Ever found yourself praying you’ll pass an exam?

According to a survey conducted by University chaplains 23 per cent of Leeds students hold “a definite belief in God”. Members of the clergy travelled round Leeds, even venturing into halls of accommodation to find out just how spiritual we really are.

38 per cent of those asked declared that they held no belief in God at all. When asked what the basic problem of mankind was, nearly a third of students surveyed said “selfishness” with just 3 per cent citing “war”as the source humanity’s woes.

When asked “who was Jesus?” a quarter chose the answer “Son of God, Saviour of the World” with nobody ticking the “madman” box.
The survey interviewed 209 students who were willing to let the chaplains in for a chat.

Seija Frears, one of the chaplains involved, admits that because of this, “the findings may be more positive towards matters of faith than among students in general” but she added: “there is much more willingness to talk about spirituality than there was some years ago.”

Author: Sabrina Poole