College students nationally are abandoning or changing their religious values, and this trend has been happening at the University of Memphis as well.
College graduates are more likely to identify as atheists or agnostic than people who have a high school education or less, according to a 2017 study from Pew Research Center titled, “In America, Does More Education Equal Less Religion?”
John Gilmore, an anthropology professor at the U of M, has spent the past 15 years teaching the class, Magic and Religion. He said his goal is to teach different cultures, religions and practices from around the world to his students and let them draw their own conclusions about what they believe.
“One of the things I always say with my class at the beginning of class is that it’s not designed to change the way people think or anything,” Gilmore said. “Hopefully, it will make people take a good look at what their belief systems are, and in some cases, it may make them stronger and deeper. In other cases, it may give them cause to start looking and exploring.”
Gilmore said one or two students typically identify as atheist or agnostic at the beginning of his class. He said at the end of the semester, students sometimes approach him and share that his course inspired them to shift their beliefs.
He said besides what students learn in his class, he believes atheism and agnosticism are growing amongst students because it has become more accepted by society.
Robert Launay, an anthropology professor at Northwestern University, said he does not believe professors should be credited for leading students to abandon their beliefs. He said peer groups and the hardships college students face are more influential on their decisions to let go of their faith. He also said some students begin to believe the religious values of their parents should no longer apply to their lives.
“I think it has to do with a changing social and economic landscape where children don’t feel like they can rely on their parents’ advice, where the world is too different from their parents’ world,” Launay said. “It’s not parents or teachers who can tell them what to do. I think children reevaluate their own understandings of the world in their own terms.”
Classes in the anthropology department teach students a variety of topics that may conflict with their religious beliefs, such as evolution, primate ancestors and human origins. Some students believe these lessons are a test of their faith.
“There’s a kind of ‘being religious’ where you always do what you’re told without thinking,” Launay said. “Going to a university may get people to question that. I don’t think it’s a good idea to always do what you’re told without thinking, whatever your point of view.”
While some students have not enitrely abandoned their beliefs, they have admitted they no longer practice religious rituals anymore, such as praying or attending church. Some have also noticed this trend in their friends.
“My friend groups, ever since they got into college, have been questioning their religion more often because of all the different opinions now on campus that they’re being exposed to,” said Joshua Booth, a 20-year-old advertising major.
