Religion degree? Can't get one here

Utah, one of the most religious states in the union, is one of the least with regard to academic religious studies.

Utahns are awash in religion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which most Utahns are members, is the state's single most dominant force. Religion pervades Utah history, culture, politics and personal behavior. And yet the state is one of only two (Idaho is the other) in which a student at a public college or university can't graduate in religion, theology or religious studies. Even students at LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University, required to attend religion classes taught from the LDS perspective, can't graduate in religion.

"Here we live with religion always lurking in the background," said Utah State University history department chairman Norman Jones. "It's always been a puzzle to me that nobody is doing this."

The situation appears to be changing — slowly. None of the state's universities have any formalized religious studies program, but they offer various courses in religious areas such as history of Christianity, philosophy of religion and Jewish folklore.

You can't major in religion at Utah Valley State College, but you can construct a liberal studies program with a religious studies emphasis. Director Brian Birch says the 6-month-old program is "overwhelmingly successful."

The University of Utah has tried — and failed — a couple of times to set up a religious studies program, part of the failure due to bickering over what role LDS studies should play. Now, Jones and others are trying to create a religious studies program at USU, seeking several million in private monies to fund the venture.

USU Provost Stan Albrecht carefully terms the effort "very, very preliminary."

Albrecht's cautious approach is typical. The huge influence of religion in Utah has, paradoxically, retarded the development of academic religious studies.

When Utah Valley State College first proposed such a program a few years ago, "we got it from both sides," Birch said. Some people protested that the program would turn into Mormon-bashing, while others said it would be nothing more than religious indoctrination. It took a while for the message to get through that the program would be a neutral examination of the influence of religion — all religion — on human culture and behavior.

"Religion is arguably the most influential cultural phenomenon in Western culture — and all cultures," Birch said. "We would be failing our constituents if we didn't have some forum to study it."