Religion in the Hook-up College Culture

The sexual “hook-up culture” is widespread on college and university campuses, regardless of whether the institutions are Catholic or secular, a Catholic academic says, according to the California Catholic Daily.

Boston University religion professor Donna Freitas reports her findings in a new book, Sex & the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America’s College Campuses.

She says that “with the exception of evangelicals, American college students see almost no connection between their religious beliefs and their sexual behavior.”

I’m not surprised but so many of us don’t seem to be preparing our children for the college hook-up culture.

According to Freitas, the prevalence of the “hookup culture,” where students seek sexual experiences with a variety of partners, was a disturbing enough trend. But, “the theme party culture is probably the most shocking shift.”

In theme parties, men and women dress up, the women acting as sex objects. Themes include “CEOs and Office Hos,” “Millionaires and Maids,” and “Golf Pros and Tennis Hos,” she told the Reporter. According to Freitas, young people often regret their participation in such parties, but they “feel they have to go along with it to make friends, or to find a guy if they want a boyfriend.”

According to Freitas, 41% of students, both men and women, who engage in the “hook-up culture” are “profoundly upset” about their own behavior. Of the students at Catholic colleges and universities, 45% said their peers were too casual about sex – an opinion expressed by 36% of students at nonreligious private and public schools. But, Freitas told the Wall Street Journal in April, “with the exception of evangelicals, American college students see almost no connection between their religious beliefs and their sexual behavior. This radical separation of religion and sex tells us important things not only about the power of the college hookup culture but also about the weakness of religious traditions in the face of it.”

But here’s the real truth. Freitas believes that Catholic colleges and universities forsaken values for admissions. Freitas said Catholic colleges have ignored the sexual hook-up culture because they fear alienating prospective students.

I can honestly say that I never once heard a sermon about casual sex from the Jesuits when I went to college. It is by far the most prevalent issue on campus. That and drinking. But never once did I hear anything about casual sex. They ignored it completely.

But Freitas says the parents have plenty of the blame as well. She suggests that parents of prospective students be given a list of questions. Ten of the questions should be about sex and the hookup culture. “Parents have to buck up and look beyond the ivy. My theory is the parents and applicants hold all the power. When students are in the middle of it, they don’t know how to get out of it.” But I fear that too many parents are more concerned with being their child’s friend than acting as a parent.

So what we have is a negligent clergy who never discuss sex, colleges which turn a blind eye to sexual behavior to pump up admissions, and parents who want to be cool. And who pays the price? The children. They pay with broken hearts, STD’s, and abortions. And then all of the adults shake their head wondering about kids today.