Dartmouth College takes pride in the variety of backgrounds represented by its student body and staff. This diversity provides for an environment of different opinions, perspectives and beliefs, enriching enormously the education of the college's members. With the promotion of diversity, a trumpeted value here at Dartmouth, I was a little surprised to hear prayers incorporated into official Dartmouth ceremonies.
At Convocation on Monday, an invocation to God was offered as part of the commencement of the official academic year. Though the prayer made no specific references to Jesus or other religion-specific figures, its format and delivery were Judeo-Christian, or at least monotheistic. I wondered at the time if those of other faiths in the audience felt that invocation demonstrated Dartmouth's commitment to diversity. What about those who practiced Hinduism and Buddhism and the myriad other religions which focus less on a central god, or those that focus less on group prayer to their god? Were they represented? What about atheism or agnosticism?
The fact of the matter is that the Dartmouth community is made up of people who practice widely varied religions; many are not involved in religion or spirituality at all. The melting pot of faiths here is further complicated by the variance in devotion to a given religion, from the devout to the doubtful. By using a monotheistic prayer at an official ceremony, Dartmouth is saying, intentionally or otherwise, that the official faith of the college is monotheistic, that when the Dartmouth community gets down to business and prays, (or more dramatically, when the college expresses its wishes!) it prays to God. This message is not in keeping with the college's devotion to diversity -- it represents only a fraction of the population.
Faith in a religion and prayer to that religion's figures are wonderful things for those who practice them. Dartmouth should be proud of its commitment to celebrate the free practice of a wide variety of religions on its campus; this strengthens our community. But when a person who belongs to a certain religion or a person who studies and practices a certain religion stands in front of a diverse group of students and attempts to lead them in a prayer with the phrase "Let us pray;" that is a declaration of religious loyalty, not an example of religious diversity. Religions and religious beliefs are limited to the believers and their congregations; for many people, their beliefs in and relations to their religion are intensely personal. It is inappropriate for the institution to represent a religious belief or faith system in its official ceremonies as long as it claims to celebrate diversity.
For those people who do not believe in a religion or practice spirituality, this problem goes beyond misrepresentation or a demonstration of a bias. Prayer at an official ceremony means their beliefs are out of the mainstream, too insignificant to warrant consideration for the offense they may take or the exclusion they may feel. It is no more excusable to ignore the feelings and practices of agnostics and atheists than it is to ignore others' religions. Prayers of any sort during official college business do ignore these.
If Dartmouth truly wants to be a model for religious freedom, it needs to do everything it can to encourage a variety of religions on campus while avoiding religious statements and practices in its proceedings. When giving statements in which the college wishes to express hopes for its members' upcoming year, it can do so without invoking religion. Simply begin the address by saying "It is the hope of the college that," or "it is the desire of the administration that," and continue from there. The message conveyed with the prayer at Convocation could just as easily have been presented in a secular manner.
Let me again stress an important point: religion and spirituality are important parts of the lives of people across the world and should be encouraged to flourish at our school. Participation in and especially knowledge of religions yield tremendous benefits to the cultural education of everyone in this community. But the disparate views of our population cannot be expressed through even a watered-down religious ceremony any more than can the academic opportunities at the school be shown by the classes in one department.
It is not enough to claim that the invocation is a long-standing tradition, a practice rehearsed now more out of habit than out of devotion. Once, only men were admitted to Dartmouth, but this tradition died in the wake of change and our school is stronger for it. I don't think the issue of prayers at college events is anywhere near as dramatic or important to the growth of the institution as is the inclusion of both sexes and many races, but the symbolism is there and it weakens a mission statement from which Dartmouth derives pride and a reputation. If Dartmouth wants to be true to its mission statement of diversity, it needs to practice, not preach.
