Faithful Inquiry: An Ethnographic Study of Religious Education

Indianapolis, IN

Religion probes deeply emotional realms of the unknown to offer an orienting sense of purpose and universal interconnectedness. By calming the turbulent waters upon which life makes its incomprehensible voyage, religion emerges as a potent cultural force of meaning and stability. However, religion is not unanimously embraced. What types of experiences lead some people to decline faith-based interpretations and identify as atheists? Alternatively, why do others choose to align with their respective religious denomination? And how is a person's education, either formal or informal, implicated in their acquisition or rejection of religious beliefs? These questions guided an investigation into the texture of student religiosity at Butler University. With ethnographic magnifying glass in hand, this study set out to investigate how students developed their beliefs as adolescents, articulate their worldviews as adults, and socialize around shared philosophies. Furthermore, students were asked to share the methods by which they plan to educate their future children in matters of faith in order to evaluate religion's propensity to self-perpetuate through processes of trans-generational enculturation. Research consisted of participant observation at key locations of organized activity and the ethnographic interviewing of ten individuals. Based on the data, this study argues that religious outcomes are not wholly determined by one's upbringing. Rather than passively accepting the ideology of their parents, young adults critically reflect on the spiritual culture that they took for granted as children. Through private investigations and deep philosophical discussions with friends and family, adolescents ultimately subscribe to a belief system that is true and relevant to their subjective daily experiences. Religious education during childhood is undoubtedly highly influential in perpetuating doctrine, but exposure to other worldviews in the critical years of high school or college seems to mandate conscious reevaluation. Once conviction in a specific belief system is solidified, young adults generally plan on using modes of formal or informal education that will acculturate their future children toward their own worldview.