Freshmen year I accompanied a friend to a campus ministry meeting. He was interested in joining because he wanted to find a community of people who shared his beliefs on campus. However, after the first meeting we never returned and I never felt an ounce of guilt about it. In fact, I didn’t think it was such a bad idea to distance myself from God while I was at college. Religion didn’t really seem like a part of the college experience anyways…at least not the liberal college experience.
Being Christian, specifically being religious, gets a bad reputation in liberal places like Duke. If you don’t believe in the most open-minded type of Christianity where Jesus loves everyone no matter what, then you most certainly are looked at as a bigot. Proponents of the religion like Westboro Baptist Church certainly don’t help, although I must mention their ideas are a gross interpretation of what the Bible says. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re going to practice a religion, being Christian is the best religion you can be in this country. That’s not based on my opinion, but rather all the systems in place that reinforce the idea that Christianity is superior to other religions. However, in a place like Duke—or most liberal college campuses—being religious is often portrayed as backwards and antiquated.
As someone whose beliefs very much line up on the left, but who has a religious background, I find it hard myself to condemn people who take their religion seriously. On one hand, yes, women have reproductive rights and everyone deserves love, but on the other hand who am I to tell you what to believe in? Just like no one has a right to make decisions on someone’s life choices, I don’t feel like I should make judgments on people who disagree with those life choices.
Growing up, God was always part of my life. I believed Jesus died for my sins and that everyone could ask for forgiveness. I also believed in the "Golden Rule" and respect and understanding for all. There were two sets of ideologies ingrained in me, but they weren’t disjointed. One taught me who to believe in, and the other what type of person to be and how to treat others. And although the two never came into conflict at a young age, one set of beliefs did not strengthen the other.
As a child, when I encountered people different than me, I never felt disdain for them because I knew that all people were equal. On the other hand if people were practicing things that didn’t line up with my beliefs, for instance, premarital sex, I also didn’t make excuses for them. They were committing a sin in the eyes of God, but that was it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
So although my standing with God isn’t as strong as it used to be, I understand why people have certain views about abortion or marriage that tend to be more conservative. If you really believe in something, then nothing—not even what your liberal peers might think of you—should make you waiver on your beliefs. Maybe that’s because to me sinning was sinning and nothing more. For others it was sometimes seen as a dirty thing, something to criticize people about, but at the end of the day, what someone does with their life is no one’s business but their own.
There is a flip side. Religion doesn’t give you a free pass to humiliate and demean people and it certainly doesn’t give you the right to make choices that affect people’s lives. If we’re sticking to the teachings of God, we know that it is no one’s place but his to judge anyone. So using your religion to make people’s lives harder or deter them from certain lifestyles isn’t something I agree with either. I think everyone should have a chance to live their life the way they deem fit.
I’ve had a lot of discussions about the dichotomy that exists between conservative religious views and the liberal, tolerant ideology. How do you reconcile what you believe is right in the eyes of your God, with what you believe is just morally (and legally) right ? It seems as though whether secular and liberal or conservative and religious, there are narrow points of view on both sides. Being religious means upholding what you believe is right. But does that mean making people feel any less loved? Whether you think someone is doing something wrong or not, we’ve all done wrong and it isn’t religion’s place to influence our legal system. On the other hand, being liberal doesn’t mean no one should care how other people live their lives. I care, you care and we should all care that people are doing the best they can under their circumstances. And just because my definition of doing well for oneself doesn’t line up with the other guys, it doesn’t mean either of us is wrong. The line is really drawn when you start making decisions for people who don’t adhere to your belief system.
I grew up believing in God and the Bible. I am also so far left on every issue that I am basically at the edge of being right (no pun intended). Those two things don’t have to be in conflict with each other. Just like different people with different beliefs don’t have to be in conflict. Instead, we can all practice respect for one another and learn that, while we may not agree with each other, we all have a right to value what we believe in.
Brianna Whitfield is a Trinity junior. Her column runs every other Thursday.
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