By Thompson Perry

The Italian Medieval philosopher Saint Anselm of Canterbury devoted his life to proving the existence of God.

Sophomore English major Derek Nash needed just a few minutes to tender his theory. “If there is no God, the world could not even exist. Call Him what you will, but at some point there had to be a creator of this universe; you can only trace ancestries and evolutionary theories so far.”

Nash continued a little further into his philosophy before stopping abruptly and appearing deep in thought.

“Of course, my mom always told me never to talk about religion in public. Religion and politics were off limits; she thought talking about those things could only lead to trouble.”

The University of Louisville, however, is not apologetic or shy about celebrating religion on campus.

The InterFaith Center, located at the base of the Student Activities Center ramp, houses the offices of six different campus ministries; the Baptist Campus Ministries building is just a few steps away.

The university does not have these offices in such close proximity to each other in an effort to create a melting pot of sorts.

As the InterFaith Center online headquarters is quick to point out, it makes no attempt to group all the different religions into a single unit.

Rather, on its Web site the Center identifies itself as “six highly individual and distinct faiths coexisting in a building that truly embodies the spirit of diversity that the university works so hard to encourage.”

The task of keeping religion prevalent in the lives of college students is no easy feat.

According to a 2004 study by the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute, many college students drift away from their regular religious practices.

In the study, 52 percent of the students surveyed said they attended religious services frequently the year before entering college, but by junior year that frequent attendance had dropped to only 29 percent.

It was also found in this research that over 75 percent of college undergraduates really do want to have a spiritual life.

“College and religion are difficult to juggle,” said junior political science major Karen Peterson.

“Plus, they’re kind of conflicting; I think a lot of my friends would feel guilty about their lifestyles if they went to church. They’re not bad people; they’re just having fun, like most college students.”

College is also a time and place in life that provides a lot of self-discovery, as evidenced by the 2003 study “The Spiritual Life of College Students” which surveyed the religiosity of 110,000 college students from 236 different institutions.

The study found that 69 percent of students agreed that religious beliefs provide strength, support and guidance; only 42 percent said they were secure in their own religious beliefs, while 23 percent said they were still seeking answers.

The Episcopal Campus Ministry at U of L is one of the several religious opportunities present on campus.

Students are welcome to come for lunch, a quick prayer, and fun every Thursday at noon at the Interfaith Center.

The Catholic Campus Ministry is also active on campus. Among other regular events, Mass is held each Sunday at 5 p.m. with free dinner afterwards. Bible study is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

The Lutheran Campus Ministries offers a Bible study and discussion group each Thursday at 4 p.m., with free snacks provided. Likewise, the Wesley Foundation (United Methodist) meets every Monday and Wednesday for 45 minutes at noon in the Interfaith Center.

Tuesday Night Together at 7 p.m. is the weekly Baptist Campus Ministry worship service. Although Hillel, the Jewish Student Organization, does not conduct regular service on campus, they do connect students to local synagogues. They also observe special holiday events on or near campus.

Staff members at both the InterFaith Center and Baptist Campus Ministry are available to help students with any questions.