There was a very interesting article in the Daily Texan (of all places!) about college students and religion. Apparently college students are more likely to be religious than less educated members of their own age group.
This comes as a surprise to many people, because it has long been assumed that college itself creates an hostile environment toward religion. Instead, it seems that the independence and lack of structure during the young adult years is more to blame for the decrease in religious participation among the post-high school crowd. The researchers speculate that the increased structure provided by a university setting contributes to the greater spiritual interest amongst students when compared with their non-student peers.
I tend to think that college students are more religious because college is a time in which people are open to new ideas, new friends, and new ways of looking at the world. Many of them grew up in marginally religious or non-religious homes, and for the first time they have the chance to embrace their faith apart from parental interference or pressure. Parachurch organizations and campus churches are able to capitalize on this openness.
This is good news for those of us ministering to college students. The fields are indeed white for the harvest...now we just need to pray for workers!
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In fact, according to the article I saw college graduates are more likely to remain religious than those who never attend college. That means if they will develop the habits of attending church, Bible Studies, reading and studying scripture on their own, and prayer while in University, they are more likely than their less educated peers to main those practices throughout their lifetimes. What a mandate to those of you who work daily with these young people and what wonderful possibilities!
Yes, it seems that the impact of the college years is very significant in shaping future patterns and beliefs. That's the primary thing that drew me to college ministry.
Perhaps this article undermines the myth that religion is a crutch for the uneducated, illiterate masses. Can it really be that religion and education go more hand-in-hand than we thought?
That thought occurred to me as well. It would be helpful to have more direct information about why college graduates are more religious, but it does seem at least that education/intelligence are not incompatible with religious belief.
By the way, here's a link to the article I read...
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/69970.html
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