<p>Hey guys I'm a freshman in high school, and I was wondering, for those of you who follow a religion, how hard is it to keep faith in your religion when professors and other students are putting it down. I don't mean to make this a religious debate, so please don't start one.</p>
<p>I know plenty of religious people but none that feel like professors and students are putting them or it down.</p>
<p>I just ignore it. People constantly criticize my religion, so I’ve gotten used to it. It used to make me super mad, but I realized that I can’t let people get under my skin like that.</p>
<p>Be above it. I’m a Muslim in a fairly conservative Texas town so you can imagine how much disparagement I get. I don’t let it bother me - I’ll occasionally make a joke out if it myself - but the best way to deal with it is to be above it and basically prove them wrong. I live my life well, I’m a good person, and people respect it. I’ve even changed the opinions of some extreme people without even trying.</p>
<p>I try to be an example of a good Christian. If professors say something generally offensive about Christians (not likely at my school), I try to let it roll off my back. It’s not worth the fight.</p>
<p>If someone personally attacked me, professor or student, though, I would respectfully tell them that they are wrong and why and make as quick of an exit as possible. People who are willing to debate theology, I’m cool with that. But I’ve learned over the years that if people have really strong opinions in any direction (politics, religion, etc.), they can take disagreement with that opinion as an insult to their characters.</p>
<p>I’ve yet to experience anyone in my classes getting attention (positive or negative) due to their personal religious beliefs.</p>
<p>don’t ask don’t tell. I don’t think being religious is bad at all if you’re in college. It’s people trying to push their religions onto other people that annoys the hell out of other people.</p>
<p>Unless you go to a very religious university (assuming you are not that religion), I can’t imagine you would encounter any problems. If anything, they’d be few and far between, generally.</p>
<p>Also, I’m fairly religious, so when I researched colleges, I just made sure to look for things that would fit what I needed-- kosher food, places to go for Jewish services, etc. So it’s probably not a bad idea to look into places that offer what you need and have a fair representation of students with your religion.</p>
<p>Join a religious group on campus that you feel really comfortable with. Make friends who are equally religious.</p>
<p>I’ve found that I’ve become a lot stronger in my faith this year simply because I have surrounded myself with more people who are like-minded. That isn’t to say that I don’t have non-religious friends. It’s just that I have a lot of religious friends who can relate what I’m going through and I can talk to them about it. They get it and it helps me keep calm and my nerves under control.</p>
<p>For the most part, I haven’t had anyone diss Christianity, but then again, I’m in South Carolina. If a professor started to do that, I would speak to them after class and tell them how I don’t think they should be juxtaposing their opinions on me in a classroom setting and that I only want to learn the factual material.</p>
<p>There’s a myth out there in the conservative community (which intersects with the religious community in many cases) that colleges are hotbeds of secular humanism and professors are all radical communist former hippies who have a not-so-hidden agenda of tearing down all that is good and true about this country.</p>
<p>It’s not true.</p>
<p>Sure, there are some people who fit that profile, but most students and most professors are perfectly civil human beings who will respect your faith choice. Some of them will even share it.</p>
<p>To the OP: are you currently experiencing problems with people putting down your religion or are you simply trying to find out what the atmosphere at college is like?</p>
<p>I go to a Christian school where I’m surrounded with an environment where everyone is Christian. I’m worried that when I get to college I will be surprised and lose my faith.</p>
<p>I’m not much of a religious person but if I were, I wouldn’t let other people put me down. Be proud of your religion. Don’t let other convince you otherwise. You are entitled and have the right to believe in whatever religion you want to have faith in. Stand proud! :)</p>
<p>I go to a large, mostly liberal university with students from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, and I feel like being at college has actually strengthened my faith because of the debates that go on in classes and in everyday conversation. </p>
<p>Unless you really engage yourself in the religious community, I doubt you’ll really encounter anyone putting your faith down. If you do, see it as an opportunity to broaden your cultural horizons and understand others’ beliefs- not as an attack on your faith.</p>
<p>I would personally recommend taking an intro-level religion class. I took a class called Religion & American Society in the fall, and it definitely played a huge role in improving my understanding of other religions and reaffirming my own faith and helping me discover more about myself and my beliefs. Also, as others have suggested, joining a religious organization would be a great resource.</p>
<p>jaguar, if you’re thinking about it this far in advance, I doubt anything will “surprise” you when you get to college! Since you have the luxury of time on your side, you might consider digging deeply into your college research to find schools that would be a good fit for your religious beliefs. There are many variations on “Christian” schools ranging from those with only a nominal attachment to a particular denomination all the way to those where everyone, student and staff, is expected to sign a declaration of belief that comports with that particular sect’s beliefs. Pray about your decision, consult people whose opinion you trust, and remember that people of faith can share a world with others who don’t necessarily have the exact beliefs that they do.</p>
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<p>You may be surprised how it really works out for you. I went into a large, liberal state public as an agnostic and found my faith at college. You will be able to find religious communities on campus if that’s an influence you want in your life. There will be churches and student organizations for you to join if you’d like. Colleges aren’t a barren wasteland of spiritualism, you’ll be able to find what you need if you seek it out.</p>
<p>My religious and spiritual beliefs are very different from the majority of people that i meet, in college or anywhere. I always tried to stay out of any conversation that involved religion because in my opinion there is no reason to even talk about something if it will be nothing but a disagreement or it will make someone think you are weird right off the bat.</p>
<p>Whatever you believe is such a personal thing that it is nobody’s business really. The only time that i ever had a problem with another persons religion was when they were trying to force it on another person. A lot of people try to do that, some of them knock on my door pretty regularly when my dog is not in the yard, but that doesn’t mean that i have to engage with them. </p>
<p>Unless you are planning on proselytizing and are looking for converts, you don’t have to encounter any issues about your beliefs at all. Everyone can be friends if they are all accepting of another preferences, whether it is religious or just a matter of personal taste. Stay away from those individuals that want to change the world to their view and you will be fine.</p>
<p>I go to a big state school and I’ve never heard a professor putting down religion. There are plenty of religious student organizations. Hell this kid just got off the hook for taking an exam today because of Passover.</p>
<p>Y u college students no smart 'nuff to be atheist?</p>
<p>I think it’s fine, fellow students are pretty accepting and most professors will only pick a fight (for a lack of better words) if a person wants to after class or during a discussion.</p>
<p>While your experience will vary depending on which college you go to, I’ve found that people are more tolerant of religion–if less religious on the whole–than people from my hometown in the Bible Belt. College really is a forum for discussion, and so while people may tend towards atheism or agnosticism without the routine of church they had at home, that doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to hear you out.</p>
<p>There are also many student organizations for religious students. The religious groups at my school are very close.</p>