Berkley Center

I often see statistics or listen to commentators and talk show personalities claiming that the United States is a nation of exceptionally religious character. Perhaps my general skepticism of these claims is indicative of the community, or even region, in which I was raised, but this had never been my experience. My nuclear family's general aversion to the church setting (exceptions are made for weddings and funerals)–occasionally caused a stir among the more devout relatives, but I had never been questioned or approached about matters of faith. While a line in the popular television show Boston Legal comes to mind, where actor James Spader says "Let's face it, God is big here," I rarely see its manifestation outside of the discussion of some political issues. Despite its popularity, faith in America seems an undercurrent at best in many parts of the country, conspicuously hidden from view.

Religion did not cross my mind when I made the decision to come and study in Cape Town, South Africa. It was only when I got into the flow of everyday life here that I understood how big God is here, even compared to how things are back in the United States. The tiny laundry room in my complex of student flats is empty on a Sunday morning, and not just because my classmates are all still asleep. If you walk down to a local coffee shop just after noon that same day you will likely find yourself fighting upstream against a hoard of students returning from morning services. I should note the absence of a particular demographic amongst these hoards—the American exchange students who, for the most part, are in their rooms recovering from the previous night.

I do not mean to doubt the sincere, genuine faith held by many students at Georgetown or elsewhere. In Cape Town, though, religion is a fixture in popular culture. Instead of taking time out of a busy schedule to attend a midnight Mass, students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) find themselves at services of one of many denominations as a matter of course. Students travel far and wide to attend the service of their choice. Some go south to the wealthy suburb of Kenilworth for Anglican services, while others travel north near the City Bowl and the Sea Point for Pentecostal services. Churches and mosques seem to be on just about every street corner, and I imagine each and every one of them has at least a UCT student or two in its congregation.

Perhaps I need to travel more within my own country. Some time outside of the northeastern corridor would almost certainly open my eyes to new and distinct cultures of faith in America. It's been a while since the northeastern swath of the United States was known for any particular religious fervor, as opposed to (and I recognize the danger of this generalization) detached and stony intellectualism. Capetonians and transitory university students alike tend to wear ‘culture’ on their sleeves to a much greater extent than the average East Coast American. Many embrace multiple religious and cultural identities, indicating the ongoing tension between traditional and imported belief systems in modern South African society. President Jacob Zuma, for example, regularly and publicly embraces Christian faith and Zulu traditions. On the whole, it is the minority in South Africa who push faith-related cultural identities under the surface.

While I am less than comfortable with some of the more tawdry (by American standards of course) manifestations of traditional cultures in South Africa, such as sporadic polygamy and virgin testing, I consider myself very lucky to have been introduced to so much here. In addition to the remnants of more traditional belief systems and values (Cape Town is easily the most ‘Westernized’ city in South Africa and therefore these traditional beliefs are not as widespread as in more rural areas), I have had the privilege to observe and even participate in a modern culture to which faith is intrinsically tied. South Africans—even the most urbanite of Capetonians—have a spectacular pride in faith and the role it plays in local and national culture. God is really, really big here.