Every week, Ohio University international student Ray Chan attends two different Bible study groups, helps area senior citizens at the First United Methodist Church and tries to attend a local Baptist Church.
Though Chan is only one of thousands at OU, his level of religious engagement and commitment is consistent with national trends found in a recent study.
College students of different religious preferences show discernible trends regarding participation in and perceptions about faith and spirituality, according to The Spiritual Life of College Students: A National Study of College Students' Search for Meaning and Purpose.
The study, led by University of California, Los Angeles researchers, classifies college students' religious preferences into 19 categories, including 12 major Christian denominations, other Christian
Unitarian, Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist and none.
OU's Office of Institutional Research does not keep similar statistics on students' religious affiliation.
More than 112,000 students were surveyed for the national study, and their responses were scored within 12 measures of spirituality and religion.
Two clusters of religious preference scored similarly regarding these different measures. The first cluster included Baptists, Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists and other Christians and the second cluster, Unitarians, Buddhists, Hindus, Episcopalians, Eastern Orthodox followers and Jews.
Chan, a Baptist, falls in the first group. Students in this group tend to be strongly spiritual, religious, religiously and socially conservative and express little religious skepticism.
When I believe something I will devote my whole life to it
Chan said. It's not just a religion. It is your faith
your whole life.
The second group scores low on religiousness and high on religious skepticism, ecumenical world view, ethic of caring and charitable involvement.
Rabbi Danielle Leshaw, adviser of the Hillel Jewish Student Programs, was not surprised by these findings.
It's completely acceptable for someone to be Jewish and never go to synagogue and never experience any typical Jewish prayer
she said. However
if they are involved in social justice work -uplifting the fallen
feeding the hungry and clothing the naked -all these things that Judaism says that we are required and responsible to do in this world
that is very much a religious value and a religious act.
Roman Catholics, who account for the highest percentage of surveyed students, tended to score below the overall average on religious commitment, religious engagement, religious and social conservatism and religious skepticism.
Marty Holler, a pastor of Christ the King University Parish, 75 Stewart St., was puzzled by these findings.
I'm not sure why this would be the overall trend
he said, adding that Christ the King has a high number student participants.
Despite the general classifications in the report, it is important to remember exceptions to the rules always exist, Leshaw said.
Everyone experiences religion differently, she said.
It ultimately depends on your personal experience
Chan said.
