Religious minorities seek community

James Williams '06 is used to being in the minority when it comes to religion. As a Zoroastrian, with only about 5,000 people in North America sharing his beliefs, Williams is accustomed to the lack of a large fellowship of believers, and it didn't surprise him that the University didn't have a Zoroastrian temple nearby.

But, that doesn't mean it's easy to be the only practicing Zoroastrian on campus.

"There's no community with which to share my faith," said Williams, a native of Portland, Ore.

Williams is one of many students who face the challenge of practicing a minority religion at the University. Though as a single representative he is an extreme example, even students following faiths like Islam and Hinduism — which have enough adherents on campus to form student groups — face the challenge of lying outside "mainstream" tradition.

Dana Graef '05, a Zen Buddhist, remembers "walking around Dillon Gym looking for a Buddhist group" at the activities fair freshman year, but not finding one because there "were no longer any practicing Buddhists."

Though the Buddhist student group has revived — there are now five to 10 members — some aspects of campus life still challenge her faith. Graef is a vegetarian and she does not drink. However, other than that, she said, she hasn't been restricted in her activities at the University.

Though most people consider Princeton a secular institution, the University was founded in the fervor of the Great Awakening. Its strongly Protestant heritage survived in forms like mandatory chapel attendance, which ended only in 1964. Today Christianity remains the majority religion.

Yet even some Christians feel they are a religious minority. Jinha Kim '05, president of the Seventh Day Adventist fellowship, said there were only about 12 students in the group.

Moreover, many aspects of University life don't fit well with her beliefs — such as not working on Saturday. She added that many events among the Christian fellowships leave out Seventh Day Adventists.

Aware of these challenges, the Office of Religious Life (ORL) has stepped up efforts to make followers of minority faiths feel more comfortable on campus.

While the University has no official statistics on the diversity of faiths at the University — the admission office doesn't ask applicants for their religious background, nor does the ORL require incoming freshmen to report their beliefs — it does try to make students aware of the resources available for all faiths.

"We want to make students feel that this is a great school where their religion will be respected," said Associate Dean of Religious Life Paul Raushenbush, who coordinates the University's efforts to reach out to minority religions.

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Recently, the ORL's efforts have focused on "making space" for different religious groups. For example, the Muslim Students' Association's prayer room in Murray-Dodge Hall was renovated, Raushenbush said.

In addition, Murray-Dodge now has an interfaith prayer room on its third floor. Although it was created primarily as a place for Buddhists and Hindus to gather, the room is open to all students for prayer and meditation.

Though Raushenbush recognizes the challenges religious minorities face, he also said the situation provides "a great opportunity for unity."

"One of the interesting things about minority religions is that they have to find the common denominator," he said. Though faiths like Buddhism and Islam have traditions within them, campus followers usually come together to pray or meditate, despite doctrinal differences.

"Either they're going to sit together, or they're going to be very lonely," he added.

Raushenbush also said the Religious Life Council (RLC), an interfaith dialogue group run by the ORL, provides many religious-minority students with a place to find a supportive group of people who "take religion seriously."

Williams agreed, describing the RLC as an "extraordinary" opportunity to find a "family" of faith and respect, especially since he had no local Zoroastrian community to fall back on.

Despite the challenges posed by being in the minority, most students seemed content with religious life at the University.

Graef said she enjoys talking with people about her religion. She said many students were interested in learning more about her faith, adding that even conversations with people who disagreed were some of her most valuable experiences at the University.

Speaking of those who challenged her beliefs, she said, "I hope I can challenge them as well."