"Pray for Peace, Pray for Justice" reads the immense sign hanging outside Chi Phi fraternity.
Such a sign typically is not seen hanging from a fraternity house, yet it reflects the response of many students looking to prayer and religion following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"Something like this shakes our world, and I don't know where I would be if I didn't have faith," said Dan Vogel, President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. "I think the attacks are pushing a lot of people towards prayer."
Charles Matthewes, an associate professor of religious studies, agreed that the recent attacks may have caused more people to turn towards religious groups or institutions.
"I think religion is a powerful comfort [in times such as this] but is equally a way of helping people to suffer in the right way and not to avoid their suffering," Matthewes said. "Judaism, Christianity and Islam all place an important emphasis on suffering.
"Suffering is something that humans do, and if you try to flee that you are in trouble."
The Muslim community at the University helped organize Sept. 11's candlelight vigil on the Lawn and also have focused on educating fellow students and faculty about its faith.
"The Islamic standpoint is that such actions as the terrorist attacks are not tolerated and do not represent Islam," said Yahya Fouz, Muslim student association vice-president said. "We have been trying to focus on unity and that all religions condemn such actions."
Some religious groups experienced increased attendance numbers in the week after the terrorist attacks.
Attendance increased slightly at the Hillel Jewish Center's weekly meeting of students, Hillel President Jessica Newstadt said.
During the meeting members talked about how Judaism provided them a source of comfort, Newstadt said.
The Latter-Day Saints Student Association also experienced a slight increase in attendance at its weekly meetings. In response to the attacks, the association organized group prayer and fasting, and many members have given blood, LDSSA President Lindsay Bunting said.
The attack "has been a pretty eye-opening event and has us thinking about how blessed we are and grateful that so many people were kept safe," Bunting said.
The day of the attacks, Chinese Christian Fellowship members immediately began forwarding each other e-mails about various prayer vigils occurring around Grounds, CCF president Loren Chen said. After the Sept. 11 vigil on the Lawn, CCF members got together and prayed and discussed the events.
"There will be a lot of questions regarding the goodness of God, and we talked about that," Chen said. "We talked about the opportunities to minister and bring comfort to those who are affected, and about not harboring prejudices."
Attendance at Black Voices, a Christian Gospel Choir, did not increase or decrease following last Tuesday's attacks, yet the attacks were addressed at Black Voices' meeting, said Brian Edmonds member and fourth-year Engineering student.
"I believe that Black Voices realizes that God is still in control in the midst of all of this," Edmonds said.
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