UF’s campus has a reputation of being the home of a diverse student population. Out of nearly 1,000 student organizations, about 100 of them are devoted solely to religions and religious practices. Her Campus UFL did some research on a few common religions at UF, so if you’ve ever wondered about the Hare Krishnas, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews or Christians, read on to learn some of the basics from students of the UF community.
“I remember telling my roommate one time, ‘Man, I can’t afford this dining hall.’ And she was like, ‘Why don’t you just eat Krishna Lunch?’ I started getting more involved through that, and it just happened from there.”
Name: Lacie Rosser, UF alumna (2013) Religion: Hare Krishna (a religious movement)
HC UFL: What does your faith mean to you? LR: “The goal of life is to engage in service to God and to develop that relationship because that’s the one thing that’s eternal. Your house goes away; your car goes away; everything material goes away, but what you gain spiritually — that never goes away.”
HC UFL: Are there any misconceptions people have about the Hare Krishna devotees that you wish they didn’t have? LR: “A lot of people think that we’re some sort of cult because we’re a little different. But once you take up the process, you start to see things differently and treat people differently. You’re bettering yourself, but a lot of people don’t see that because they’re very materialistic, so they think, “I’m striving for material happiness; why aren’t you?” And really, material happiness doesn’t make you happy.”
“I think that one should be open-minded and respect other faiths, and there’s nothing wrong with finding that conviction.”
Name: Fizza Imran, health sciences freshman Religion: Islam
HC UFL: Has your faith carried over to college? FI: “Yeah, definitely. With most faiths, it’s hard to implement into your life. With Islam, it’s my lifestyle. I try to implement the core values that Islam teaches just in general things, like how to interact with other people, the way I dress, the way I eat… I basically implement it into every aspect of my life.”
HC UFL: How has your faith influenced your perception on things? FI: “I have a very positive outlook and I do believe that’s because of my religion because Islam teaches you to respect other people, respect yourself and always look at the positives in your life. It’s about genuinely being (a) good person, or trying to achieve a lifestyle in which you, at the end of the day, would say, ‘I’m happy with the person I was.’”
“There’s this whole concept of ‘tikun olam’ in Judaism, which means making the world a better place. I’ve always grown up with that type of mindset, so that definitely guides what I do.”
Name: Rachel Werk, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience senior Religion: Conservative Judaism
HC UFL: How did you make your faith your own? Did it change during college? RW: “I change my faith every day; that’s an ongoing process. But it was great to come to UF where there are Jews everywhere. It’s helped shape who I am.”
HC UFL: What’s a Jewish practice that other people should know more about? RW: “I love Shabbat (Sabbath), the day of rest. Every Friday night I go to Hillel, and then I go to Chabad (the Jewish center in Gainesville). I love the feeling of taking a second to relax, think about your week, be with other people, not think about everything else around you; I think that it’s (a) beautiful concept. And it’s nice to see different perspectives and practices of Shabbat and how people portray it.”
“One of the biggest things that Sikhism preaches is that there are different names for God; God is essentially the same, whether you’re Christian or Muslim or Hindu. You worship the same God in different ways.”
Name: Harshpreet Kaur, biology senior Religion: Sikhism
HC UFL: What is a fundamental teaching of Sikhism? HK: “The best thing about Sikhism is that there’s no discrimination. There’s no caste; you’re not to judge people for what they believe in or what they do. Every Sikh temple has four doors that signify north, south, east and west. The four doors signify that we welcome anyone from any direction and they don’t have to change their religion to come sit with us.”
HC UFL: Is there a time when your faith was tested? HK: “My dad was picking me up one day from middle school, and someone basically said that my dad was a terrorist. So, it’s one of those things where you begin to wonder, ‘Why is this happening? This is wrong.’ For me, it’s more personal time with God that helps get me through that stuff. Sikhism says to always be thankful. If you’re always thankful about things and look at what you have rather than what you don’t have, you really begin to see how good life is rather than finding flaws in it.”
“I live my life for God and he gives me everything, so I think I owe it to him to try to do a good job with it.”
Name: Noelle Surette, elementary education junior Religion: Christianity
HC UFL: What do you think about how people view Christianity? NS: “I think some people associate being Christian to not being fun and not being able to go out and have a good time. And I feel a lot of the time, they equate Christianity with that person screaming at them on the road, and they think that everyone is like that. I wish they’d know we’re out to love people and to share Jesus’ love; we’re not out there to force you to convert or ‘beat you into Jesus.’”
HC UFL: How does your faith guide your life? NS: “It’s everything. It’s like a breath of fresh air. I wake up every morning and there’s so much joy and hope and love and potential in the world. I want to inspire others and reach others, so it’s different than just living for myself.”
So, collegiettes™, now that you know a bit more about other faiths, do you have one you wish people knew more about? Tell us in the comments below!