Is Religion Making a Rebound On College Campuses?
Steven Goldstein ("Policy Mic," July 25, 2013)
College students tend to pray for a lot of things: a passable grade on
tomorrow's poli sci midterm, a game-winning touchdown against that dreaded
conference rival, some edible food to stomach in the dining hall. Prayer books,
however, are often seldom seen on campus.
The independence and autonomy of college life can bring the waning of
religious affiliation. New social scenery and crammed daily routines leave many
without any time or inclination for faith, while others use college to
rebel against their religious upbringing. Data from the Social Science
Research
Council pinpoints 22 as the age of lowest average religion activity, and
sociologists Mark D. Regnerus and Jeremy E. Uecker note that nearly 70% of
those who attended church at least once a month in high school saw their
attendance decline in subsequent years. Sixty-four percent of those currently
enrolled in four-year institutions have curbed religious practice, they
say.
"People who attend college leave home," adds Atlantic writer Conor
Friedersdorf. "That is to say, they leave their church, the community
incentives
to attend it, and the watchful eye of parents who get angry or make them feel
guilty when they don't go to services or stray in their faith."
It's a feasible concept. One of the most powerful aspects of organized
religion is community, Friedersdorf says. When a fresh-faced freshman leaves
his church, synagogue, or mosque and joins a dorm hall, a lecture, or a Greek
organization, that desire for community is filled.
But not everyone throws away religion while throwing a cap and tassel.
Though 64% of students do lessen their religious activity, the remaining 36%
don't just maintain their faith. Some connect to it even more.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has 15 evangelical clubs and
groups. Christian Kairos retreats are offered at universities across the
country, there are 715 American schools with Hillel, a foundation of Jewish
practice and culture, and religious studies majors have increased by 22% over
the past decade to a healthy 47,000 students.
It underscores an important movement in campus religion. While many major
universities required some sort of formalized religious activity from
students, the last of those policies were abolished over half a century ago.
Today, religion is enforced on campus through social groups and clubs. For
those seeking that communal aspect of organized religion, clubs with looser
structures and similarly-aged members are more appealing than just attending a
local temple.
Embracing religion can enrich the college experience itself, says Daily
Beast writer Douglas Jacobsen. Classes at Princeton encourage students to
bring their religious perspectives and involvement to lectures to encourage
diverse discourse. And while religion at home may have functioned as
tradition, religion at school can double as a tool to make friends and find
common
interest with other students. Despite popular belief, it seems that
augmenting religion could be a boost to social life, not a hindrance.
"Religion was typically imposed on students from the top down. Now,
students themselves are driving a re-engagement with religion." Jacobsen says.
"Religion, for them, is not necessarily the old-fashioned 'organized' religion
handed down to them by their elders, but rather a personal exploration of
meaning, purpose, values, and global diversity."
While I personally have seen my religious activity decline since I began
college in 2011, I can attest to the desire to make faith your own, rather
than a rigid tradition that's inherited. Today's social media era and
generally tolerant college culture makes it easy to explore religion and still
have a prospering social life. It requires effort, there's no doubt about
that, and sometimes effort can be hard when you're buried with papers and
social plans. But it's also important to remember that a wane in religious
activity doesn't necessarily mean a wane in religious zeal or religious
devotion.
As Jacobsen's headline alludes to, religion is making an individualized but
powerful return to college campuses. It's interesting to note that,
according to Jacobsen's research, "elite" universities were less open to
reengaging with religion than non-elites.
What's best about this movement is that it's not imposing. I've been
accosted by religious clubs handing out filers, but a few steps later I'll be
stopped by another group that's entirely secular. It means that religion is
fitting into the college mold, and that ultimately makes religion more
digestible as a college student. Without external pressure, religion at school
can become as much of a learning experience as lectures themselves.
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