A day in the life of a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim
By Jocelyn Beach Sexton
“Have you heard of a prophet?” an enthusiastic young woman, who later introduces herself as Sister B., asks to passersby.
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It is around 3:00, one of the first warm afternoons of spring quarter, and this messenger has traveled to Ohio State University’s Sinai to engage students in a quick conversation before inviting them to “listen to the Prophet and Apostles of God.”
The Sister is not alone.
On any given day, the oval is filled with the word of God, whether it is through her cheerful voice or the more obstinate tone of a well-known campus proselytizer.
Only a handful of students actually stop their immediate journeys — to class, to the gym, to weekend plans — to find out about the larger one that these strangers have to offer. And if a lack of interest on the Oval is any indication of larger trends, religion and college may seem to be incompatible lifestyles.
But walking across campus, religious gathering places appear just as pervasive as the less holy hangouts that line High Street. At the North end, the traditional Catholic St. Thomas Moore Newman Center sits just around the corner from the Nuthouse. Across campus, the quaint Hindu-affiliated ISKCON Krishna House hides indistinguishable from surrounding Eighth Avenue apartments. And in between, a handful of churches and temples are scattered among bars, shops, and restaurants, reminders of religion’s presence in a college atmosphere.
OSU’s diversity website lists 12 religious organizations, including, among multiple Christian groups, Students for Freethought and the Pagan Student Association. While some of these “religions” may be limited to startup websites, founding members, and oval sermons, others have created a sturdy following on campus. Among these, a few organizations have even become staples of the community, home bases for their student members.
Judaism
At 4:00, just off campus at 16th and Pearl, sophomores Jared Goldfarb and Joey Nutis have stopped in Hillel to meet up with friends and check on upcoming events. This afternoon, the Jewish organization is bustling with activity. Inside the main office, student employees and interns crowd the front desk. Across the hallway, at the Bagel Café, student cooks prepare a kosher dinner. In between, a staff member finds floor space away from the masses to make a poster. But wall space in this main entrance is hard to come by, as well. According to one of many posted event flyers, the guest speaker on this particular night is Nir Zerynyak, a gay Israeli who is discussing attitudes toward the gay community in Israel, the Middle East, and the U.S.
Goldfarb thinks students, like himself, often reach out to religious groups to find community in college.
“I feel that [college] is a time of extremes,” Goldfard said. “Either you lose all touch with religion or you get very involved.”
Both Goldfarb and Nutis have become actively involved in the Jewish community on campus. They visit Hillel daily and attend weekly Friday night Shabbat dinners and Saturday morning services. Although they agreed that being Jewish is hard in general (there are 613 rules to follow), and particularly difficult in college, they have maintained certain practices and kept up cultural ties through Hillel and their predominantly Jewish fraternity.
“Living in the [fraternity] house can be an obstacle to religious practice,” Goldfarb said, “but it is more about a common Jewish culture as opposed to religion. I enjoy the community aspect of it.”
The Jewish community at OSU, according to Hillel’s Executive Director Joseph Kohane, consists of about 3,100 students. In any given year, Kohane estimated that half of this population attends Hillel programs, ranging from religious services to social events to community service projects and, like tonight, cultural speakers.
“Hillel really offers a number of avenues for people to connect [to the faith],” Kohane said. This variety is important for those students curious about religion in college. “Most students are open to exploring, and a minority that are more self-reflective actually seek it out,” he said.
Christianity
Exploring may have brought 23-year-old Rohan Patil to Independence Hall, at 8:00 this same evening, for the weekly Real Life (OSU’s Campus Crusade for Christ) meeting. It also could have been the nice weather. But, for Patil, who was born into the Hindu tradition, chance and instinct played a larger role in his attendance.
Inside Independence Hall’s 500-person auditorium, the seats are filling quickly as the lights dim, the rock music reaches concert-level decibels, and the large projector begins a countdown to the service. A tech-crew of students hurries to their places at the soundboard, and a live band is tuning onstage. The audience tonight is an assortment of energetic students representing the largest Christian group on campus. As everyone greets his neighbor warmly, the band begins, ascribing lyrics “How awesome is the Lord most high,” to a rock and roll rhythm.
The meeting starts out with upcoming event information. Not unlike Hillel, Real Life has planned an assortment of events for spring quarter that began with a Spring Break trip to Daytona and continues this particular weekend with a house party (cornhole included) on North Campus, and later in the quarter, a formal and retreat.
The main speaker tonight, staff member Brian Metzer, is then given a warm reception as he declares that “Spring is a great time for evangelism,” and calls on a passage from Luke XIV, asking students to be “fishers of men.”
“Are you sharing it [the Gospel]?” Metzer asks. “If not, why not?”
At the end of the program, the band returns with a final rendition of “Amazing Grace.” Students are on their feet, swaying to a constant drum beat and singing along with the projected lyrics. Patil stays seated, but closes his eyes in a less conspicuous appreciation.
“There is a reason why they like that last song,” Patil explains after the meeting. “This is all about finding natural rhythms inside of you.” Patil has recently “gotten a sneak preview of [his] spirituality.” As a consequence of this change, or perhaps a cause, he admits that he tries to take himself less seriously, playing and seeking comedy in every situation.
Islam
Acceptance is a loaded word in religious contexts. On this night, around 11:00, in a non-formal gathering at a 24-hour campus restaurant, a group of friends jokes about the concept of acceptance. At this roundtable are a non-practicing Catholic and two Muslims from the United Arab Emirates, one of whom seems to be grappling with the current status of his religion. Growing up in the U.A.E., Ahmed Almanaseer prayed the obligatory five times a day, read the Qur’an regularly, and fasted on Ramadan.
“Back home, friends and family influenced me,” Almanaseer said. “Here, I can’t take friends to the Mosque. I’m lucky if I make it there once a week, on Fridays.” After coming to OSU in June, he said he gradually lost touch with Islam. “I’m kind of worried. I believe in my religion, but it’s really hard to follow, especially with the atmosphere, parties and everything, around here.”
But both Almanaseer and Zayed Alkindi are happy with their environment and friends on campus. “[Religious devotion] depends on the person,” Alkindi said. “I can have non-Muslim friends and still pray. It’s not like how I used to be in the U.A.E., but I still try.” Alkindi accepts that he has to make adjustments and exceptions. During the school week he misses some prayers while in class but makes an effort during breaks to pray in the Engineering Library. Sitting at this table with friends tonight, he says, is a choice instead of praying.
At this point, nearing midnight, and the peak of campus nightlife, the serious nature of the conversation breaks. One of the guys has made a joke, about another’s mom, and just like that, the language shifts. Talk of the nearest party, a group of girls walking down the street, and more about mom, replaces any lingering thoughts of Muslim pillars, prayer, and practice. The only religious concept brought up again is that of sinning as the guys walk down High Street in search of their destination.
Originally Published: Issue 500 - April 25, 2007
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