It wasn’t a conversion experience, and it didn’t need to be. I was content enough to learn about a religion and group I knew little about — to replace my own expectations of rigidity with real, complex and kind people of faith. 

Renne hopes that his conversion to Judaism will be over before college ends so that he can go on the Birthright trip to Israel as a college student. And his gender transition, he said, will be an ongoing process throughout life.

A few weeks ago I spoke with professors John Inazu and Mark Valeri to discuss some aspects of the 2020 election. Both professors brought up topics unrelated to the election, like religion in academia, that I found fascinating. The following Q&A is a combination of our first and second talks, shortened and edited for clarity.

As for what incentive atheists might have to lead good lives or behave morally, the general desire for the well-being of yourself and others is not as elusive as one might think.

At the beginning of the semester, the Office for Religious, Spiritual and Ethical Life introduced open hours at Graham Chapel.

Rev. Callista Isabelle will join the Center for Diversity and Inclusion as the Director of Religious, Spiritual and Ethical Life, this semester.

Washington University Interfaith Alliance (WUIA) is hosting its second annual Interfaith Week April 5-12. The week of programming was designed to bring students of various faiths together for worship and discussion.

The John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics hosted political experts Melissa
Rogers and Peter Wehner to discuss the topic of religion and political polarization in the U.S., Feb. 12.

Home to more than 20 religious groups, Washington University’s students have taken the organizing and encouragement of religious life into their own hands.

To address the lack of a current unifying body for religious students on campus, members of Interfaith Alliance are advocating for the establishment of an Office of Religious and Spiritual Life.