Do I Belong Here? Secular Students in Interfaith Spaces
Ben Correia-Harker is the Director of Assessment & Research for the Interfaith Youth Core, where he oversees the development of interfaith assessment services and resources, consults with campus partners on assessment practices, and manages research efforts and findings dissemination.
It was nearly five years ago when I interviewed at the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC). I was nervous, as many of us are on job interviews; and yet I was excited about this opportunity to weave together my passion for student leadership development, my interest in religion and spirituality, and my talent for working with data. How could I be so lucky to have an opportunity like this?! But I was a bit hesitant. I’m agnostic. I’m not active in a faith community, and I don’t have a doctrine to which I adhere. So would it be okay for me to be involved with leading efforts in interfaith spaces?
I’m agnostic. I’m not active in a faith community, and I don’t have a doctrine to which I adhere. So would it be okay for me to be involved with leading efforts in interfaith spaces?
I remember pulling aside the person who would be my supervisor, confessing that I was agnostic, and asking whether that would be a problem. She assured me there were many staff like me who are secular; she affirmed that IFYC approaches interfaith cooperation as engagement of people who orient around religion differently, including those who are or are not part of formal religions. Perfect! I belong in this space! When I reviewed IFYC materials more closely after joining the staff, I started to see all the places where secular people and beliefs were included IFYC materials. In turn, I began to wonder where I got the idea that secular folk are not part of the interfaith conversation. Where did this connotation of interfaith come from? Why did I not think I belong in these spaces?
This year, I’ve encountered a number of contexts and scenarios that highlighted why I, and other secular individuals, think we don’t have a place in interfaith. Most recently, I was struck by some insights when attending the ACPA College Educators International annual convention. Within the organization, the Commission for Religion, Faith, Spirituality, and Meaning is a subgroup that engages the larger community in many matters including interfaith initiatives. The commission founders were conscientious to identify a name that was inclusive of secular folks, which I appreciated. Yet, as I heard members and presenters discuss various topics in which the commission engages, secular identities and beliefs were rarely mentioned. I don’t believe this was intentional; people talked about “spirituality” in broad terms, almost as if they believed it was a term that would include everyone. I’ve also seen this on college campuses where “spirituality” is used as a catch-all term, but 31% of first-year students don’t identify as spiritual (Correia-Harker, Morin, Mayhew, & Rockenbach, 2017). Furthermore, 22% of first-year college students say they are neither religious nor spiritual (Correia-Harker et al., 2017). Heck, even though I practice meditation and believe in some sort of interconnectedness among living things, I would not consider myself spiritual.
31% of first-year students don’t identify as spiritual…22% of first-year college students say they are neither religious nor spiritual (IDEALS Research, 2017).
The secular population is ever expanding, with 30% of first-year students stating they are secular in some sort of way (Rockenbach, Mayhew, Correia-Harker, Dahl, Morin, & Associates, 2017). And this group is just as diverse in beliefs as religious students! Secular students, just like religious students, are trying to make meaning of the world around them and discerning what values will guide how they engage in our society. In casual settings, secular students are having these conversations as they frequently dine, study, and socialize with students who have different beliefs than them (Rockenbach, Mayhew, Correia-Harker, Morin, Dahl, & Associates, 2018). Secular students need to be engaged in interfaith experiences, so educators need to be better about calling them into these spaces.
From my experience, language seems to be an important consideration when creating interfaith opportunities. Granted, practitioners may provide experiences that are specifically religious or spiritual in nature, and then use of those terms are perfectly appropriate. But if a space is truly interfaith or meant to be open to all students, using language like meaning-making or belief systems, or explicitly using the term secular alongside religion is important for college educators to embrace. Also, within interfaith spaces, educators should be careful when asking about scriptures/sacred texts, traditions, or communities in that some secular students may not have these things, or at least frame their worldview in this way. When asking for students to share something about their belief systems, it may be helpful to frame it in multiple ways so that all students, including secular ones, can recognize a personal connection to the request. For example, when asking about sacred texts that inform how students understand hospitality, you may also consider asking what readings or inspirations inform how students understand hospitality.
Within interfaith spaces, educators should be careful when asking about scriptures/sacred texts, traditions, or communities in that some secular students may not have these things, or at least frame their worldview in this way.
With 10% of first-year secular students participating in formal interfaith dialogues compared to 16% of Christian students and 28% of other religious students (Rockenbach, Mayhew, Correia-Harker, Morin, et al., 2018), it is clear I am not the only secular person who has felt a disconnect. I do admit that finding the perfect language that is eloquent, clear, and inclusive of all students is difficult. But my hope is that by raising this concern, we will all better attend to how we frame our work and strive to include secular students in interfaith endeavors.
IDEALS is a national study of college students’ experiences with worldview diversity spanning 122 institutions. The study is conducted by research teams at NC State University, Ohio State University, and Interfaith Youth Core and is led by Drs. Alyssa Rockenbach and Matthew Mayhew. For more information about IDEALS, please visit our website or follow us on Twitter.
References
Correia-Harker, B. P., Morin, S. M., Rockenbach, A. N., & Mayhew, M. J. (2017, October). Religious pluralism in a global society: Exploring students’ engagement with and orientation to other worldviews. Session presented at the AAC&U Global Engagement & Social Responsibility conference, New Orleans, LA.
Rockenbach, A. N., Mayhew, M. J., Correia-Harker, B. P., Dahl, L., Morin, S., & Associates. (2017). Navigating pluralism: How students approach religious difference in interfaith engagement in their first year of college. Chicago, I(L: Interfaith Youth Core.
Rockenbach, A. N., Mayhew, M. J., Correia-Harker, B. P., Morin, S., Dahl, L., & Associates. (2018). Best practices for interfaith learning and development in the first year of college. Chicago, IL: Interfaith Youth Core.
