ARTFUL NEGOTIATION

WHERE DID THEIR FAITH GO?

 

     The topic of students in college and their dissent from the christian faith was presented this week in class.  I found this topic very interesting as I had different thoughts concerning the different angles that were shown.  It was mentioned in the presentation that many students lose their faith as a result of both the extra curricular activities in which the students partake and from being in the vastly different territory of new found and unsheltered autonomy.  I, however, think there is another side to consider- a side I personally experienced.  This side of the discussion ties in with my inquiry project as it can be described as one of the effects of the perpetuated false dilemma of faith vs facts (as prompted by the paradigm shift in science).  

     I once attended a seminar with a friend in which the main spokesperson was addressing the issue of the waning faith in college christian students.  The main issue that was identified was the lack of information that churches offered to their younger curious members.  It was often mentioned by various pastors at the seminar that they had an increasing number of young people with doubts and questions concerning God, their faith, the bible and other questions that were  philosophical in nature.  Most of them admitted that their response to them was to simply dismiss the questions and insist that they just accept what was taught as true from the Bible.  The problem that ensued from this attitude towards healthy skepticism was that this shutdown of inquiry and curiosity gravely contrasted with how the academic material in college is usually presented and taught.  This is to say that christians typically lose their faith in college because they are not intellectually equipped to reconcile the information they acquire in these academic settings with their religious beliefs.   

     In my own experience, while I was growing up,  I became very frustrated at not having my questions pertaining to my religion answered properly.  The same dismissal that those pastors described was done to me and my skepticism slowly developed into cynicism in light of new and seemingly conflicting information.  I distinctly remember my 8th grade science teacher covering the topic of evolution in class.  In our book, the chapter also listed “creation myths” of which among them was the genesis account from the bible.  This bold categorization of a “fact” and a “myth” left quite an impression in me from which I abandoned my faith and eventually became an atheist.  I remained an atheist for a while until a christian philosophy teacher in high school engaged me in a series of discussions over many topics from which my perspectives slowly began to change.  As he mentored me, he also taught me a great deal about logic, philosophy, religious studies, history of science, and theology.  It was at this point that someone finally was offering me a reasonable and intellectually tenable side of the christian religion, and as a result of the redeemed coherence for my previous beliefs, I have regained my faith.  Therefore, I truly think this issue stems from the church and their neglect to teach as much as they preach.