Elon’s religious life...
Students participate in many spiritual and religious events
during the year
Rachel Hinson / Reporter
It’s an undeniable fact for most of us that college
has allowed us to grow academically, socially and
emotionally, but what about spiritually?
College students across the United States have experienced a
growing interest in religion and spirituality and students at
Elon are no exception.
About 78 percent of Elon freshman surveyed in 2004 believe
in God. Eighty-seven percent believe that all life is
interconnected.
“It’s easy to choose to sleep in or go out on a
Saturday night,” Jonathan Aleshire, a junior at Elon,
said.
Upon entering college, Aleshire slipped away from his faith.
The freedom of college was much different than living at
home. He, like everyone, had decisions to make.
“I’ve been forced to take it (my spirituality)
on my own,” Aleshire said. “Sunday morning
it’s up to me to go to church. I had to take
ownership.”
Paul Sanders agrees. When he entered college, he realized
that he was now dealing with his own relationship with God
rather than his family’s.
One way to nurture your spirituality at Elon is to get
involved with Religious Life on campus. Some students feel as
if the religious organizations on campus have been an
invaluable resource. After becoming involved in campus
ministry, Sanders was able to end the struggles of his
freshman year and enter into a sophomore year which was
spiritually fulfilling and brimming with fellowship.
“Seeing their love and passion for God has changed my
life,” Sanders said, reflecting on his friends in
campus ministry.
Other students have had similar experiences with on-campus
religious groups. Junior Lindsay Raymond, enjoys attending
InterVarsity meetings. “I get filled when I go there
and I’m encouraged when I go there through the speakers
and the music – especially the music,” Raymond
said.
She’s also impacted by the community that InterVarsity
provides.
“Fellowship is where it starts,” Raymond said.
“It depends so much on the people. You need fellowship
to be spiritually filled, to push you to the next
level.”
On the flip side, some students don’t feel the same
way about Elon’s religious groups.
“I kind of get the vibe that the Christian
organizations (on campus) are more conservative and I’m
definitely more of a liberal Christian,”Aleshire said.
“I don’t see a good outlet for my belief
system.”
The Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life has been
making great strides to cater to the spiritual needs of Elon
students. Richard McBride, Elon’s Chaplain has
explained Elon’s interfaith dialogue and worship as
“a space people can come to freely, at least the
spiritual seekers, without feeling like they’re going
to be boxed in.”
Many Elon students seem to be spiritual seekers, those
searching for religious and spiritual beliefs.
“What’s frustrating is that they (spiritual
seekers) stay away,” McBride said. “The
assumption is if you’re not sure, you shouldn’t
go to the priest or chaplain. They seem to think seeking is
not welcome.”
While the efforts of the Truitt Center have been noticeable,
seeing the campus-wide impact will take more time, according
to Aleshire.
“It’s going to be a slow culture shift,”
he said. “The differences in the Truitt Center have
been drastic since freshman year, but it’ll take a
while to catch on. Positive steps are being taken, but the
student population has been slow to respond.”
(Statistics taken from the 2004 CSBV survey administered by
the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA)
Contact Rachel Hinson at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247.
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