With students of other faiths comprising less than 2 percent of the total BYU student population, interfaith clubs and other efforts help increase their visibility and encourage connection.
The Muslim Student Union, the Cross Seekers Christian Club and the Catholic Newman club are among such clubs on the BYU campus. Together with BYU’s Interfaith Student Association, these clubs work to foster belonging, mutual understanding and friendship.
Gabriel Liza, an information systems major and treasurer of the Catholic club, said the Catholic club is focused on inviting everyone to come and learn about Catholicism, regardless of faith background.
“We serve every student here at BYU,” Liza said. “Anyone can come, anyone can learn.”
Being at BYU, Liza finds that connecting with the wider Latter-day Saint population can be difficult, but he has found many friends.
“When I am the one that is willing to listen, that’s when other people are a little more open to hear me,” Liza said. “It’s about taking the first step.”
Javier De Los Reyes, an information systems major and president of the Catholic club, acknowledges that although his experience at BYU is absolutely unique, he appreciates the Christ-centered atmosphere regardless of theology.
“I like the environment here ... different perspective, but good people that want to follow God,” De Los Reyes said. “I’ve gotten the chance to meet really cool people that genuinely want to know what I’m about.”
De Los Reyes said the best way for people to connect with those different from them is “having that desire to want to learn more” and building off of that curiosity.
“The LDS church has helped me become a better Catholic, and hopefully you as a member of the Church learning about Catholicism can help you become a better LDS person,” De Los Reyes said.
Leah Marett, a graduate student and president of the Christian Club, talked about the community amongst students of other faiths. The Christian Club seeks to give Protestant students a safe place to approach things from their perspective.
“Cross Seekers is more geared towards giving Protestant students a sense of community,” Marett said. “We’re trying to foster ... belonging for students that come from a different background and study the Bible in a different way than we do in our classes.”
To Marett, the greatest way to connect to anyone on campus — regardless of faith background — is to simply approach them as any other student.
“We’re normal students too,” Marett said. “Treat us like people, not like non-members.”
Leah Marett runs the BYU Nonmember Project — a podcast interviewing students of other faiths about their experience at BYU.
This understanding and connection is exactly what BYU’s Interfaith Student Association works to support. McKay Bowman, philosophy major and president of the association, said his goal is to fade into the background.
“My vision for the IFSA ... is that I don’t intend for us to be the most visible group on campus,” Bowman said. “The goal is really to just make the other faith groups on campus visible and recognized.”
Bowman’s work for the Interfaith Student Association is focused on connecting with faith groups across campus and helping them plan, approve, organize and fund events.
“A strong faith is strengthened by other strong faiths, so the other faith groups on campus should be strengthened,” Bowman said. “It’s more about friendship than anything else.”