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Spirituality 101 Week reveals religious presence on the Hill

By Adam Fix '13

The same day that Rick Santorum lamented what he believes to be the “indoctrination that occurs in American universities,” which directs students away from religion, Hamilton College entered Spirituality 101 Week with events led by the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, the Catholic Newman Council, the Hamilton College Hillel and the Muslim Students Association, all open to the entire campus. With a diverse student body, opinions on campus religion differ from person to person, but after this past week it is clear that many religions hold important presences on the Hill. 

Responding to presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s recent claim that American colleges are inherently anti-religious, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship head Justin Brown ’14 commented, “Higher education is sometimes known for its opposition to religion, specifically Christianity.” However, he added, “there still exists a vibrant and growing religious community on many campuses, including our own.”


Hamilton supports faith on campus, and students make individual efforts to become involved with religious organizations, though most of their work is done behind the scenes.  According to Bret Turner ’13, “The religious groups mostly keep to themselves.  Religion exists on campus, but I don’t think it’s a big part of people’s lives if they don’t want [it to be].”  From Jan. 25 to Feb. 6, Spirituality 101 Week brought these organizations to the forefront of life on the Hill. 

Clare Browne ’12, a member of the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, commented on the nature of religion on college campuses; she mentioned that she saw no contradiction or conflict in different faith groups working together, and discussed an interfaith Thanksgiving dinner that occurs in the fall and an interfaith Baccalaureate in the spring. 
During Spirituality 101 Week, students met in the Chapel to discuss religious stereotypes and prejudices, and on Feb. 3, the campus was invited to the Little Pub to discuss “The State of Community Life at Hamilton College” with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Nicole Snyder-Lee.

While she continues her faith at Hamilton, Browne acknowledges the differences between religion in high school and college: “So much of your faith tradition starts from your family and your upbringing, so once you go to college and get swept up by other activities, [faith] sometimes plays a less central role in your life.

“The beauty of prayer is that it can take place anywhere: in the chapel, at a large group meeting at Christian Fellowship, at a small group Bible study, along Martin’s Way, over a meal,” Browne continued.  “Having a community to share faith allows for inspiration and personal growth and provides a place to talk about struggle and healing.  While the community may be small, it is still an amazing group of students coming together.”

Brown echoed the importance of a religious community at school. “Our group[ the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship]’s mission is to form a welcoming community on campus, grow in our understanding of God and his word, positively impact our campus’ culture, and develop individuals who will go out and change the world,” Brown said.  “We have three different small group meetings that meet at different times every week, and a large group meeting every other Friday. We also participate in a number of service and outreach events around campus.”

This past week, Hillel brought Rabbi Sigel, an expert in Jewish mysticism, to the hill.  On Thursday, Sigel led a talk entitled “Everything You Wanted to Know About Kabbalah & Mysticism… (But Didn’t Know What to Ask)” followed by a meditation. On Friday, Sigel led a meditative Shabbat service and dinner with roughly 40 people in attendance.  

“Hillel is a growing and thriving community and organization on campus that has been graciously supported by Hamilton College,”  said Michael Magaziner ’14. a member of Hamilton Hillel. “It provides an outlet for both Jewish and non-Jewish students to celebrate Jewish holidays.”

While some groups strive for a sense of community, others work toward a degree of awareness, as well. Shakil Hossain ’14, president of the Muslim Student Association, said that “our group mission is to accommodate Muslim students and bring awareness of Islam to non-Muslim students. There are a lot of misconceptions about Islam and Muslims in our media today, so as a group we try to involve everyone in lectures, activities and volunteering to show that Muslims are just like every other American.”

“We have our meetings on Thursdays at 6 p.m. every other week,” continued Hossain.  “It will be in the prayer room in the Chapel second floor. There will be a prayer room ceremony this Friday beginning at 3 p.m...on the third floor of the Chapel. You don’t have to be Muslim to join the Muslim Students Association.”

For Spirituality Week, Hossain noted that “we had the Whirling Dervishes come, a mystical Sufi tradition where the dervish feels like they have direct relation to God and himself.”  He also mentioned “a tour of the Court Street Mosque. A beautiful renovated Church now turned into a Mosque, to show non-Muslims how we participate in Friday prayers.”
With a mixture of Islam, Kabbalah, Catholicism, Judaism and Zen, Hamilton offers students an array of religious communities. 

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