God may not attend Princeton, but many students say that He does indeed have a place here. Despite academia's somewhat secular nature and the challenges presented by a busy college lifestyle, students have continued the religious practices they observed before college with the support of small religious communities distributed across campus.
Rena Lauer '05 said that compared to other universities, the tight-knit community of orthodox Jews at Princeton has afforded her the opportunity to be a leader in several arenas.
"It's very easy to slip through the cracks and not have a voice in your community," she said of religious life elsewhere.
The abundance of opportunities to play an active and influential role in the Jewish community was one of the main reasons Lauer chose to come to the University, she said. Last year she was the social chair of the orthodox community on campus. She currently co-chairs the University's only social organization for religious women, Nemayra.
Some students say they have grown more religious in college.
During her sophomore year, Elizabeth Valvano '04, who was raised Roman Catholic, joined the Regnum Christi Movement, a devout sect of Catholicism prioritizing poverty, obedience and chastity.
"Growing up I developed a strong faith in and love for the Church, but I did not really begin to understand the inexhaustible depths of the Catholic faith until I came to college," she said.
Marisa Murphy '04, a member of the Aquinas Catholic group, Agape Christian fellowship and Athletes in Action, said the friends she made through her religious involvements have dramatically enhanced her spirituality as well as her undergraduate experience.
"There were many activities and opportunities organized by the religious groups which helped me to build friendships and do community service, which has always been important to me."
Despite the vibrant religious communities that these students have found on campus, they cite several new challenges to their spirituality that they have encountered since coming to the University.
One such challenge to religiosity is time constraints imposed by schoolwork and extracurricular commitments.
Joey Munoz '05, who came from a very religious Catholic family, said that class work has prevented him from dedicating as much time to religious organizations as he did to the youth groups he was a part of before college.
"I don't observe any less. I feel like I'm less involved just because of the way things are set up here," he said.
Trade-offs
Another obstacle religious students sometimes find is that University-run extracurricular activities sometimes conflict with holidays and observances that affect only a handful of students.
Lauer pointed out that as a Jew who observes the Sabbath she is unable to participate in many social activities that either meet or practice on Friday nights or Saturdays.
"That is a huge problem with having a small Jewish community on campus," she said.
Daniel Mark '03, who also keeps kosher and observes the Sabbath, agreed that some aspects of Princeton social life are not possible for a strict Jew.
He pointed out that he could not join an eating club or eat in dining halls with friends who did not keep kosher.
He said he sometimes does not feel as connected to University life as a result, but added he has never regretted the "social barrier" his religion imposes.
"Everyone has the opportunity to make the choices they makes, and those choices have consequences," he said.
One's religious experience at Princeton also largely depends on one's circle of friends. Munoz said that while he feels that he does not attend as many religious-oriented activities as he did in high school, he recognizes that his friends' lack of interest factors into that decision.
"Most of my friends aren't very religious, which I think is a pretty big thing," he said. "I wouldn't say it is a general challenge, but it happens to be with me."
Academia's stance
Add to that the friction between religion and intellectualism.
"I don't think college in general is very conducive to religious life," Mark said. "The academic establishment is on the whole hostile to religion," he added.
Murphy said that she had also often heard remarks made in lectures that cast religion in a poor light.
However, the University's genuinely curious student body and religiously conscientious administrative policies give religion a firm footing in a traditionally secular environment.
Regardless of whether or not people surround themselves with similar religious dedication, most students agree that their friends and peers are often eager to talk about religious subjects. Many say that they find their classmates never tire of these conversations.
"People here don't always feel like talking about politics, but they always feel like talking about religion," Lauer said.
Munoz pointed out that religious conversations on campus often have a philosophical and intellectual slant.
In addition to casual debate, students also talk about religion to learn more about some religious traditions to which they had not been exposed. Mark said he enjoyed informing interested people about his faith.
"Some of my friends have never known Orthodox Jews — since I came to campus that's always been really interesting for me," he said.
The college experience enriches a person by enabling him to meet people completely different from himself, Mark added.
All these students agreed that despite some conflicts between their social and religious lives on campus, they have found the University to be supportive of their religious needs.
"Administratively, [the University] is very conducive to being a religious Jew," Lauer said. Professors are always willing to change a test or academic commitment interfering with holidays or the Sabbath, she added.
Mark added that there are social organizations for religious Jews through the Center for Jewish Life. He is a member of Yazneh, a social organization for orthodox Jews, that organizes holiday events and study breaks.
Murphy noted that the University sponsors many lectures that spur religious debate and inquiry. Groups often attend events organized by other groups, thus further stimulating dialogue and understanding.
Students say they are not bothered by the challenges and differences in religious practice that they have experienced while at the University. Learning how to weave your religious values into a secular society is a valuable and necessary life skill for a religious person of any background, they said.
"What people deal with here is another natural step in becoming a religious person in the real world," Murphy said.
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