God’s place in today’s world was up for debate Tuesday in Hill Memorial Library.
During a lecture by Henrik Syse, a senior research fellow at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, the philosopher said many people around the world think a crisis of civilization is under way as terrorism, distrust and a willingness to use violence increasingly appear in the media.
As civilization progresses, the world’s inhabitants face a number of challenges, Syse said. The world’s environment does not know how to cater to such a vast amount of people, and a global crisis could be the greatest challenge to civilization since the Black Death.
Another hurdle exists in the drastic technological advancement of the 21st century. The progress has not solved humanity’s existential problems, leaving people wanting more, Syse said.
“As technology fills our lives, people ask, ‘Is that all?'” he said.
The worldwide financial crisis is yet another challenge people face. The morals that were used to build capitalism seem to have disappeared, Syse said, leading him to ask what happened to caring about the common good, liberal education and a sense of decency.
Finally, now more than ever, mankind possesses the ability to destroy itself with nuclear weapons and global distrust, according to Syse.
In the midst of these challenges, he said an increasing prevalence of religion and belief in God is seen in many parts of the world.
But that’s not always the case, especially in the influential world of college.
Jonathan Chetta, a general studies sophomore who identified himself as a Christian, said it might be easy for some students to lose their faith during the transition to college.
“You’re not living in your parents’ house anymore,” he said.
“You may not feel obligated to go to church anymore because you don’t have to.”
Students begin thinking for themselves and questioning if they want religion as a part of their lives, Chetta said.
He said religion is a personal matter – each individual decides how much to devote to it. He said his faith has grown in college with the realization of the steps he could take to strengthen it.
Syse said if people do not master or care about the discourses of God, religion and spirituality, then civilization will be ill-equipped in confronting the aforementioned challenges.
 
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