Navigating religious affiliation at a secular law school
To help illustrate the concepts behind vicarious liability, my Business Associations professor offered two verses from the Bible: Exodus and Deuteronomy. As students filtered into the room, some gazed upon the verses with a puzzled curiosity. Class soon began and the professor explained that, while he was an atheist, the Bible contained some interesting and at times conflicting views on the imposition of vicarious liability. Perhaps it was my imagination, but the class seemed almost relieved to learn their professor was not a Christian, and grateful he was not evangelizing to them. While I can understand the latter sentiment, I couldn't help but feel disappointed by the former.
A week or so before today's class, I was in attendance at an annual Judge's Night Gala in Oakland. Two judges gave speeches upon receiving an award for excellence within their occupation. One of those speakers was Alameda County Superior Court Judge Julia Spain. A single mother at a young age, Judge Spain recounted the struggles she faced as she worked her way through undergrad, took on law school, and helped to revolutionize a pervasively sexist legal culture to eventually make her way to the bench through unexpected avenues. She credits Jesus Christ, and a single Bible passage in particular, as the inspiration for her unlikely success. As a first-generation college and law school student, the tale of her tenacity was very inspiring. And as a child raised in a Baptist household, I couldn't help but linger on her words.
After the awards were distributed and the main event concluded, I made my way to Judge Spain and introduced myself. We talked and she asked me an unavoidable question:
"Are you a Christian?"
"Yes." I replied.
"Which church do you attend in Davis?"
I'd all but sworn off organized religion during undergrad in favor of theoretically finding my beliefs on my own, untainted by the beliefs and biases of a congregation. But I couldn't say that.
"I don't have a church I go to in Davis."
Despite a possible flash of disappointment across her face, she gave me her contact information and well wishes. However, a seed of guilt had taken root within me. Could I still consider myself a Christian while 'hiding my light under a bushel?'
Although I take great pride in the friendly and open-minded environment cultivated by students at UC Davis, I don't feel that open religiosity would be very well received on our secular liberal leaning campus. With stresses mounting every day and our paths so obscured by unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances, I hope that I and my classmates someday learn to balance our legal careers with faith in something greater than ourselves, and even greater than the law.
Labels: anxiety, Belonging, Christianity, culture clash, ideologies, law school, religion, spirituality
posted by HABL @ January 27, 2025
4 Comments
4 Comments:
I greatly respect your openness to discussing your religious views, HABL. Although it may seem taboo to discuss such topics around our law school, I commend you for opening to the door for discourse surrounding religion at our academic institution. By choosing to reflect on your religious observations while at school, I am reminded of the "Identity Work by First-Generation College Students to Counteract Class-Based Microaggressions" article in which the author notes a strategy for overcoming microinsults is to "mine your core identity strength." By staying true to your values and personal beliefs, you are developing and relying on a great sense of self-confidence!
As a nonreligious person myself, the experience of a religious individual like yourself in the culture of our law school was truthfully not something I had previously considered. I feel very sorry that you have been made to feel like an “other” in this way at King Hall and throughout your educational journey. By sharing your perspective, I hope that you can find other students who share your experience and find community with one another. Going forward, I hope students like me put in a conscious effort to make sure that all religious viewpoints are treated respectfully both inside and outside the classroom.
Hi HABL! I learned a great deal from your story and admire your bravery in sharing your experiences with your religious beliefs. I think my own relationship with religion is a bit nuanced since I grew up going to a Catholic church when I was younger, but my grandma and mom believe in Buddhism. I have kind of an odd view of religion as a result and believe in multiple religions, especially because my partner is Jewish. I often keep my true opinions about religion to myself because, like you said, many people are uncomfortable talking about differing views, and religion has become quite political in some spaces. I will say, though, that I was talking to an attorney who was saying that when she was in law school, she said that some of the happiest people she knew were often religious because believing in a higher power allowed them to focus only on things they could control and worry less about what they couldn't. I think having something to believe in, whether it's religion or something else is very powerful and can be good for one's own wellbeing.
Hi HABL, I think I was in the same BA class you wrote about and I had an identical reaction. If I remember correctly, I believe the professor said, "Don't worry, I'm not Christian. I'm an athiest, I'm not proselytizing." I also grew up in a Christian household and still practice to this day and I can relate to your struggles. I was caught off-guard by his "don't worry" statement; I don't think our faith requires a warning. But it did feel like I'm walking a social tightrope in law school. There were times during 1L where I didn't want to explain to my new friends why I was unavailable on Sunday mornings. I hope you feel encouraged by the knowledge that you're not alone on this tightrope. Thanks for sharing!
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