Echo column

Here's the column I wrote for next week's Echo...mostly venting my frustrations about why people don't appreciate religious diversity on this campus.**********************It is not safe to be religious—let alone spiritual—on this campus. As soon as Colby students hear the word “Christian,” they think of Bible-thumpers and Bush’s faith-based initiative. I don’t think I really need to say that that idea is a huge, huge misconception. I’m sure (though I can’t speak from personal experience) that those of other faiths on campus experience similar generalizations and predjudices. No matter how you slice it, being a person of faith at Colby means you face struggles that go overlooked on this campus far more often than other forms of cultural insensitivity, microaggressions and hate speech.For instance, I, a Catholic, recently described an Easter service to a group of friends in the dining hall. When I finished, instead of the nods and smiles I’d expected, one member of the group left me stunned and hurt by saying, “Yeah, and the priest is fucking the altar boy on the side, too.” I was speechless.Now, I had assumed Colby students to be educated and intelligent enough to realize that only a very small percentage of Catholic priests are pediphiles—almost negligible, in fact, when you consider the number of priests worldwide. I had also assumed that Colby students would be able to tell the difference between a sincere person of faith and a criminal who finds the pastoral life an easy way to get close to victims. Apparently, I was wrong on both counts.What baffles me most about this particular incident is that same person who made this immensely hurtful comment was one of the most vocal objectors to Andrew Sullivan’s use of the phrase “Islamo-Fascism.” Seems a bit hypocritical to me—but that’s another column entirely.Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that there is little administrative support for religion of any kind on campus. Just because we’re a private, liberal institution, do we have to act like religion really is the opiate of the masses? I think we worry so much about excluding that we forget to include. Why can’t we celebrate ALL religions and all people of faith in our community? Where’s the support for that kind of diversity?The student body, however, is no better. During the recent MOSAIC conference on multiculturalism, a friend and I attempted to lead a workshop promoting religious understanding and cooperation between people of all faiths. A whopping two people attended. Now that really makes me feel supported and welcome as a person of faith on Colby’s campus. Right.Sadly, the issue is often simplified so that students see it as a mere matter of politics—the eternal battle of conservatives versus liberals, even on matters of religion. News flash, Colby—religion is not just about politics. For many people, it is about genuine faith. Every religion has conservatives—fundamentalists, even—and every religion has liberals and progressives. Every religion also has people who fall somewhere in the middle. Understanding that is key to understanding why students of faith on this campus get so frustrated. We’re a diverse group—with a lot to add to campus life, if Colby would only give us the chance—and we don’t like to be stereotyped any more than anyone else does.Maybe—just maybe—the answer is for all members of the Colby community to be sensitive to and supportive of the needs of all others. To not make hurtful comments just to be inflammatory. To quit jumping to conclusions about those students who actually do have a spirituality. To try and be understanding, rather than pointing fingers, flinging around obscenities and choosing sides. For us to (gasp!) genuinely care about each other. But that’s probably asking way too much.