Christine
(and other readers),

Reading your article in the Lanthorn this week was interesting. Your connection with higher education and belief in a deity is what I am concerned about though when reading the article.

I would argue that belief and faith in a higher power is much different than obtaining a college education. Certainly a college education is not a guarantee of having a career in that field post graduation and the success of people without college credits is also well known. But overall, people have a much better chance at making a higher income by graduating from college. There is empirical evidence to show the pay rates for college graduates compared to high school graduates. There is empirical evidence for poverty associated with educational levels. In the realm of religion, there is no empirical evidence at all.

People are more likely to think that gettingba college degree will lead to a better career and also higher economic gains. There is evidence for that.

While religion is prevalent around the world, there is no evidence to show that your belief and understanding of that religion will have any gains at all.

It’s also interesting to note that the higher an education a person receives, the chance of them being less religious also increases. According to recent studies by the Pew Research Center.

I don’t attend a university because of “faith”, I attend college because the evidence shows I am more likely to have a higher paying, more fulfilling career as a result.

It is all to common for people to hold thoughts, beliefs, and the like when there is no evidence for it. Many are taught in the U.S to “stick to our guns” despite evidence to the contrary. I would argue that in a situation such as the one you wrote about, it is more logical (which is what we want) to obtain your higher education and abandon your religious beliefs. The natural scientific world of stars and galaxiesis far more interesting than burning bushes and talking snakes.

Ciao,
Steven Belstra
GVSU Student