Religion can define a culture, end a war, answer the inevitable or enhance the diversity on a college campus.
“How did I go from believing in absolutely nothing to believing in everything? … It’s a complete 180.”
For 18 years nothing existed. She was a gamer, a cursing sailor, a pornography user and a screamo music fan. She wouldn’t have even befriended herself back then, English junior Claire Happle says. The New Orleans native was an Atheist for 18 years until she gave her life to Christ.
Happle surprised herself when her friend walked her into a worship service with Chi Alpha Ministries her freshman year. She was playing the part of a Christian when she felt a heavy weight in the room, she says. Happle later realized she was experiencing the presence of God and the ‘weight’ of His glory. Happle says she freaked out, never having experienced anything like this before. She returned the following week to feel the same weight again while praying.
When Happle accepted Christ, giving up 18 years of bad habits proved to be just as difficult as it sounds. She took her time to let go of the music, the cursing and the unkind quality of her personality, which had become her most defined trait, she says. She began to take her mind off of herself and focused on the “bigger picture” — the world around her and the people she cared about.
“[God is] willing to work with you wherever you’re at, no matter how crazy it is, or how normal it is,” Happle says.
Months later, Happle’s brother tore his ACL. His next physical therapy appointment took a turn when the doctor said her brother was healed and no longer had to go through the year-long recovery process. The miracle was enough to encourage Happle’s brother and father to be baptized.
Following Christ and loving people is all it takes to be a true Christian, Happle says. The result of hatred is all over the news, which is why Happle has dedicated her life to mission work and helping people around the world when she graduates, she says.
“It doesn’t look like traditional Christianity,” Happle says, “…but every faith walk looks a little bit different.”
“It was a lot more fear, more fear than love … [and] I didn’t want that to be true.”
As the granddaughter of a deacon and daughter of a 55-year-old Catholic, French and criminology senior Meghan Malone would argue with anyone who tried to disprove her Catholic beliefs. This was until she left the Catholic Church in eighth grade. Through the University, Malone recently found comfort in her agnostic beliefs.
She says her parents pushed her sister, Amanda Malone, to get confirmed. The resentment her sister felt toward their parents affected Meghan and turned her away from religion. Even when she stopped believing, she says it took her awhile to lose her fear of God and become respectful of religion, especially Catholicism, again.
The Georgia native was introduced to agnosticism her freshman year in high school. She had a friend from Bosnia, who grew up as Muslim and converted to agnosticism at a much younger age than Meghan.
“I just didn’t want to worry about whether or not God exists, worrying about whether or not He was there and him watching over me,” She says. “It was a lot more of fear — more fear than love.”
Meghan recognizes that it may have been her church that turned her away from religion, but she continues to abide by her morals, help others and focus on every day as it comes.
“Islam is very vilified and misunderstood.”
There can be many misconceptions about the Islamic faith for those who have never experienced it personally. People tend to misjudge Islam’s true intentions, rather than educating themselves on what the faith is about, says electrical engineering senior Saad Ahmad. It’s not hard to understand Islam, most people just don’t ask the right source, he says.
Ahmad, president of the Muslim Student Association at the University, was born and raised Muslim.
Ahmad recognizes the challenges that arise between the Islamic faith and some college traditions. He tries to avoid relationships and alcohol, which are forbidden within Islam or anything that can distract him from his prayers. Ahmad recalls never attending an LSU football game. However, avoiding popular social activities can make it difficult to make friends, Ahmad says of his experience.
Praying and staying away from forbidden activities helps preserve his faith and draw him closer to Islam. He believes even when you know what’s right, the environment and the people you surround yourself with can weaken or strengthen your faith. Ahmad attends his mosque at least one a day, where his faith is boosted and his prayers are answered.
“It’s the right way to live… it’s not just a religion, it’s a way of life,” Ahmad says.
“It’s a very kind religion, we don’t have strict roots.”
According to the Pew Research Center, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, in addition to being one of the oldest.
Modhuparna Manna, computer science doctoral student from Kolkata, India is Hindu. Hinduism is a way of life for its followers and not rooted in strict rules.Manna says they believe in idol worship, which states that every deity has a story to represent an underlying moral. Manna believes these stories have been recorded by saints and sages throughout the past and use characters to prove a point, which is often the case.
Although she moved to the United States for school, Manna continues to practice her religion away from her home culture of India. She lives by the Hindu principles through prayers and celebrates traditional holidays with the Indian community on campus.
She feels that the Hindu teachings are within her and says it’s just as easy to practice her beliefs at the University, despite the small Hindu presence on campus.
“It is not hard. It is my culture and [Hinduism is] in my blood,” she says.
“You want what’s best for yourself, you want what’s best for everyone else.”
Catholicism takes up a large number of campus with about 42 percent of the student population.
Kinesiology sophomore Nathan Fontenot was raised Catholic. Born in Ville Platte, Louisiana, Fontenot attended Catholic school all his life. His upbringing fostered his beliefs, but Fontenot credits his deep relationship with God to the sense of community he’s found in college with students that not only valued their faith, but practiced it every day.
“You can’t just go the gym one day and work out really hard for a couple of hours and expect to get really ‘swole’… it may help with motivation but it won’t help in the long run,” he explains.
Fontenot says praying more every day made a huge difference in his life. He attends mass daily and is a small group leader of a weekly bible study for Christ the King Catholic Church.
For Fontenot, the most important part of being Catholic is “you love and everything else comes.”
“I do my own thing but let God lead me through this process called life.”
Treasure Washington, communication studies junior and Madisonville, Louisiana native was raised Baptist. As the daughter of a deacon, when she came to college she found a non-denominational church.
Washington’s church went on a mission trip to Syria and she saw firsthand how Christians resisted following Jesus. Hopeless and faithless, they were forced to hide out and censor their beliefs, she says. Washington chooses to fight for her faith daily for all of those who aren’t able to freely practice Christianity.
To Washington, the duty of a Christian is to love all people. Washington recognizes that being judgmental is human nature, but she tries not to criticize people, but instead love them for who they are.
“We are all perfect in His sight,” she says.
Washington believes because God showed grace toward humanity, she can show compassion toward others. As a community of believers, she says people should grow closer together to proclaim God’s goodness.
“It’s like joining a club and getting a lifelong membership.”
Political science and French freshman Molly Dake is converting to Judaism. All her life, the Lafayette, Louisiana native felt like Christianity never clicked with her. She says she always felt like she wanted religion to be a source of comfort in her life. As Dake began reading and researching different types of religion, she came across Reform Judaism.
Raised as an Atheist, Dake grew up believing that all organized religion was the same. When she found Judaism, she appreciated the religion’s personal commitment to social justice and making a difference in the world.
Dake is one year into converting and estimates the process will take her two years. She recognizes the strength within the close-knit Jewish community. She says although it’s small everybody looks after each other.
“Everything is up for debate in Judaism,” Dake says. “…Never stop questioning, you’re not only allowed to question things, you are encouraged to and required to….”
