Holly H's Respose to "What I Now Believe"

Haha. Funny I should be assigned to read this article. I really struggled with my decision to come to BYU. When I visited campus the summer before I applied, I remember the admission counselor I spoke with talked at length about the unique learning environment available at BYU, particularly the opportunities for spiritual growth. When I returned home, my dad repeated much of what he said verbatim, emphasizing the wonderful spiritual experiences I would have here (all the while telling me I could go wherever I wanted, no pressure). It was only half-heartedly that I finally sent in my acceptance of admission to BYU, after weeks of putting off the action that would commit me to spending four years of my life in Provo. I was not excited. I took a very cynical approach to the whole idea of church-school integration. I did not want to hear about our divine American heritage; I wanted to learn the “real” version of history. I didn’t want to have the overlay of some psycho religious professor’s personal reflections imposed onto every subject I studied.

In this article (transcript of a devotional address, really), Richards puts this concept differently. He says that what we practice here is “learning the temporal in the context of the eternal.” Well, that’s an idea I can deal with a little bit better.

As it turns out, for the most part, I’ve enjoyed any religious connections my teachers have cared to make to their subjects. In Astronomy, for instance, Dr. Hintz often shares scriptures about the heavens and stars, etc. Far from offending my sense of academic legitimacy, these additions have elevated my studies this semester. I’ve been able to ponder my life from an eternal point of view more than I ever have, and I know that that is due, at least in part, to the spiritual environment I am in pretty much 24/7. My religion class, which I’d been dreading most, has miraculously turned out to be my favorite class. This is possible to some extent because I’ve been able to separate it from the “game of school” and focus on learning all that I can from the scriptures.

As your typical perfectionist/over-achiever student, I’m definitely acquainted with the “game of school” that Richards talks about. Over the past couple of years, I’ve gotten a lot better at recognizing what is important and what doesn’t matter, but the tendency to give undue importance to grades and prizes is still something I wrestle with. Richard’s message here is to set aside the competitive, prideful attitudes we have toward school and instead focus our energy on learning as children of God trying to better themselves. One quote I really liked was his response to “But we have to play the game to survive!” people. He said, “The reality is, however, that you are not on this earth to maintain a scholarship, enter prestigious graduate schools, or beat someone else in the marketplace. You have a much higher standard.” That lends some great perspective to the subject.

So, though BYU’s religious nature has its quirks, there really is a rich environment here, all geared towards enabling us to expand our minds and grow in the Gospel. Yep, that’s right, I’m pretty much repeating what the admissions officer told me, and what my dad told me, and what my grandparents and all those other adults told me about BYU. So do I feel silly for my antics in the spring? A little. But there’s nothing like knowing something for yourself, and now that I have a better grip on the advantages of a religion-oriented education, I can appreciate and begin to make the most of the opportunities BYU offers me.