Finding Jesus at College

Dave Cutler for The Chronicle Review

Enlarge Image

By Edward Dutton

Some people have intense religious experiences. Usually during times of distress, they see visions of Jesus or hear the "voice of God." Often those people develop what is colloquially termed a fundamentalist form of religiosity. Neuro-psychologists have suggested that there may be a genetic component to that intensity of belief—that human beings have evolved to perceive agency in the world and yearn for tightly structured groups in times of turmoil. Some people are more susceptible than