Is College Bad for Religion?

In the Huffington Post article "Is College Bad for Religion?" Rev. Dr. Lucy A. Forster-Smith challenges Rick Santorum's claim that "62 percent of kids who go into college with a faith commitment leave without it." Forster-Smith, as a university chaplain, takes offense at this claim. She feels that the wider spectrum of religious views found in college life can enrich faith, and that dedicated university chaplains and religious leaders help student's faiths to mature. Religious college students are "so earnest, so convicted, so ready to step into a cultural crossfire between absolutes and steady their eye on cleaning up the mess," says Forster-Smith. Perhaps college education helps religious students see past the narrow, strict faith they might've been raised with. Education encourages students to think deeply and critically about what's important and meaningful, which can expand and deepen a student's faith.

In my personal life, I've observed a trend opposite of the one Rick Santorum describes. My roommate and friend has become more religious since coming to college. Back at home, her family wasn't particularly religious in the sense that they believed in the Christian faith but didn't attend church or study the Bible. Now that she's come to college, my friend has found  many opportunities to practice her faith. She attends Bible studies, meets with a religious counselor, and attend's a women's prayer group. In this way, the religious opportunities in college have allowed her to encourage her faith in new ways.

A friend who attends Baylor University experienced a different series of events but with the same result of enriched faith. This friend is a middle ground Christian: she's not super conservative but neither is she liberal. She searched for a church in Waco, TX where Baylor is located, but found them too conservative for her liking. My Baylor friend felt a little lost without a church; the church she attended in Colorado Springs (where we're both from) was like a second home to her. This church fit her like a glove and nourished her faith. But at Baylor, she had to work on her relationship with God on her own. Being religious without her church challenged my friend and forced her to learn how to be religious on her own. The wave of conservativism at Baylor also encouraged my friend to think about her own personal beliefs.

I think how college affects a person's faith depends on the student and how they approach religion. Those who come to college questioning their faith or those who were forced into church by their parents may find that college allows them the freedom to discard religion. But I think college challenges faith in a positive way for those who came to college truly believing in the joy of their religion.

Link to the Huffington Post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-forster-smith/is-college-bad-for-religi_b_1310788.html

A.J. Jacobs' Year of Living Biblically

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/a_j_jacobs_year_of_living_biblically.html

I couldn't figure out how to embed this video onto this page (those technologically more advanced than I should explain how to do this so I can stop looking dumb), but the link will lead you to a TED video called "A.J. Jacobs' Year of Living Biblically." Jacobs had a positive experience overall, but realized that many issues emerge when one interprets the Bible literally. Should we stone adulterers because the Bible tells us to? Should scientific knowledge be ignored because it conflicts with the Bible? The issues Jacobs encountered made him wonder if interpreting the Bible literally is truly productive. Jacobs suggests a new law, the "law of pick and choose" which suggests for individuals to decide which Biblical rules are important to follow and which are impractical. But when you pick and choose which laws to obey, are you still following God? On the other hand, is it necessary for literalists to stay confined by rules which were proposed many years ago for a very different world? Jacobs' dedication to the laws of the Bible sparks discussion of how to interpret the Bible.