Harvard was established on paper in 1636, but what prompted efforts to actually create the College was religious leader Anne Hutchinson’s trial. Hutchinson was tried, convicted, and banished for her unorthodox stance on the road to salvation, a hot-button issue that roiled present-day Cambridge, Mass. in the 1630s. For the established Puritan clergy, her expulsion meant rejecting her view of the idea of grace as central to salvation—a sacrilege to their stance that good works were the predominant factor.
Essentially begun as a protection against Hutchinson’s “radicalism,” Harvard has come a long way from its origin as an institution with a pronounced religious mission to become a champion of secular liberal arts education. Harvard’s religious identity evolved with the religious diversification of Massachusetts, as the puritan ideals of a carefully ordered, church-centered community dissipated toward the end of the 17th century. Harvard was increasingly associated with liberal instincts in the 1730s and 40s, which further expanded in the early 19th century due to the emergence of Unitarianism: an ideology based on human reason, morality, and intellectual freedom. The creation of the Divinity School in 1816 was a critical milestone in the Unitarian-led secularization process. As Professor David Holland of the Harvard Divinity School told the HPR, the split “signalled that the rest of Harvard College was no longer a divinity school, and that its original religious mission was to be distinct from the other objectives of the university.”
Despite the declaration of secular identity, however, Harvard stands unique in keeping together two aspects of religious instruction that have grown apart in most other colleges in the country: ministerial training and academic study of religion. For instance, whereas Duke University focuses primarily on ministerial training, and University of Chicago provides only academic study, Harvard’s Committee on the Study of Religion offers both training of religious leaders as well as robust academic programs on religious studies. This hybrid mode of religious instruction is reflected in the fact that the committee is largely intertwined with the Divinity School. Many courses are jointly offered by the two bodies and geared toward graduate and undergraduate students alike. Furthermore, the Committee is comprised of the Arts and Sciences faculty from a range of departments and Divinity School professors. This reflects a strong emphasis on studying religion through an interdisciplinary lens, setting it apart from the more conventional Religious Studies department.
In addition to Harvard’s religious beginnings and continued commitment to cultivating religious scholars, the vibrant activities of faith-based groups on campus show that the College is far from godless today. Although Harvard is no longer religious by affiliation, various religious groups have sprung up over the years in response to increasingly pluralistic student demographics. For many students, these organizations have given new meaning to their religious identities and served as rare spaces of complete acceptance. Moreover, they have provided oases of collective contemplation in the often arid, individualized world of Harvard—a sentiment that is corroborated by several student responses below. These experiences also highlight current initiatives to envelop students of all faiths into the conversation about what it means to be human, particularly in the unique context of Harvard.
Faith in a new lens, and a new worldview
A recurring theme in students’ reflections on religious life at Harvard is that their faith-based organizations allow them to reassess the beliefs they grew up with. For Zarin Rahman ‘18, president of Harvard Islamic Society, her Muslim faith was almost entirely influenced by her parents up until high school. Having been the only person of color and of a non-Christian faith in her hometown, Rahman explained that “living as someone with a certain faith in a secular society is challenging,” in an interview with the HPR. “So when you have people to talk through that dilemma you come to a different understanding of your faith—especially compared to before college, because your parents come from a different generation and experience.”
Furthemore, religious programming at Harvard has also guided many in applying their faith to the modern world. In describing “Gems from the Qur’an,” “Chaplain and Chill,” and other HIS activities, Rahman noted, “they have helped me find a way to both feel connected to my faith and follow all of the things that I should and want to follow, and use that as a way to navigate my decisions in the modern, secular world.” Harvard religious life has enabled students to embrace religion as the central framework of determining their stance on political and cultural predicaments. For instance, this function of religion is mirrored in the shift in HIS programs from being mainly spiritual and social to much more political and activism-oriented, in response to heightened discrimination and violence against Muslim communities under the Trump administration.
Other organizations have provided a place for intellectual engagement with students’ respective religious traditions. Claire Pinson ‘19, a member of Harvard Christian Faith in Action, told the HPR that her group welcomes a lot of talks that are not touched in a lot of churches. “They are more relevant to college students, for instance, what does the Bible teach us about our stance to racial inequality, social oppression, or other political topics,” she said. “These are not issues that were at the forefront of the minds of our parents’ generation, but things our generation is dealing with very heavily.”
Arguably, however, faith has been most crucial to weathering the perennial stress of being at Harvard, or to staying grounded amidst the chaos of freshman year. Many students here profess a constant fear of mediocrity in relation to their high-achieving peers, which can chip away at their their sense of belonging and happiness. In times of loneliness and self-doubt, therefore, a God-centered worldview can be immensely reassuring. Such a mindset reinforces that one’s worth is determined by God’s plan, not the summation of secular achievements. According to Pinson, “nothing I do or say, or no matter how many times I mess up, that’s not going to change my worth because that’s just the way that God’s grace works. Religion has made it a lot easier for me to take a step back and be like, the way that I view myself is not the true view that I should have.”
Lastly, there is of course the exceptional community aspect of faith-based groups that is distinct from membership in a majority of organizations on campus. Gone are the barriers of arduous “comp” processes, prerequisite skills, or arbitrary measures of demonstrated interest. Public service organizations share religious groups’ mission of serving others, yet the essential idea of inclusion is sometimes undercut by having to apply to those organizations and even being unable to join due to excess capacity.
Spirituality for all
The various functions of faith-based groups, whether they affirm the value of each individual or place conventional tenets in contemporary settings, contrast the common assumption that Harvard is anti-religious. At the same time, this stereotype raises questions about the availability of exceptionally non-judgmental and empathetic communities for non-religious students. Faith-based groups are by no means a panacea to worldly distress, but they tend to engage with issues of true worth and purpose of life on a much deeper level, on a regular basis, than secular student organizations. Students can easily join religious groups if they wanted to; however, those who do not identify with any faith may have a harder time discovering groups primarily dedicated to reflection—individual and collective—about their state of being.
Spiritual life suggests one avenue of thinking and talking about these fundamental questions for all students. A prime example is the Harvard Interfaith Forum, which attempts to bridge gaps in knowledge of various faiths through discussion, community service, and other activities involving students who represent different religions. But at its core, the forum is intended for everyone regardless of religious background. Alden Fossett ’21, a member of the forum, told the HPR, “It is really just a conversation about what it means to be human, and a lot of people need that because instead of dealing with feelings, problems, and identities they are just constantly working and doing things. No one really takes the time to stop and think about what’s really going on inside of them.”
The HIF is comprised of people who represent their respective faiths as well as non-religious individuals, enabling participants to learn about the spectrum of religious identities on campus. Meanwhile, the Spiritual, Religious, and Ethical Counsel brings together individuals who are looking to develop or discuss their spirituality. In this unique congregation of spiritual explorers, the goal is to foster a heightened sense of being integrated with the larger Harvard community. The shared desire to lead a spiritual life creates an environment of total acceptance in SREC. Participants are paired as “soul buddies” with others they have never met before, and come to learn about and care for each other. In SREC, students find comfort in knowing that they are not alone in inquiring about how to live ethically and happily.
Amitai Abouzaglo ‘20, one of the students who spearheaded the creation of SREC, told the HPR, “We are sacrificing so much of our time in what we call ‘work,’ so we should be asking why we are doing it and how it is affecting us. This not just important to ask when you go home during break or on a few weekends, but something that we should constantly plug into.”
The student oasis, a 2,500 square foot centerpiece of the revamped basement of Memorial Church, can be seen as part of the administration’s efforts to cultivate student conversation and socializing at a larger scale. The oasis is a beautiful, spacious, and calming area open for all students to cook, have meetings, and study. Considering the regrettable lack of all-inclusive social spaces owned by the university, the oasis is like the student center that Harvard never had. But the space is vastly underutilized or unknown to many, meaning that most students are not benefiting from this opportunity to feel more connected to the student body and appreciate its diversity. Even if students utilized the oasis more often, however, meetings that are purely for the sake of being together, or are as warm and authentic as religious group gatherings, are hard to come by. Moreover, while hanging out with close friends tend to be therapeutic, it often does not create the appropriate dynamics for dialogues about the adversities of going to Harvard and college in general.
On the other hand, prayer services started by Winthrop resident tutors Carl and Valencia Miller serve as an environment for students to embrace vulnerability, speak about their fears, and affirm the universality of their struggles. Similar to HIF, the services are open to any students interested in spiritual reflections and conversations. In her interview with the HPR, Valencia spoke about her and Carl’s motivation for starting the prayers: “So much of your academic and professional life is performance-driven, versus when you’re with your family, it’s about who you are. People need to talk about what it means to make a mistake, how does it make you feel about yourself, and express themselves in other ways than performance.” The Millers’ services remind individuals that they are valued and are not abnormal in feeling on the edge, as well as suggesting pathways through those crises.
Suggestions moving forward
Redressing the college-wide phenomenon of burnout, isolation, or futility is becoming increasingly important, especially in the absence of a spiritual center at Harvard. Granted that transactional relationships and cutthroat cultures may not affect some students or do so very minimally, most would enrich their lives through events that are purely about encouraging and validating one another. The willingness to partake in such activities would ideally come from students themselves, and in smaller part from the administration. Nevertheless, nudging students to actively prioritize their spiritual well-being remains challenging. “SREC’s goal is to branch out, to have this kind of community permeate outside,” Abouzaglo said. “For me, it’s not about the events, but the community that grow out of people’s own will and action through those events.”
Given the importance of intrinsic motivation, there could be more robust efforts to publicize HIF, SREC, prayer services, and other resources amidst a deluge of events happening on campus every day. Moreover, whereas spiritual services are a version of self-care, interacting with students of various religions is also critical for learning how to live in an increasingly pluralistic world. For example, the Harvard Community of Humanists, Agnostics, and Atheists and HCFA co-hosts a moderated debate about their differing conceptions of the “good life”—a rare chance to talk about spiritual controversies in a non-hostile atmosphere. One can imagine how much religious insight students could gain from inquiring about their peers’ religious communities or sitting-in on abundant faith-based events.
On a more fundamental level, however, the best that Harvard could do in order to foster spirituality and diverse interactions is to create a common space for all students. A multicultural center, which has been demanded by many students for almost half a century, would give minority students a safe space that would ideally shield them from microaggressions or insensitivities of everyday life. A venue explicitly dedicated to inclusion and belonging offers a space where asking and learn about diversity is encouraged, whereas doing so in other settings may feel awkward, contrived, or most importantly, unnecessary. At the same time, it is debatable whether designating a place as a “multicultural center” could organically foster intercultural conversation, let alone bring in students who are disinterested in diversity or do not feel “diverse” into such discourse. The center may attract only particular subsets of people who are invested in talking about different identities, for instance members of affinity groups. But even if the multicultural center ends up functioning more like a student center without an explicit purpose, it would be a good addition to the Smith Campus Center as a place for everyone’s relaxation and enjoyment.
College is primarily a period of trying to self-define and refine personal values, and numerous religious communities act as incubators for this journey. Therefore, new initiatives to expand spiritual life on campus could adopt the extraordinary culture of faith-based organizations in order to enrich students’ experience at Harvard. Centering one’s worldview on God’s plan may not guarantee happiness, yet the empathy, collaboration, and dialogue that religion-centered communities strive for are a model of bolstering the welfare of all students.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons/ Ingfbruno