“Like an Additional Extracurricular”: Students Discuss Religion on Campus; Notre Dame’s Rick Garnett on Church and State in Modern America

In the newest episode Pod and Man at Yale, Will Barbee ’26, and Raleigh Adams DIV ’26, discuss being religious on campus, how Yale interacts with and teaches religion, and the ways a religious lifestyle build on and improves the campus experience:Adams ’26: “You kind of are on the back foot in being that minority of being a traditionally religious student.” Barbee ’26: “In terms of just perceptions of religion from the student body, I would say that the biggest problem that I’ve seen with it, is that students view religion as almost like an additional extracurricular rather than something that’s obviously much deeper than just a club.”Barbee ’26: “Speaking specifically to Yale’s campus, I think there is just the plague of too much business all the time with undergraduates… I think a lot of them are looking for a place that religion can offer, which is a place to center yourself, a place to find some sort of deeper connection than just the day-to-day aspects of life.”Adams ’26: “If you have to accept anyone’s truth, it kind of loosens the grip that you have on your own. I think even just being here a semester, I’ve watched multiple people come in relatively firm in their faith practices then kind of just lost a grip on that as they are focused on and forced to kind of grapple with these questions more.”Barbee ’26: “I think [Yale] definitely could prioritize, if not religious conversation or religious inculcation in the students, at least some sort of a sense of a deeper moral and spiritual life.”  University of Notre Dame’s Richard Garnett LAW ’95 talked about religion in the public square, America’s past persecution of Catholics, and Notre Dame’s position as an icon of Catholic life—on the football field and around the country:Garnett: “For long, long time on the Supreme Court, there was this sense that you could have one Catholic justice and one Jewish justice, but no more. The Supreme Court belonged to White guys who have gone to Harvard.”Garnett: “There are people in public commentary who have various theories about how the justices are doing certain things because they are Catholic… I think those complaints are unfounded… they don’t vote to bring about the Catholic legal position any more than Justice Kagan votes to bring about the Jewish legal position.” Garnett: “I think a lot of the attacks on the Supreme Court are unfair and unfounded.” Subscribe to get all Buckley Institute updates at buckleyinstitute.com. Follow us on Twitter @BuckleyInst