BY JULIAN CHENDER

In print | Published February 14, 2008

Swarthmore houses a vibrant religious life, which last week’s Religion and Spirituality Week illustrated quite nicely. The week, organized by Swarthmore’s Interfaith Interns Virginia Tice ‘09 and May Maani ’10, hosted such events as a panel on “Christianity and Social Justice” and a lecture on “Why Religion Matters.” Other events, such as the Swarthmore Progressive Christians’ “Pizza and Parable” and Ruach’s Shabbat services happen weekly throughout the semester.

Religion and Spirituality Week served in part to promote religious life at Swarthmore by showcasing the many different religious groups on campus. Furthermore, the Week encouraged the exploration of Interfaith at Swarthmore. Swarthmore deems Interfaith important enough to fund two Interfaith interns whose job it is to promote Interfaith discussion and activities on campus. Swarthmore is rare in its concentration of different religions: in a population of 1,491 students, Swarthmore houses 11 religious groups. The possibilities for productive Interfaith discussion, such as that of Religion and Spirituality Week, abound. It is very important to promote such a rich and diverse religious community, as well as foster discussion within the community.

Furthermore, Religion and Spirituality Week created a space for discussion regarding the nature of religion at Swarthmore and what it means to be religious here. One of the issues that came up in this week-long discussion, some of which took place on the foam boards in Shane lounge, is the difficulty many people seem to have with being involved in religious life at Swarthmore. I have heard people say that they find it lonely to be religious here, while others expressed feeling as though they were being attacked and ostracized for their beliefs. One religious person noted that discussing personal faith is “very politically incorrect on campus.” With so many different religious groups and such a well founded Interfaith network, why do people find it hard to be religious at Swarthmore?

In researching this column over the past semester, I have spoken with many members of various religious groups on campus and it seems that those who enjoy a thriving religious life on campus significantly outnumber those who face adversity as a result of their faith. Religion is a source of comfort for many people at Swarthmore, and the different religious groups provide people with the opportunity to partake in something very important to them and to do so with others who feel the same way. Others only started practicing their religions at Swarthmore. If it weren’t for the vibrant and diverse religious and spiritual community here, they would not have discovered that which has brought them such happiness.

Despite this, many seem to believe, even if they haven’t experienced it themselves, that to be religious at Swarthmore is taboo. Some cite the intense academic environment in which faith and belief have no seat at the table as evidence. It is possible, however, that those who find it difficult to be religious at Swarthmore only appear to outnumber those who are contented and grateful to have the opportunity to practice their religions and to be members of religious communities here. Perhaps the fear of being ostracized as a result of one’s religiosity is simply greater than the reality. Maybe it’s all just a lot of hype and, as evidenced by the many happy practitioners, it isn’t so hard to be religious at Swarthmore after all. Perhaps it can even be rewarding.

If Religion and Spirituality Week can be such a big deal at Swarthmore, it is conceivable that those suffer as a result of their religion at Swarthmore simply constitute a very loud, though rather small, minority.

Julian is a junior. You can reach him at jchende1@swarthmore.edu.

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