Religion In Higher Education

The question of whether or not religion should be taught in public schools has been an ongoing debate among parents and teachers for decades. In the article “Religion and Education: The Pitfalls of Engaging a Complex Issue” Martin E. Marty and Jonathan Moore express their views on the matter. They express that religion in public schools could potentially bring conflict to families. They also support the other scenario that religion classes would inform students of the different beliefs of the people they will meet throughout their lives. Religion in the public school system is still an ongoing debate, one that needs to be resolved. The children that will be affected by the outcome of this debate are the future leaders of America, therefore, we should not take this decision lightly. Children everywhere and in all schools need to be taught about different religions so they can make a firm stand for what they believe in.

Between family legacies, traditions, and an abundance of college themed movies, books, and television shows, it would be difficult to find a prospective college student who is not familiar with the idea of “Greek life.” For the purpose of this essay, “Greek life” refers to the system employed by many colleges and universities to establish and maintain fraternities and sororities (primarily dominated by caucasian and economically advantages students). It is important to note the existence of fraternities and organizations outside of this stereotypical “Greek” realm, such as coeducational honor and service based fraternities, though even these are not fully exempt from detrimental practices. Fraternities and sororities are often looked down upon with a negative light for a number of reasons, some of which include dangerous hazing habits and unsavory social scenes. While there certainly are undeniable benefits and negatives within these systems, the biggest effect they have is on gender. “Greek life” in college is unhealthy due to its impact on post-college gender expectations by promoting party culture, encouraging misogyny through ingrained tradition, and indoctrinating women into subservience at an impressionable age.

Being admitted into college is a difficult process, one that requires students to be diligent in their studies, engage in a number of extracurricular activities, and overcome the everyday pressures and challenges that high-schoolers face across the country. Admittedly, not everyone in the United States is born with the same opportunities as socioeconomic factors as well as historic injustices have contributed to a society in which some people are far more likely to achieve upward mobility – of which, obtaining a college degree is a necessary part – than others. While there is need to rectify this reality,

America is a nation built on the foundation of freedom and equality. Today, America is one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world, but also one of the most religiously dived. Eboo Patel, author of the novel Sacred Ground, is an activist for the integration of pluralism into American culture. Throughout the novel he expresses his ideas for more interfaith programs to broaden the knowledge of the younger generation with the hope of eliminating bigotry amongst various religions. Patel’s crucial message is that many people often misjudge or jump to conclusions, in this case about religions, which they don’t know much about. College is a place to break these barriers because it is a time for self-exploration and new ideas to be formed.

Since Early College High School was founded in the year 2006, the school and its students have always been at disadvantage. The school has lacked several opportunities such sports, scholarship opportunities, etc. However, a topic that has been the spotlight of discussion amongst students over the course of eleven years has been the lack of extracurricular activities. This problem does not only affect students, but it rather affects faculty members as well. Although there has been a slow but gradual increase in solving this problem, this change has come forth at a lengthy rate. It has been 11 years since change has been prompted, and although the current students are benefiting from this change, there have been several generations of

College life is an exciting time for young adults coming out of high school. The students find themselves with so many new experiences to face; many of these changes, from new found freedom to the unexpected responsibilities, are frequently underestimated by the newly promoted freshman.

With the University of the Incarnate Word being a religious school with a strong religious background it was really no surprise to me that I would have to take two religious classes. Taking Religious Quest right after taking a Philosophy class has been quite mind altering to say the least. Thinking about all the different aspects of the universe, and trying to figure out the truth is something that I don’t think we as humanity will ever know the answer to. This is where religion fits in for me. It’s not our job to figure it all out, if we live by faith and treat others as we expect to be treated I believe it will all work its way out in the end. Like I mentioned in my autobiography in week one, I was raised Methodist. It was actually me that got my parents into religion at all. We used to go to church for the big events like Easter and Christmas. I ended up finding out when I was about seven years old that my mother felt badly for never getting me baptized as a child. When I overheard her talking about it one day I said to her “so why don’t we just do it know?” She started to tear up a little but said “okay.” Once I was baptized our family as a whole went to church almost every Sunday from that point on. There was a huge transformation in both my mother and father. It was amazing and I’ve never regretted it for a moment. This experience is very important to me, and really helped set the stage for what religion means to me.

College students traditionally show pride towards their respective school. What makes students so enthusiastic for their school? In Laura Randall’s “Things You Only Do in College” and David Berreby’s “It Takes a Tribe” both writers explore college culture but come up with decidedly different results. Randall argues that college students’ traditions are embarrassing to the university, and students should be focusing on schoolwork not traditions; but Berreby suggests traditions are for the pride which students have for their school. In this essay I argue that students are passionate for their school, and the traditions they participate in are for the pride they have for the school. Randall

Religious programs have existed on college campuses for years. They provide a way to help students continue practicing their faith away from home. These programs are set up to help provide a sense of community and fellowship amongst those who have the similar views. At Stetson, one of those programs is Revive. Revive is a program set up to help keep the Christian faith strong. In doing so, they have prayer services, bible study, and Friday church every week. On their site they have a selection of churches to assist you in finding your home church away from home as well as provide ways for you to visit those churches. They host amazing events that bring Christians and non-believers together to hear the true gospel. Revive is a program that is not only for the Christian community, but it also includes those who are non-believers. As many might say, “religious programs should be separated from academics and campus life, or that programs such as these are judgmental and only promote ignorance.” I say that Revive proves otherwise.

A college campus is a place suggested by our third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, to be an academical village. Some may then wonder, well, what does that mean? It means that a college campus should not just be a place youths go from morning till noon to learn and then go on their merry way like they have become accustom to in their previous academic years. Rather, it means a campus should be their home. It should be their shelter and their playpen. A place where they can do everything they desire from when they open their eyes in the morning to when they close them at night.

With many freshmen going away to college is their first time away from home. This experience gives them a chance to try new things and learn something about themselves. Holding onto ones faith can be challenging at this new time and place. Bringing religion into regular campus life could help give an outlet to students other than parties and delinquent behaviors. This study tries to identify evidence of religion growing on campus along with a potential outcome.

College, up until my sophomore year of high school, had always been portrayed in my own mind as an overly enthusiastic and admittedly picture-perfect environment. It was, for some reason, a faraway land with smooth sidewalks and clean, crisp landscapes, smiling students and animated professors, cozy (albeit messy) dorm rooms and fashion-forward backpacks. The word itself meant immensely more to me than four years of hard work and the opportunity of earning a degree. It represented an era of independence, something I’d never truly tasted before, and of freedom to learn and to flourish, to create and nurture relationships that would last a lifetime, and to be myself without the polarizing judgment that came along with growing up in a tight-knit community. I couldn’t wait to move out, to buy enormously overpriced textbooks, to stroll around the campus grounds sporting pretty waterfall cardigans and autumn colored nail polish. Football

Religion had and still has (in countless countries) major influence and control over people's lives, from day to day activities to businesses and educational environment, and many more aspect of life. The level of religious institutions power and authority over the law of a country plays a key role, which is fortunately not the same case for the Americans because of separation of religion from politics and public places. In some cases, such split-up results are quickly visible; however, the main outcome is noticeable in years ahead to come in shape of change of people's mindset because of the freedom of citizens of the country to think without religion thoughts are imposed on them. With the advancement of science especially in the past years, a higher number of Americans with college degrees as never before, use of religion as a tool in hatred and wars caused

Humanity wonders about anything that is around them. Men always have wanted to find the answers to different questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? What is my purpose in life? How was the universe created? Is there a bigger or perfect being?

In this essay, I am going to discuss religious education under various topic headings including R.E and the R.E teacher, World Religions and morality and ethics. Through attending lectures and seminars, I have learned a lot about the Religious Education system in Ireland and further afield. Furthermore, in my reflective journal, I have reflected on a world of possibilities of what religion means to me. Throughout the year, my opinions on certain topics has changed, or has strengthen and I feel the reflective journal has helped me. In the essay, I am hoping to include reflections, readings and my experiences from the lectures and seminars to discover the various of topics.