Advertisement
Jewcy Book Club
Welcome Authors
Martin Samuel Cohen
& Frances Dinkelspiel
who are posting all week.
Coming up:
- 12/01: Benyamin Cohen
- 12/01: Matthew Rothschild
- 12/08: Seth Greenland
Blogroll
FAITHHACKER
80% of College Kids Believe in God? |
|
 by Laurel Snyder, May 3, 2007 |
|
Benny Hinn: Is not a religious studies expertI just read this story at the New York Times, about the growing popularity of faith and spirituality on campus... and while that there may be a religion trend right now, and while I'm all for faith and spirituality...
when I read this bit:
A survey on the spiritual lives of college students, the first of its kind, showed in 2004 that more than two-thirds of 112,000 freshmen surveyed said they prayed, and that almost 80 percent believed in God. Nearly half of the freshmen said they were seeking opportunities to grow spiritually, according to the survey by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles.
I couldn't help thinking, "Whoa! I think that's a load of crap..."
I don't mean that kids don't believe in God, I just do NOT believe that 80% of college kids believe in God. Not really. Though maybe they think it's kind of neat to be thinking about God, or thinking they might someday want to pray to God.
Think about this... if 80% believe in God, and only 66% pray, why don't the other 14% pray? Do they HATE God, or do they all belong to some religion I've never heard of where God doesn't want you to pray?
My gut tells me they answer "yes" to the question because they aren't atheists. Because they God is a neat idea. Because they wernt to Sunday School when they were 5. And because, as we all know, there's a trned... and kids are trendy. Of course, my reaction is not academic... or based in ANYTHING, really. It's just my reaction, but I'm not sure I'm wrong.
See, the story goes on to explore the "WHY?" of such numbers. It mentions a rise in religious studies enrollment, a rise in evangelical attendance at secular schools, and a rise in Christian student groups on campus.
And that's all true. But are these very differen types of numbers actually realted to one another directly? There's more beneath the surface, and what I really want to know is what we're pointing to when we acknowledge this trend. What are we saying? It seems pretty general to look at all of this as, "Campus is just more religious."
For instance... What do we think is the nature of claiming an evangelical religious belief system... or an academic religious interest? I'm not sure these two things are related.
In the world today, surrounded by religious evangelical extremism and violence related to that kind of faith, it makes complete sense that secular-ish students are trying to understand religion. But I don't see what those "religious studies" numbers necessarily have to do with the simultaneous rise in the number of kids attending Campus Crusade for Christ meetings. Faith is a trend right now. But the kids studying faith in the world, and the kids devoting themselves to worship... do they have to be the same kids? Do we have to merge these populations in the study of faith? Do they describe one trend, or several different reactions to a set of events?
I'm not sure I'm making myself clear, and I'm not sure I can divorce my strong reaction from my own personal experiences as a college kid. But somewhere in my gut, I have to say I think 80% seems awfully high.
Depending on how we're defining "God" of course. And "pray". And "believe".
Do you "believe" in God? Do you pray?
I don't, not really, though I'm reaching toward such things.
But I don't think, as someone "interested in faith and prayer", that I would answer a survey in the affirmative if I were asked such questions...
Though I'm not 18 and living in a climate, a trend, a "rising tide" of faith.
 |
I scribble a lot. I talk too much. I apologize with wild abandon. More... |
The Esquire writer talks about his year of living Biblically
Why Jews love hip-hop (and try so hard to befriend black peopl...
Holocaust fiction taught me that Birkenau was only a time-warp...- How to avoid ferociously bad relationships
Discussing God's word--and food--with Breadhead Garry Torres
| Dev Blog | Privacy | FAQ | Contact | |  | | Comment Policy | About Us | Submissions |
| Hosting provided by Tilted Planet | ||
Anonymous
I wonder what the specific questions were. I'm surprised only 66% say they prayed. I remember often praying not to flunk an exam I didn't study for, even though I didn't really "believe" in G-d at the time.
myshkin2
I don't know how much relevance this has, but I teach several sections of World Religions at a community college--and with the exception of a tiny handful of Muslims in class (and one ever Orthodox Jew who was afraid to wear his yarmulke to campus) I would guess that at least 9 out of 10 of my students are either evangeilicals, pentecostals, Catholics, or other various non-denominationals. I know this because they have to write something of their own spiritual autobiography for the class. And, at the end of class, I would bet that 9 out of the 10 active and professed Christians in the class still think that Allah is a false God and that the Jews killed Christ and that Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism are even worth studying because they're not really religions. And yet, obviously, they are all (well not all) eager to plagiarize their essays, virulently homophobic, anti-feminist, binge-drinkers and eerily angry (the males at least.)
Uriah
I'm curious why it was only the freshmen. Were they afraid the seniors were going to ruin the statistical data? It could be something along the lines of 66% believe in G-d, while the other 14% simply believe in a higher power. That's why statistics are evil.
But not everyone who believes in G-d takes on the role of truly doing what they've been told to do. My mother is a "G-d fearing, Lutheran raised, Church of Christ member" who doesn't pray at all anymore. I haven't seen the woman pray since I was 13 and felt the need to be baptised. That didn't last long, but still, eleven years is a very long time.
My dad might, if he's feeling somewhat froggy, give a blessing over a holiday meal.
Some people believe in G-d, but have just become so jaded by the world around them, those people who feel the need to shove in their faces how much better they are, that they simply don't want any part of it.
Casey
I feel that often belief in God is a very passive thing. Kids grow up believing in God and maybe don't think about who God is and what He wants for them. I think it takes a certain amount of action/thought on one's part to truly discover Him and build a relationship. I know for me it took a lot of belief-questioning and even some college atheism until I discovered my own faith. From my own experience, I also know that I didn't really start to pray until after I made those discoveries on my own. So of course college students will say, "Yes, I believe in God! Everyone does, and I always have, but why would I need to pray when I'm not at church with Mom and Dad?" At least that is how it seems to me.
Also, in regards to the connection between an academic interest in religion and true faith: My freshman year of college I intended to major in religious studies, and my advisor told me not to and told me, "Most religious studies majors are just trying to figure out their own beliefs, and the Religious Studies department is not the place for that. Figure out your beliefs on your own, don't use your academic career to find faith." I was angry at the time, but took his advice. And I know that in my case, at least, he was correct. So there is a nice little anecdote from my life which will add nothing to this discussion but may at least entertain some people...
Laurel Snyder
This is wonderful. And in a lot of ways its what I'm mulling over...
I was the opposite, a religious studies major who got really frustrated by personal faith searching in class. In the end, I wasn't really an academic either, but at my small town TN college, the NT class was pretty far from intellectual.
I think your story about prayer is really moving, and real.
xoL http://jewishyirishy.com