Finding Faith

But it was not until his freshman year at N.C. State University that Ryan began to explore his spiritual identity.

Ryan went to his first Self-Knowledge Symposium, a group of individuals who gather to discuss spiritual topics.

"We're more focused on the process of searching for answers than dogmatic things," he said.

Many campus leaders and observers say spirituality on American college campuses is on the rise.

And it's not just the Christian, Islamic or Judaic membership that are experiencing growth; nontraditional groups also are carving their niche on campus.

Jimmy Long, regional director of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, attributes the increased interest in spirituality to the transition from a modern to postmodern world.

Long said people realize they alone can't change things and are open to more outside influences.

"There's more openness to spirituality, transcendency, to God," he said. "I think that's good that people are beginning to see there's more than just matter; they're searching for meaning in life."

But students aren't always clinging to the religion of their parents.

Amanda Porterfield, professor of religious studies at the University of Wyoming, said Americans' individualism and distrust of authority has resulted in students' rejection of their parent's religious beliefs in search of their own.

"The spiritual movement, which is flowering on campus, can be traced to the tendency of rebellion," she said.

William Willimon, dean of Duke Chapel, said an obvious display of this rebellion is the resistance of college students to be involved in organized religion and denominations.

"They are believers but not joiners," Willimon said.

Long said students' resistance to their parents' beliefs is rooted in the perceived hypocrisy of organized religion.

He said students need to see how spirituality changed the lives of their parents or members of some organization.

"We need not just tell people what we believe, but we need to act it out," he said.

But there are groups of students who are searching for answers outside of the spiritual realm.

Austin Dacey, campus Free Thought Alliance coordinator, said the group is a protector of atheists, agnostics and those searching for answers.

"For students who are nonbelievers or question their faith, and all they see are religious organizations, they can be intimidated by this."

There are currently 75 Free Thought Alliance groups on college campuses around the nation, and Dacey predicts there will be 125 by next year.

"Students who come to us are searching," he said. "They're searching for answers to the big questions and searching for a community of like-minded people. These people do find what they're looking for in the philosophy of humanism."

Porterfield said the number of students exploring different spiritual outlets has fostered a sense of tolerance and experimentation on campus with different views.

"What is on the increase is spirituality or personally tailored religion," she said.

Long said students are not being autonomous in their spiritual beliefs but are searching for a community.

"People are picking and choosing a community and adopting their belief system," he said.

The N.C. State chapter of the Self-Knowledge Symposium meets weekly for discussions on spiritual topics such as selfishness and the absoluteness of morals.

Ryan said it is important to explore these topics and not blindly accept beliefs.

"I think people understand that going along with the regular flow and not questioning things is not going to make them happy," Ryan said. "What we're trying to do is figure out what a life worth living is."

But Willimon said the pluralist approach, which has encouraged students to pick and choose different aspects from various religions and mold them into their personal faith, can be dangerous.

"I find a cafeteria-style approach to religion, and that worries me," he said. "It's like shopping and finding what suits you as opposed to changing someone to a better person."

But Ryan said he was first attracted to the symposium because the discussion was not purely philosophical, but the members were serious about changing aspects of their lives.

"A big part of what we're about is taking what we talk about and apply it to our lives," Ryan said.

The differing opinions between Willimon and Ryan lend credence to Porterfield's statement that people of traditional organized religion tend to look down on the less traditional faith.

"The more fluid spirituality movement doesn't seem authentically religious to some conservative people, but if you talk to (the students involved) they are just as serious," she said. "Never before have people been so comfortable blending their own religion."

And the pluralistic view many students take has made students more bold in sharing their faith with others.

One example comes from a religion class Willimon teaches at Duke.

He said two football players spoke up in class, sharing the difference their faith made in their lives, demonstrating how students no longer view religion as a private topic not to be discussed in public.

And it's not just on campus where students share their views. For example, a group of students from Duke went to a monastery for Spring Break, and 100 students went on a mission trip to Honduras, Willimon said.

N.C. State students also visited a monastery over the break.

"That's new," he said. "We didn't have that 10 years ago."

Long said the environment of college lends itself to the investigation of one's spiritual beliefs.

"When you come to college, you establish the belief system you most often have for the rest of your life."

Ryan found a community in college where he could investigate and be exposed to different views on spirituality and is determined to make self-evaluation an integral and permanent aspect of his life.

"For me, I never tried to take an honest look at myself before," he said. "I think I can know God better if I know myself and what stands in the way, like fear and ego."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.