To Religion's Cultured Despisers

Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher wrote a very famous treatise addressing the tension between Romantic and Enlightenment ideas about religion. He entitled the work On Religion: To It's Cultured Despisers. I cannot help but think of that work when I am involved in discussions here on my campus about the tension that exists here for people of faith, any faith tradition, and the intellectual and academic community. Faculty, staff and students alike report the ill-at-ease feeling regarding religion and faith that seems to permeate the institution. No one seems to be able to define why it feels that way, but those who have spoken about it have felt its sting. How did we evolve from an openly Presbyterian-related school to one where it seems to be really uncool to admit openly to religious beliefs? Let's be clear in acknowledging the historical battles on many college and university campuses in the early part of the twentieth century dealing with orthodox Christian thought and heresy trials, etc, and of the "feel good" pseudo-theology that found a home on many campuses during the final decades of the twentieth century. Some of the problem is of religious folk's own making. Having said that, one can search the web and find many first-class colleges and universities that still talk openly about their commitment to the free exchange of ideas, including those related to religious and spiritual life. However, it has become a bit more challenging to find links to the Religious and Spiritual Life page from the homepages of many colleges and universities, including our own. Why? Like most institutions, the fastest growing demographic among our students as far as religious beliefs are concerned is the one where students define themselves as "unaffiliated." In her new book, Christianity After Religion, Diana Butler Bass tracks the decline of religious affiliation in America, at least, as it affects the Christian Church. Even the popular mega-churches have plateaued and are beginning to lose members. We live in a time of rapid change, and there seems to be a suspicion of anything that can be defined as traditional. So, we should not be surprised that the popularity of religious belief is waning. However, since the major religious traditions emphasize the intrinsic value of all people, does it make sense for some institutions of higher education to flee from holding up their religious life programs and the good that takes place within and without those communities? One would think not. Certainly, a new form of "evangelical" atheism may have something to do with it. This new atheism is not one that encourages all to "live and let live" when it comes to beliefs about essential truths. Rather, it seeks to demean all religion and anyone who holds religious beliefs and describes religious folks as "delusional." Have religious people done anything to bring this thinking about? Undoubtedly, they have. One need only listen to some of the presidential candidates to pinpoint the kind of language and thinking that can cause others to dismiss any talk of faith and spirituality as superfluous. But college and university campuses are supposed to be places where dialogue on any range of issues can be addressed without fear of ridicule. I dare say that we are entering a period, if we are not there already, where one risks being thought an intellectual lightweight in the academic community if one admits to belief in a Supreme Being, or power beyond oneself. My institution admits many students and employs a significant number of people who hold religious beliefs and live as active members of faith communities. Hopefully, we will do a better job of helping those individuals to feel valued for the good they bring to the community because of the effect of their faith, not in spite of it.