HBCU Writers's Project
For Immediate Release
March 16, 2013
Contact Information

Cheikh Kante
Florida A&M University

(BPRW) Religious Diversity in College Students

(BLACK PR WIRE/FAMU-TALLAHASSEE) "" Universities enroll thousands of students each year, which includes a large variety of people on campus. This diversity includes many religions among students.

According to a study conducted by the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the largest religious groups in the United States are Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Wicca, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Baha'i World of Faith. About 88 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christian. About 7 million United States citizens identify with the Jewish religion. The number of Muslim people in North America range from 3 to 6 million.

Due to diversity of ethnicities, many universities become a melting pot of religious backgrounds. Corinne Gordon, a fourth-year graphic design student from Valrico, Fla., said she enjoys the mixture. "I am very happy with our university's religious diversity, and I really don't think people feel it because we cohabitate all together without any differences."

Fabrice Myrtil, a physical therapy student from Kissimmee, Fla., said he couldn't more proud of his school. "I am very religious. I go to church every Sunday, and I am happy that we have a lot of churches around the campus since I am Christian. I am also part of a group on campus that has a lot of students from different religions and I enjoy being around them."

Teachers, too, notice the variety of faiths. They have a lot of students and analyze every student's background. "I have students from pretty much all over the world. They don't have the same background and you can tell they don't have the same religions. But for us professors, we enjoy that religious diversity because we are eager to learn about them, their faiths and their beliefs," said Carl Goodman, a pharmacy professor at Florida A&M University.

However, some people think that religious diversity is not a sign of a good cohabitation. Admire Mushonga, a third-year business administration student from Mutare, Zimbabwe, said people act differently when they know you are not from the same faith as theirs.

"I don't have any religious faith because I believe they are all the same. Students are not really religious on campus and even if some of them are, they just want to hang out with one another."