Matters of faith

According to The New York Times, it seems that a growing number of college students today are turning more towards issues of faith and spirituality. The article offers a number of explanations; the following theory intrigued me:

“My theory is that the baby boomers decided they weren’t going to impose their religious life on their children the way their parents imposed it on them,” Mr. Steffen [chaplain at Lehigh University] continued. “The idea was to let them come to it themselves. And then they get to campus and things happen; someone dies, a suicide occurs. Real issues arise for them, and they sometimes feel that they don’t have resources to deal with them. And sometimes they turn to religion and courses in religion.”

Interesting. I've long believed that "mainstreaming" religion was one of the worst ways to share it. After all, history tends to show that faiths around the world spread faster and grow when under persecution not when imposed. Perhaps this resurgence in matters of faith -- all faiths -- will lead to more interfaith dialogue and understanding. Whatever God you believe in must also want this for us too.