By Matthew Rossio

Contributor

Whether you’re just going to college, graduating from college, or are buried with work in the middle of your college career, most likely at some point in your education, you’ve been presented a belief system that is different than the one you were raised with.

This happens a lot in college. Sometimes it’s blatant and obvious, but sometimes it can be traced to a particular professor’s bias that he or she might not even be aware of.  I’d even go further and suggest that in a public school system, nearly every time you walk into a classroom, you’ll be presented with a different belief system than your own, especially if you’re a person of faith.  This is not a problem though, but an opportunity.

In my experience, this potentially challenging experience needs not to be negative for people of faith and can even be a blessing in disguise. I have found that being challenged on what you believe in is not a bad thing if what you believe in is true. The problem that many people of faith experience, is an ignorance of their chosen religion which leaves one unable to answer questions raised by their peers or professors. I’d say there are two simple answers to this. The first is to seek truth wherever it lies and trust that God is truth and will take care of you, if you trust in Him.  The second is to never be afraid to ask why.

It has been my experience that faith in God and going to college do not have to contradict one another and that faith and God make sense. I am a Catholic Christian and I’ve been challenged more than once on my beliefs, either directly or subtly, in class, at U-hour and throughout my daily life in today’s world. I have found however, that my faith in God is true. I’ve had to re-analyze some things and even change my own understanding of God, but ultimately the faith I was raised with, had the answers I was looking for all along. So from an incoming freshman to a college graduate, I’d say that faith and education go hand in hand, as long as you give them an equal chance, and I encourage you to keep the faith.