faiths in order to function properly society. Consequently, this increased comfort leads to students being more open to discussing their faith.
I agree with Vignesh's final comment on the variety of religious faiths opening up more discussion on college campuses. Being from the South, I am rarely exposed to any religion other than some form of Protestant Christianity. Living and conversing people of different faiths essentially has revolutionized the way I think about my own religious views. The idea of rampant secularism in the college culture does have some evidence, but I feel that that could be attributed to kids leaving the comfort of home, family, and their familiar place of worship. Just as they do before and after college, students are mostly interested in spirituality, if not actively invested in any particular faith. Religious discourse on college campuses is present—one simply must know how to pay attention.
The increasing tolerance to different religions on college campuses across the Nation is probably due to the increasing diversity found in the academic communities of these institutions. Many Universities not only have students representing from almost every state but also draw in students from the rest of the countries in the world, such as India, Singapore, Egypt, and et cetera. My point is that these students grow up in different cultures with all different values, such as different religious values. This would explain why the college campus nowadays is a melting pot for different cultures and religions. Just look at our community, there are religious support groups for almost every popular religion in the world who all practice their faith openly on campus. There are even interdenominational masses held for Christians on Saturday nights here. Thus, Duke serves as a prime example of how various religions peacefully cohabit on a college campus.
The argument Vignash brings is interesting as it questions why college students embrace religion. Even at Duke, we see large congregations and student organizations that are faith oriented. I feel that as students enter college and mature with new peers, they embrace their culture, race, and religion more than previously done in high school or back at home. A new setting with increased amounts of students of similar background is a great atmosphere to embrace what you believe in. But as Krattenmaker states, the older generations had more to worry about or at the very least different issues. Maybe this is an issue our generation can bring to the forefront of society if our generation feels so strongly for it.
I find Mike's comment about various religions existing on Duke's campus peacefully to be interesting. I'm not sure I agree with it. It's not that there is any outright conflict between religious groups. I am just not sure that the amount of visibility and awareness of each religious organization is equal...or even proportional to the number of students practicing that faith on campus.
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