By Chris Jochem
Carolina students are finding support and strength in a new community of openly spiritual students. The Christian-Jew-Muslim- Wicca-Agnostic Alliance, formed in the fall of 2005, is aimed at fundamentalist students and their Agnostic allies in the University community.
“The university is not always as accepting of other people and their beliefs as we might like to think,” said co-founder Price Kaispers. “We are here to advocate equal rights and to end discrimination by religious orientation.”
The group holds weekly meetings where members and guests can discuss the inerrancy of their otherwise mutually exclusive holy texts and other topics relating to spiritual rights. After a prolonged debate over what groups they can agree are definitely going to hell (or each religion's equally ghastly, godless alternative) they then proceed to meditate together. The group also provides support and advice for students who want to become more open about their spirituality.
Junior Zac Tallson recently came out to his parents about his faith and spirituality. “Telling my parents I’m a fundamentalist was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Both my parents are biologists so they took it pretty hard when I had to tell them that I couldn't believe in natural selection.”
“Aren’t we all a little bit spiritual and curious about that whole ‘fundamentalist lifestyle?’” asked Kaspers “Well, we exist to show people that it’s not just a lifestyle, it's so much more than that and we want to help students explore that side of religion and maybe understand something they’ve always felt was true about themselves.”
Many students are believed to attend religious services, primarily on Saturdays and Sundays, but are often too shy to admit it to their friends. College is a time for learning and questioning our beliefs, and CJMWA-A argues that the rigorous course requirements and atheistic professors are forcing students to hide their faith.
CJMWA-A is planning its first Faith Week this spring with numerous events around campus, including prayer groups, Bible study, and a preach-in by Gary “the Pit Preacher” Birdsong.