More and more students are choosing to practice religion through volunteering and activism rather than going to a place of worship, said Kaya Oakes, author and writing teacher at the University of California, Berkeley.

Oakes, whose work centers mostly around young people and faith, will deliver the Joseph and Amelia Borgognoni Lecture in Catholic Theology and Religion in Society at 7 p.m. Monday in the Maxwell Auditorium.

Oakes was chosen by the Borgognoni Fund committee because of her work focusing on Catholic activity and engagement. The lecture, titled “Nones, Dones, Seekers and Doubters: Navigating Religion in a Secular Age,” will focus on the 2016 presidential election and how young people think about questions of faith and morality. Oakes will also explore what shapes the ethical and moral views of students and how they practice faith outside a church setting.

“The independence of being away from your family means making choices about how you spend your time and who you spend it with, and religion becomes less of a priority for many as a result,” Oakes said. “The most recent polling on this shows that young adults are increasingly deciding not to return to religion as they age.”

While students still describe themselves as spiritual or interested in religion they don’t always participate in the traditional ways, Oakes said.

Margaret Thompson, chair of the Borgognoni Fund’s faculty steering committee, said she believes students have a lot to gain by attending the lecture. Like many other schools, SU students are concerned with world issues, like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals reform and sexual assault, Thompson said. Oakes will discuss how young people think about these things and why they feel that way.

“This lecture is going to examine how young people think about things such as social justice and personal issues,” Thompson said. “Students who attend the lecture will learn something and will leave thinking about things differently.”

While Oakes will lecture for most of the allotted time, she said she most enjoys the Q&A portion because it allows her to have dialogue with the audience.

In Oakes’ experience, many college students say they are not interested in religion, but also realize how much religion affects their everyday lives.

Oakes’ research involves talking to college students and recent college graduates. She said she can relate to young people because, like many college students, she has a suspicious view of institutional religion.

“I can’t promise I’ll say much about Kendrick Lamar or Chance the Rapper, although I really like both of them, but they are two examples of popular musicians who also have complex and yet deeply felt relationships with religion,” Oakes said.

Published on October 8, 2017 at 9:29 pm