By Caleb Hogland

Staff Writer

Is Santa Clause real? How about the Easter Bunny? Probably not, but if you did believe they were real, the belief would most likely not make a difference in the way you live.

On the other hand, if God is real, or any other religion, then there are serious implications. The beliefs you subscribe to impact your life and worldview.

The United States has become increasingly more diverse in religious beliefs over time. Likewise, the religious dynamics of our university are changing.

When there are so many religious beliefs and values out there, and Gallup polls consistently show that the majority of people say religion is “very important,” it becomes necessary for people to asses themselves in the areas of where and why they believe what they believe.

From a study I conducted of 31 different students at CSUSM, I have found that the majority of the students I talked to know very little about what they believe and why they believe in the things that they do.

The biggest religions are concerned with morality and eternity. If there is any truth in any of them or if one of them is true altogether, then a poor understanding of the one you claim is foolish.

According to a Gallup poll taken in 2012, 77 percent of Americans identified as Christians, 15 percent had no religious identity, 6 percent held an identity other than Christian and 2 percent gave no response.

With the predisposition that the average person has a shallow understanding of their beliefs, I took to the campus grounds to survey CSUSM students to find out what they believe and if they are capable of articulating it.

As it turns out, 62 percent of the 31 students I talked to believe in the theistic God of the Bible, 29 percent believe in Atheism and 9 percent believe in a non-Christian God. Surprisingly, the majority of the women I talked to believe in God and the majority of men believe in an absence of God.

One of the first questions I asked students was, “How do you get to Heaven?”

The majority of the theists I talked to believe the way to get to Heaven is by being a good person. It was a very small minority who could offer any biblical or central doctrinal references to support their belief on how to get to Heaven.

Only 36 percent of those I talked to who believe in a theistic God feel they can show in their religious text where it supports their belief on how to get to Heaven. This percentage is alarming considering one of the teachings of their belief is to be prepared to give a defense for it.

For the 29 percent of students that believe in atheism, when asked why they don’t believe in God, the most common answer is that it just doesn’t make sense, it is illogical and that there is no proof.

Which is more logical, that everything (the universe, natural laws of gravity and thermodynamics, virtues and value) came from nothing or that it all came from something?

Personally, I don’t have enough faith to believe that everything came from nothing. The law of causality does not permit that.

Another question CSUSM students were asked is if they believed in objective morals.

77 percent of theists logically concluded that there are objective morals and 66 percent of atheists logically concluded that there are not objective morals. Both party’s reasoning is correct on account of their starting point – on account of their belief system.

Overall, 29 percent of the students surveyed believe in subjective or relative morals. In other words, some like chocolate and others like vanilla; murder is good, murder is bad. What is true for you does not have to be true for me.

The final question students were asked is as follows: “What are the implications of a world with a God who cares, loves, hates evil and will judge?” Or for those who believe in atheism, it was “…a world without a God who…”

I thought the most well-thought-out answer for the theist was, “It doesn’t matter what you do with your life if you have not come to know God.”

Therefore, there can be a good and just end for all no matter the circumstances for those who follow this belief. Unfortunately for those who do not believe, the end will not be good, it will only be just.

The most well-thought-out answer for the atheist was that, “we are all responsible for our own actions. We can’t expect anyone else to punish or reward us.”

Consequently, there is no hope for justice, happiness or good for those who do not have the means of getting it. Furthermore, if you can obtain such things through malice means without getting caught, than that is just fine.

The purpose of the survey was not actually to find out what students believe or if they could articulate it, it was to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe so. If there is such thing as an eternity, which the most popular religions teach – a place of perfection or peril – and most people believe in, then it would behoove you to sincerely look into it.

In light of what you have read, what do you believe? Do you believe in theism, pantheism or atheism? Could you support your belief? If you cannot support your belief, how can you be sure of what you believe?

There are answers. Seeing how you are at a place of learning seeking a higher education, perhaps you ought to give the above questions more consideration than you have been. The consequences are greater than the career you are worried about getting when you graduate.

I challenge those who believe to worship in spirit and in truth; and for everyone, regardless of what you believe in, to be ready to make a defense of your beliefs.