It seems to me that the majority of college kids I talk to are unwilling to delineate themselves into a restrictive religious sect. This is not to say that all the individuals I come into contact with at this school have this sentiment, but as a gross generalization of the college kids who I come into contact with, this seems to be the case. This is by no means to say there is not a constant religious sentiment surfacing throughout the life of college students; I simply believe that it surfaces in odd and interesting ways. I believe the protruding American religion that surfaces in the media and throughout college lifestyle can be expressed through the symbol of money and the ritual of sports. Why are you at college?To get a good job?Why do you want a good job?To make bank? Money expresses itself as an entity enabling the potential for happiness and unending possibilities; for this reason it is pursued in America with a reverence equivocal to a sacred conviction. Personally I think this is frigged-up! Happiness does not come from money-it comes from within you. If you personally believe that you cannot be happy unless you attain mad bank, then I pity you for chasing your tail. The more you receive the more you will want. On the other hand, if you’re at college to have fun, enjoy life and use it as a launch pad into a future enabling further enjoyment, further fun and real happiness, I think you got it going on. If you enjoy business, then do it up. If you enjoy art, do it. If you enjoy political science, then go for it. Do it as long as you are doing what you are doing for itself and not for an unending end (the unending end being the insatiable thirst for money). The day is today and the day will always be today, so live it up today!! I’m sure some people are puzzled as to why I assert that sports are to be seen as a religious ritual. For me it is quite simple: Sports provide a competitive activity in which an enormous quantity of money is involved, and further, it is an activity in which one can place hope and faith. The modern environment seems to use science as a means to revoke the validity of much religious sentiment. Personally I think it provides a completely insufficient means of doing so, but all the same, many youth have trouble with institutionalized religion because it asks them to suspend too much disbelief. Sports provide a release for those inner feelings or religious needs that are left unfulfilled in secular life. Do I think this “American Religion” is bad? No, not necessarily; I just think that people should recognize its presence before submitting to things they don’t necessarily realize they are submitting to. Personally, I’m a Rastafari. Rastafarianism is not limited to an exact code: It is up to much interpretation with a few constant beliefs. The constant beliefs I adhere to are 1) harm not (other sentient beings), 2) spread love and 3) enjoy the life you are granted. I like this religion better than the industrial one that many Americans submit to. If people of America had these three fundamental beliefs incorporated into their lives, then I think the world would be a better place. Religion is an extremely important entity whether or not you consider yourself religious. And if you claim that you are not religious I want you to really examine your life in order to see if this is true. I recognize religion is a very controversial topic, and I do not want to offend; I simply want to illuminate. If you are offended, I apologize, and if I brought something to light for you, then I am honored. Sending Peace and Love, Your Rastafari.