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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1999)
e Battalion Aggielife Page 3 • Tuesday, October 5, 1999 M will :id [0 H, 'ilds hoi iof indy I worldi oul-Searching udents experiment with spirituality BY EMILY RUDER The Battalion pairing i different m Ashle hjstrial;*' Oct. 1 B eligion is a subject that inevitably pops up literconloiH everywhere. A persons’ beliefs define who (r k wji^fflkthey are and their connection to others. As a on Ashles® * 1, ^ now i n 8 one’s religious beliefs can give a . !t , r eeper understanding of one’s character. £1 . ’ for Texas A&M students, college is a time to form eliefs about themselves. Not only is a forum for edu- ati6n available through organizations, but the goal of ■anal growth is also a part of many students’ lives. p\wla Williams, a senior accounting major, said allege is the best time for curious people to ask ■tions about religion. “1 think college students are really open to talk- ii ol decotBbout spirituality,” Williams said. “A&M is prob- lutor.Urm different than most schools because it has a n 53 milLBr strong Christian fellowship, but in general, col- materiai.' >g4 students tend to be more open to these issues ' thfma jan any other age group.” dlliams said college students are intrigued with ious issues as they relate to their daily lives. I think a lot of people are searching, trying to Hid out who they are and what gives them satis- Ktion and joy in life,” she said. “They are looking S more than what they’ve been taught and told.” inn Ousley, a junior chemical engineering major, students’ reactions to religion tend to oscillate een two extremes — apathy and dedication. She students’ motivations for either comes from a sonal desire to make religion a part of their lives. ‘They stop going to church because it wasn’t ever tomething they did on their own,” Ousley said. They did it to please their parents, or other people equired or expected it. When they get to college, it |asnot something important for them to continue.” lOusley said attending church is not always nec- fssary for a student to have spirituality, but fellow ship can help those searching for spiritual answers. ■ “There are definitely people that are committed :o religion that don’t necessarily go to church on Sunday, but they are more of the exception than the rule," Ousley said. “I think you would lose a lot of support that way.” Ousley said spirituality is one of the few things that remains constant throughout a person’s life. “There are a lot of things you can learn from pure ly social activities, and you can make friends and de velop your personality,” Ousley said. “But I would also say that anything that is going to have lasting value will have to come from a source that’s eternal. “As a Christian, 1 know that without a relation ship with God, I can’t even imagine how miserable my life would be. 1 would be just kind of lost.” Williams said her religious beliefs were influ enced in a positive way when she came to college. “When you come to college, you're in search of yourself/' — Rena Kharbart Senior international studies major “When I first came here as a freshman, I wasn’t a Christian,” she said, “but I started hanging around Christians, attending church and Campus Crusade meetings. It all really impressed and fascinated me, and shortly after that, 1 made the decision to dedi cate my life to Christ.” Chris Gaines, a junior chemical engineering ma jor, said he made the decision to become Buddhist after exploring different religious beliefs. “I was really deep into Catholicism,” Gaines said. “I attended St. Mary’s [Catholic church] and was even a lector for a while. Then I started seeing how Christianity wasn’t really tolerant of other religions. “One day 1 picked up a book about Buddhism, and as I read it, everything fell into place. It was a deep understanding, and I decided This is the way 1 want to lead my life.’” Rena Kharbat, a senior international studies major, said college did not change her beliefs as a Muslim but instead increased her awareness of her religion. “For me, when I came to college, my beliefs re mained the same,“ Kharbat said. “I didn’t necessari ly become more or less religious, but being that I was surrounded by Christians, it made me more interest ed in my own religion, [it] made me want to learn more about it. But it didn't make me question it.” Kharbat said the search for spirituality is a nat ural process, no matter what religion. “When you come to college, you’re in search of yourself,” she said. "Either college students strengthen their beliefs or are in search for a religion or change the beliefs that they have. But in the end, everybody believes in something.” Kharbat said education is the most important part of religion, especially for students who are confused or indecisive about their beliefs. “If I could give them advice, I would tell them to try to learn as much as they can about the religions they’re interested in and to go with whatever feels right,” she said. Gaines said keeping an open mind about different religions is important for discovering one’s own beliefs. “Religion is a choice in life,” Gaines said. “I would encourage people to actively go to the meet ings of different religious groups and to seek out peo ple who are of that religion. Keep an open mind, and you may see their way of life makes more sense.” Gaines said spirituality can link all people to gether through the beliefs shared by all religions. “Religions all have the same basic beliefs, like ‘Be kind’ and ‘Don’t kill/” he said. “I wish that everybody of all different religions could see the basic parts and realize they’re all just the same once you get past the doctrines and spe cific rules of individual religions. I think if you rec ognize this, we could all live more peacefully on this earth together.” Gaines said spirituality is something that cannot be easily ignored. “A lot of students, when they get here, recognize that balance is important in their lives — not just in their physical, academic and social lives, but spiri tual, also,” Gaines said. “A lot of students realize an innate need for spiritual things. There is absolute truth, and I would encourage everyone to keep searching for truth.” GUY ROGERS/The Battalion get paid to surf the web www.AIIAdvantage.com
