Praying Alive

Just days before this spring's Undergraduate Council election, anonymous leaflets were distributed on Harvard's campus accusing presidential candidate T. Christopher King '01 of trying to evangelize "non-believing students."

King, a religious student and an active member of Harvard's Christian community, ultimately polled second in the election. He subsequently alleged in The Orlando Sentinel that his loss in the election was caused by the "sophisticated slander" used against him.

"People knew how to put words together to trigger certain fears," King said.

Christian and secular leaders alike say the attitudes displayed during the election are an exception to the Harvard community's normally tolerant stance on religion.

They also agree that Harvard is seeing a religious revival 10 years in the making that has brought with it acceptance of previous untolerated groups, but has also raised new concerns about how sincere such tolerance really is.

This is a new variety of an old question for Harvard, which has struggled for over a century to define the role that religion would play on its campus, and in the process endured criticism for both aggressive Unitarianism and "God-less" secularism.

BACK AND FORTH

While Harvard had given up any official religious affiliation by 1900, the community was still predominantly composed of churchgoing Protestants at the turn of the century.

Though very few non-Christian religions were represented, the campus did have an increasingly large Jewish population, and anti-Semitism was pervasive.

In the 1920s, an increase in the number of Jewish students began to alarm then President A. Lawrence Lowell, Class of 1877, who reveled in his school's patrician past.

Though Lowell tried to convince the Faculty to tighten admissions policies, in order to make it easier to recognize and perhaps set a quota on Jewish applicants, they eventually refused. While anti-Semitism has gradually declined since that time, the University's religious dilemmas were far from resolved.

Less than 20 years later, President James B. Conant '14 began a term characterized by attempts to reduce religious influence on campus. After a speech in which Conant denounced religious parochial schools, Cambridge's Archbishop blasted the Harvard president's "fascist" views during his Easter morning sermon in 1952.

The devoutly religious President Nathan M. Pusey '28 replaced the staunchly anti-religious Conant in 1953. Pusey came to power with a clear vision for the religious future of the University. Throughout his term, he repeatedly and often unsuccessfully attempted to reintroduce religion to a secularized campus.

According to former Eliot House Master Alan E. Heimert '49, in 1958, Pusey threw his support to the minister of Memorial Church, who disallowed non-Christian marriages to take place in the church.

Pusey wrote a letter to The Crimson in support of the minister's actions.

"Harvard's historic tradition has been a Christian tradition, and although Memorial Church is not considered as affiliated with any one denomination, it has always been thought of as a house of Christian worship," he wrote.

Heimert recalls that many members of the faculty and student body were outraged by Pusey's stance; it was eventually decided that the non-Christian ceremonies could take place.

Though Pusey was able to initiate a short-lived "religious revival" on campus, he met with some hostility among the increasingly anti-religious student population of the late '50s and '60s.

Plummer Professor of Christian Morals Peter J. Gomes points to Pusey's failure to achieve his desired religious goals as evidence that administrators could have only minimal effect on the religious character of the school.

"Mr. Pusey was a very religious man, but could not impose a heightened sense of religion on campus," Gomes says.

Instead, according to Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield Jr. '58, the College experienced a decline in religious interest during the 1960s and 1970s.

"It was a product of the rebellion at the time," Mansfield says. "There was an great interest in anything that was considered anti-authority."

During this time, Harvard acquired a reputation for secularism that has remained strong to the present day.

"When choosing a college, I feared that there would not be as much support for religion [at Harvard] as there had been at home," says Denise Wang '01, one of the officer of the Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Fellowship (HRCF) "Harvard is not known for people of strong faith."

RECENT FERVOR

Since Pusey left office, the Harvard administration has taken a much more laissez-faire attitude towards religion. Despite this hands-off approach, rising diversity on Harvard's campus, together with other factors, has caused what many describe as a "religious revival" on campus.

There are now over 15 student religious groups on campus, including organizations from such previously under-represented religions as Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.

Adding to the perception that religion is making a campus comeback, groups that have long been campus presences are also seeing drastic increases in membership.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel, which moved 20 years ago from a building on the periphery of campus to one in the center, is now one of the strongest religious groups on campus. According to Michael A. Kay '01, chair of the Hillel Steering Committee, the group now has more than 150 regular members and about 500 who attend occasional events.

Perhaps most startling is the growth of Christian student groups. Christian Impact has blossomed from about 10 members to more than 50; the HRCF has seen a similar growth. Six years ago, HRCF's Asian American Bible study group formed a sister group, the Asian American Christian Fellowship (AACF), which has continued to attract new members ever since.

"There's been a tremendous growth in the number of students who are searching for spirituality and the meaning of faith," says Vera Shaw, a former HRCF advisor who remains active with the group. "I think that's a window on to our whole culture."

A visible demonstration that Harvard students have become more interested in religious questions was a recent debate entitled "Does God Exist?" The debate featured speakers from HRCF and the Harvard Secular Society and drew more than 300 people to a packed lecture hall in the Science Center.

"If that debate had happened in the 1950s, you wouldn't have gotten 30 people," Shaw says.

WHY GOD WHY?

Administrators and students attribute the rise to a number of factors, but most agree that the religious character in Harvard has mirrored the resurgence of religious interest in American society.

"I think it is a reflection of what's going on in society--students are finding ways to maintain continuities in their lives when they get to college," Epps says.

Gomes says he agreed that the resurgence of religion on campus was a reflection of societal trends, but speculates on another possible source of the new fascination with religion.

"These generations of undergraduates have been the products of the first truly secular parenting generation of our culture," Gomes says.

Suggesting that religion among students may be an "enterprise in discontinuity," he says the students' new interest might be a form of rebellion against their non-religious parents.

"Too many people actually believed in a generaltheory of secularization that was popular in thelate '50s and early '60s," Gomes said. "Peopleactually believed that religion was on the wayout-and they were proven wrong."

A HIGHER TOLERANCE?

Many student leaders agree that the fearsdisplayed during this spring's UndergraduateCouncil election were an exception to the normallyaccepting attitudes of Harvard students.

"I think it's easy to be religious on campus ifyou want to be," Kay says. "People are not onlytolerant; they're genuinely curious and ask youquestions about your religion."

HRCF Officer Elizabeth M Boschee '99 also saysthat, in her experience, the Harvard community hasbeen tolerant of religious groups.

Boschee did, however, say she thoughtnon-religious students were sometimes suspiciousof religious groups that held activities oncampus.

"[HRCF and AACF] passed out hot chocolate tostudents in front of the Science Center inDecember," Boschee says. "A lot of students askedus why we were doing it, and I think a smallnumber took it as an attempt to convert otherstudents."

According to Gomes, it was this suspicion ofreligious groups that hurt King's councilpresidential election bid. Many students saw Kingas part of some "religious cabal," Gomes says.

The fact that King was an "out and practicingChristian...made many people, including some atThe Crimson, nervous about his ability to be astudent leader," he adds.

Jason R. Mann '01, a Bible study leader withChristian Impact, says Christian groups on campusmay be viewed with more wariness thannon-Christian groups.

"If I was a Buddhist, people would say that Iwas really cool and open-minded," Mann says. "Butwhen people hear I'm a religious Christian, theysometimes say 'Oh, that's old-fashioned.'"

THE SILENT COLLEGE

The potential for an increase in religioustension has led Gomes and Epps to look for astronger statement on religion from Harvard'sadministration.

Gomes says the University is often too willingto ignore religious questions.

"There's a sense that religion is so privatethat the institution doesn't have to be aware ofthese things," he says.

Epps agrees, suggesting that the Universitymight be able to ease religious tensions on campuswere it to take the official position that "it isokay to be a member of a religious group."

Epps, who points out that this position isdifferent from advising students to be a member ofsome particular religious groups, says this is notthe administration's current stance.

"The College has no stance now," he says. "TheCollege is silent.

"Too many people actually believed in a generaltheory of secularization that was popular in thelate '50s and early '60s," Gomes said. "Peopleactually believed that religion was on the wayout-and they were proven wrong."

A HIGHER TOLERANCE?

Many student leaders agree that the fearsdisplayed during this spring's UndergraduateCouncil election were an exception to the normallyaccepting attitudes of Harvard students.

"I think it's easy to be religious on campus ifyou want to be," Kay says. "People are not onlytolerant; they're genuinely curious and ask youquestions about your religion."

HRCF Officer Elizabeth M Boschee '99 also saysthat, in her experience, the Harvard community hasbeen tolerant of religious groups.

Boschee did, however, say she thoughtnon-religious students were sometimes suspiciousof religious groups that held activities oncampus.

"[HRCF and AACF] passed out hot chocolate tostudents in front of the Science Center inDecember," Boschee says. "A lot of students askedus why we were doing it, and I think a smallnumber took it as an attempt to convert otherstudents."

According to Gomes, it was this suspicion ofreligious groups that hurt King's councilpresidential election bid. Many students saw Kingas part of some "religious cabal," Gomes says.

The fact that King was an "out and practicingChristian...made many people, including some atThe Crimson, nervous about his ability to be astudent leader," he adds.

Jason R. Mann '01, a Bible study leader withChristian Impact, says Christian groups on campusmay be viewed with more wariness thannon-Christian groups.

"If I was a Buddhist, people would say that Iwas really cool and open-minded," Mann says. "Butwhen people hear I'm a religious Christian, theysometimes say 'Oh, that's old-fashioned.'"

THE SILENT COLLEGE

The potential for an increase in religioustension has led Gomes and Epps to look for astronger statement on religion from Harvard'sadministration.

Gomes says the University is often too willingto ignore religious questions.

"There's a sense that religion is so privatethat the institution doesn't have to be aware ofthese things," he says.

Epps agrees, suggesting that the Universitymight be able to ease religious tensions on campuswere it to take the official position that "it isokay to be a member of a religious group."

Epps, who points out that this position isdifferent from advising students to be a member ofsome particular religious groups, says this is notthe administration's current stance.

"The College has no stance now," he says. "TheCollege is silent.