When many students leave home for college, religion tends to become a secondary priority, if it is a priority at all.

Rev. Jim Hayes, priest at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 2210 Lincoln Way, said one reason for this trend is that students are no longer forced, persuaded or coerced by their parents to go to religious services.

Hayes said religion may sometimes be associated with authority, and when students go to college, they try to break away from authority in order to feel as if they are truly independent.

Hayes said laziness is another reason college students stop attending religious services. He said each time a student stays at home instead of going to church, it becomes easier not to go the next time.

However, Hayes said this isn’t true of all college students.

“It’s somewhat of a general statement,” he said. “We have hundreds of students, about 1,500 to 2,000, celebrate every weekend. People must make decisions about time and their priorities.

“Most people are of faith whether they go to church or not,” he said.

Tim Baker, senior in biological chemistry, said he thinks going to college strengthened his religion.

“College has been good for me because it has helped me take a firmer grasp on my faith,” Baker said. “Now, it is more of a personal choice rather than simply following my parents’ path.”

Baker said he that attending church services is not the most important part of religion.

“Going to church is good, but it’s not giving you religion,” Baker said. “The only way to stop losing religion and get closer to God is to get personal with God by listening to what he teaches in the Bible.”

Campus minister Jim Sherbert of Collegiate United Methodist Church, 2622 West Lincoln Way, said it is important for students to understand that while the religion they were raised with may not necessarily be right for them, they should not disregard all religion.

“It is important to move beyond stereotypes,” Sherbert said. “You shouldn’t base your religion on just one church. Churches can differ greatly from each other, so people should check out new ones and find one that fits them.”

Pastor Mark Heilman of Memorial Lutheran Church, 2228 W. Lincoln Way, said straying from religion is a common stage in life.

Heilman said more upperclassmen than underclass students attend church. He feels this is because upperclassmen begin looking more toward their future and feel that they need to make God a part of it.

Jessica Bluml, sophomore in Spanish, shares Heilman’s view that religion is more important to people when they think about their futures.

“People slack off about their religion because they feel that God will always be there for them, like when they are raising their children,” she said. “And until that happens, they would rather party hard on Saturday nights and sleep in late Sunday morning.”