Most Vassar students would never claim to be anti-religious. In addition, they are aware that religions are not defined by their most radical proponents. But, more often than not, they still adhere to closed-minded Enlightenment ideas of secularism and rationality. A patronizing tone can be found in the voice of the atheist, or even the agnostic, when “talking God” in a Vassar class. Religious ideologies are characterized as logically unsound or meaningless, and discarded in class discussions by students who abstain from embracing their intrinsic worth.
Christians are often forced to rise above the harshest critiques of religion. Outside of religion classes (and classes in similar departments), Christian ideology is framed as a justification for atrocities and bigotry. Additionally, the rise of Christian nationalism in the United States has wrongfully politicized Christianity and inextricably linked personal faith to oppressive legislation. It would be wrong to ignore these problematic and frankly appalling applications of Christianity, but that should not provide an automatic rejection of all Christian philosophy, or the philosophy of any religion that has similarly been used as a justification for mass violence. The same can be said for Islam, especially in regard to American responses to Islamic terrorism. In both cases, these religions become saturated by a minority of extremist politics rather than their overarching core ideologies.
Marx famously called religion the opium of the masses, but in rejecting the transcendent, secular liberals have doomed themselves to an existential and hopeless outlook on an increasingly downward-spiraling world. In addition, it feels anti-intellectual to deny the existence of God without embracing the possibility of circumstances beyond our collective understanding. There are countless lessons to be learned from religious outlooks. Secular liberals who regard themselves as above religion close their minds to thousands of years of philosophical, scientific and metaphysical investigations, and exclude the perspectives of deep thinkers and complex systems of belief. You do not have to believe in God, but you do have to respect people who do.
The liberal arts education was designed to value open-mindedness and a willingness to engage in new perspectives. It is therefore a disappointment when peers turn their backs to religious ideologies and view them as less legitimate than secular ones. Religion has been sidelined and compartmentalized in American society, and this ostracism can perhaps be felt in ivory tower institutions more than anywhere else. “I’m not religious, but I am spiritual” is a phrase that echoes throughout this campus, but why? It is a shame that people guard themselves from investigating institutionalized systems of belief when they openly embrace transcendent thinking.
We can face these larger issues on a community level, whether within a classroom or around campus. For example, during a certain time in the spring, Ramadan, Passover and Buddhist Sangha meditation all share overlapping times in Pratt House, the religious center on campus. The joy that is shared in that little house during those days is unmatched: food is abundant, chatter carries upstairs, and the different religious groups share a common space that is unique and warm. It is a special moment of acceptance and community that is rarely understood outside of Pratt’s walls. Exploration and reflection within the bounds of religious experience invite a powerful feeling of solidarity with others who are experiencing the same existential questions that we inevitably face, especially as college students. All of this is quietly waiting for those who have the courage to engage with it.