Berkley Center

I recently had a conversation with a British friend, Clare, about the atheism movement in the United Kingdom. Clare belongs to the Oxford Intercollegiate Christian Union, which sponsors several events that are designed to increase awareness about Christianity. She said that although agnosticism and atheism are prevalent at Oxford, she increasingly thinks that non-religious students are either consciously or unconsciously “yearning for Christ.”

Clare had previously been president of the Christian Union, and she reported unexpected success in a weeklong event of faith-based lectures that were held at the town hall in February. The auditorium, which seats more than 500 people, managed to reach capacity each night. In fact, the first night was so popular that the event spilled over into a neighboring church. Our conversation led me to think about both the explicit and implicit roles that faith plays in university.

According to a 2007 poll by a Christian relief agency, Tearfund, only about 15 percent of the British population attends a religious service more than once a month. In 2004, a BBC survey revealed that the percentage of U.K. citizens who do not believe in a God was 39 percent, while the Daily Telegraph put the percentage of non-believers at 35 percent and the percentage of those who “don’t know” at 21 percent. A 2009 Daily Telegraph poll found that two-thirds of U.K. teenagers do not believe in a God. In fact, in 2004 the government announced that atheism would be taught during religious education classes in the United Kingdom. At the same time, the country is currently undergoing a serious debate on the issue of faith-based schools, which follow religious curricula in addition to academic curricula.

The “antitheism” movement is also rather strong in the United Kingdom. Cultural critic Christopher Hitchens and biologist Richard Dawkins were educated here at Oxford, and the latter teaches here. Some antitheists, Hitchens in particular, point to what they consider to be demonstrative dangers of organized religion. Later in the academic year, Dawkins will be debating Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, on “the nature of human beings and the question of their ultimate origin.”

Compare this environment to that of the United States. A 2008 Gallup poll found that some 6 percent of the population did not believe in a God or universal spirit. At the same time, an American Religious Identification Survey found that approximately 15 percent of the population did not claim a religion. Some of the best secondary schools are private, faith-based institutions. Never mind one’s personal beliefs on religion, the religious atmosphere in the United States is very different from that of the United Kingdom.

This being said, I have thoroughly enjoyed studying in this environment. It is not so much that religion is discouraged; rather, religion is rarely discussed at a personal level. First of all, different individuals interpret what it means to be religious or not religious quite differently. Labels like “religious,” “spiritual,” and “faith”—and their corresponding opposites—rarely capture the entirely of an individual’s identity and beliefs.

Secondly, there is strong apprehension toward discussing different faith backgrounds in the United Kingdom. In my own personal experience, students at Georgetown are far more likely than their Oxford counterparts to share their personal testimonies, or stories about their journeys of faith. Questions about religion seem to be highly personal topics of discussion here, ones that aren’t really chatted about with casual acquaintances.

Last week, Clare told me that the Christian Union (CU) put on a pancake event. Students were given the opportunity to text a phone number with their room number and choice of pancake topping. Once CU members showed up with the food, the student could ask a question about God, and the CU members would try to answer it while they handed over the pancake. I asked Clare what she thought was the most interesting question that she received. She thought awhile and replied, “Is God relevant?” I liked it too.