Sept. 11 led to rise in spirituality at Penn

From the moment the first hijacked airplane crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, many Americans, including Penn students, felt their lives were forever changed.

Flooded with emotions during that devastating and unforgettable period, students searched for support.

While many found comfort in the arms of family, friends or student groups, others discovered solace in their own spirituality. According to Gallup opinion poles, the percentage of Americans attending worship services increased by 6 percent in the wake of Sept. 11.

Most religious officials report, however, that participation numbers eventually returned to their pre-Sept. 11 levels later in the year.

University Chaplain Rev. William Gipson said that as a whole, "we haven't become more spiritual." The rise in numbers was simply because students "needed comfort that the rituals of religion provide."

"I think there was a general sense of confusion, vulnerability and frailty, and students needed to have a sense of community," Hillel Director Jeremy Brochin said.

"We have a sense of value of human life that others apparently don't share," Brochin added. "What do you do when other people don't believe in the sacredness of human life?"

Plagued with such disheartening questions, many Penn students found their own answers through faith and the various religious groups on campus.

Attendance at services and religious events rose substantially during the first week following the attacks, according to Gipson. And numbers continued to rise throughout the following month.

"People at Penn were as devastated by the tragedies as everyone else throughout the U.S.," Gipson said. "The immediate reaction was to flock to interfaith services."

While many agree that spiritual intensity across campus has not increased, some say they believe the events of Sept. 11 have spurred attempts at unity within both spiritual and campus communities.

"There was an effort to understand each other and appreciate each other's spiritual beliefs and differences," Gipson said.

Muslim Student Association President and College senior Ahsen Janjua added that he believes "people developed a stronger sense of community after the events. It was a wake-up call to understand both yourself and your religion."

However, some feel that the tense political issues that have arisen in the wake of Sept. 11 have undermined these feelings of community.

The initial increase in faith "has faded since the first week" and been replaced by "a sense of apathy toward spirituality," said Nick Burrows-Hall, a member of the Penn Christian Association's board of directors.

The Engineering senior quickly added that "there's more of a division of the student body since the tragedy, especially due to the political situation which has arisen since Sept. 11."

However, Janjua noted that he believes connections between the MSA and other religious groups across campus have strengthened since last year's events.

"The outside community was very supportive of us and our efforts," Janjua said. "It helped us to become more spiritual in our own lives."

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