Connecting Through Faith: An Analysis of Dalhousie and Kings Religious Societies

Abstract

In Canadian society today, there is a growing problem of university dropouts and deteriorating mental health conditions in university students with a leading cause being loneliness. This qualitative sociological study explores faith-based student societies as a context for friendship making among university students to examine whether organized social faith-based clubs provide students with an environment where they can develop friendships and a sense of belonging. The research findings align with Emile Durkheim's analyses of the sacred in religious communities and highlights how important relationships in these societies are to both personal and spiritual development. Additionally, this research uses the theoretical influence of Georg Simmel and Danny Kaplan to understand how university student religious societies are socially organized and how interactions are influenced by the objective and subjective culture that surrounds the society. Participants felt that their Christian societies at Dalhousie and Kings helped them find social and personal identify, develop their religious beliefs through group ritual ceremonies, and help build an internal sense of belonging. This research points toward a future where universities will have the proper resources to help illuminate the transcendent power that friendship holds, by examining how it is found in for university students in social clubs organized based on religion.