An Investigation Into the Development of Religious Beliefs Among Non-Catholic Students in a Catholic University

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation is to study the effect that training in a Catholic coeducational university may have upon the attitudes and beliefs of non-Catholic students on certain religious beliefs. This will be accomplished by an investigation of the differences in viewpoints between a group of freshmen and group of senior students by means of a questionnaire, a copy of which will be found in Figure I, Pp. 31, 32, 33. The question is of considerable importance because of the conditions in the world at large today. Are the youths of our nation be influenced in adverse directions by the anti-religious atmosphere pervading certain other countries, and to a certain extent our own as well, or are they holding fast to and developing their religious convictions? If there is such development, to what extent may we attribute it to their training while in college? Because of the seemingly wide divergence of opinion as to just what the youths of our nations do believe, especially in reference to religious matters (and also how their beliefs during the adolescent period influence their later thinking and behavior), the consulted number of sources dealing with this problem. the adolescent carry with him into college certain religious fervor; or is he lackadaisical about such important thing as religion? Opinions on this point vary considerably. For example, Garrison says, "The adolescent does not need a dogma or creed to anchor on--his need is to find himself, and to interrelate in his own thinking the processes of the universe with the general plan of life.” And Cole and Morgan, "At each age beyond fifteen fewer and fewer boys and girls go to church and more and more become critical of religions." Brooks, however, supports the opposite viewpoint. "Under favorable conditions," he writes, " religion occupies a very important place in the life of the maturing boy or girl. It satisfies hi s groping for a fundamental, synthesized understanding of the whole realm of experience, It gives him a sense of values, a sense of personal relationships and obligations. It facilitates the foundation of high ideals of unselfish service …. it aids him in resolving many conflicts of impulses and desires, and thus assists him in attaining sound mental health.” With these various attitudes in mind, and to aid in the investigation, we may formulate the following hypthoses: 1) That non-Catholic students increase in their certainty of belief, number of beliefs, etc., in a typical Catholic school situation 2) That non-Catholic students lose their certainty of belief during the time spent in a typical Catholic school situation 3) That there are no changes in the beliefs of non-Catholic students during such a period 4) That non-Catholic students gain in certainty of belief in some instances, and become uncertain in others, during such a period. Our aim, then, is to ascertain which of these hypotheses an empirical study would substantiate. Scope There was no intent in the present study to investigate the religious problem in all its phases. The investigator was attempting to determine only the possible changes in religious beliefs in non-Catholic students in a Catholic university, by comparing a typical group of freshman students with similar group of seniors. Do the religious belief of non - Catholic students tend to undergo certain changes due to associations with Catholics and training in certain courses tied t o religion, or can it be said that they are not materially affected by these experiences? …