Issue date: 6/17/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Fred Lambuth [Click to enlarge]

Religion affects Aggies' to varying degrees. To some it is the biggest part of their lives. Brittany Brown, a sophomore psychology major, is a devout catholic and wants to be a nun. She goes to church every day, and spends time studying the Bible and improving herself.

"It encompasses 90 percent of my life," Brown said.

Other students gave similar answers, saying everyone should believe in something so they would not feel lost.

"For me, I think that the life that we are living and all what happens around us could not be just 'Nature' willing," said Yasser Bouhlal a Muslim agricultural economics graduate student. "Things are just too much precise to be just a coincidence. If we are here it's for a reason and I believe that our lives don't finish with death. It will be sad if everything is over with death"

Huang Jun decided to convert to Christianity in December.

"It is something I desire, I like. You feel like being called," she said.

For some, choosing their religion is a personal decision.

"I went to many churches and religious classes when I was young," said Lauren Crumm, a sophomore biomedical science major. "And Christianity makes the most sense to me."

Vijayaramalingam Periasamy, an electrical engineering graduate student chose to be Hindu because he was born into it and his ancestors are all Hindu.

Atheist Aggies said they have their reasons for choosing to not believe.

"Sure, I can feel," said Huijun Pan, a statistics graduate student. "I know many religious people and they didn't bother me at all because of my atheism. It is because of my educational background and it is a little bit hard for me to accept it so far."

Many of these Aggies said that Religion never blocks the way of meeting new people. Most of the students said religion won't be among the criteria for them to make friends.

"When I make friends, religion is not the first thing to consider," Periasamy said. "I have many friends that are Christian and Jewish."

Pan said she always hung out with her religious friends on weekends that were, "always full of fun and we enjoy our time."

"Different religions won't affect friendship," Bouhlal said.

"One of the good things here is that people respect all the various religions, and you have a place to practice." said Bouhlal. "If there's a misunderstanding, I will be very likely to explain it.

"I won't go and pick a fight," Brown said. "But some people may do that."

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