Faith and Tolerance in America: A Cultural Divide

An interesting article appeared in the Washington Post today on whether there is a bias against evangelical Christians among professors in America's secular universities and colleges. The article cites a lawsuit brought by a student against a university professor who required students to write letters in support of the adoption rights of same sex couples. The article also cites two surveys of US university professors on their feelings towards evangelical Christians and other religious people. One of the surveys found that 53% of professors had "unfavorable" feelings towards evangelicals, which the pollster found to show significant bias against religious persons. Others felt the survey showed a reaction to the current political climate in America rather than a particular aversion to religion or those that practice it.

Even more interesting are the readers comments to the article and its findings. The comments are more telling in that they truly reveal the bias and division over religion that the article merely hints at. The commenter's from both sides of the debate (although the majority would seem to be from the "liberal" camp) put forth the kind of spite-filled, narrow-minded vitriol that has kept these opposing camps at each other's throats since time began.

I'm not a member of any religion, nor do I hold any firm religious beliefs (I did pretend to be a Quaker for a while though). At best, I'm agnostic. I've read the Bible, although from a historical viewpoint rather than a spiritual one and have made an effort to understand religious faith in others. The fact is, religious faith for the vast majority of people is simply a way to get through the day. If praying to God, Allah, Buddha, or whoever helps in dealing with our ever more troubling world, more power to you. I believe faith is a personal thing and not political policy or educational curriculum, and not something to be foisted on the unwilling. While I don't want a professor (or anyone for that matter) castigating me for not believing in God, neither do I want that professor telling me that all religious people are ignorant, superstitious, brainwashed dolts. It's the extremism on both sides of the aisle that most people resent.

I offer my own experiences as an example of how people can, if not agree on religious issues, at least come to respect and understand each varying opinion.

When I was 16 - 17 years old, I was a stoned, long-haired high school dropout and a prime target for the bands of Born Again Christians then roaming the streets of Monterey, CA. I'd be sitting at a bus stop with my nose in a book when I'd glance up to see a semi-circle of clean cut, bright-eyed (predatory?) young folks hell bent on saving my soul. I'm always willing to debate the merits of faith and religion with folks who are interested in a frank discussion. However, the majority of the time these young people were so zealous in their pursuit of the damned that they refused to engage in a two way discussion and invariably told me I was going to burn in Hell. Their "point" made, off they'd stomp in search of the next unwitting heretic.

One fine day, I was wandering aimlessly down Alvarado St. when I was approached by a young African-American guy who opened with the standard, "Excuse me? Do you believe in God?" When I said no, he responded with a word I'd never actually heard from an evangelical Christian: "Why?" I began to explain my position and, with genuine interest, this young man suggested we go have a cup of coffee. What ensued was an incredible conversation about faith (or the lack of it), his conversion, God in a historical context, and a variety of other religion related topics. While I'm sure he realized fairly early in the conversation I wasn't going to find God that day, he did display an open-minded respect for my opinions. When we parted about three hours later, I was left with a lot to think about, and the seeds of my current attitudes towards faith and the faithful.

I disagree with a lot of the positions held by the evangelical Christian community, especially those on abortion and gay rights. However, if more people could have conversations like the one I had so long ago, I think there would be a lot more tolerance from people on both sides of this issue