Mission & Goals

Mission

The Oberlin College Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) is a multifaith resource center that:

1. supports the exploration and practice of religious and philosophical identities and communities;
2. educates about religious and ethical matters in society and the world; and
3. promotes religious and philosophical pluralism and multifaith engagement.

It provides vital programs and services for a diverse campus community including students, faculty, staff, alumni, families, and friends of the college of all religious and nonreligious identities. It works collaboratively with many academic departments, campus units, and on and off-campus religious, philosophical, interfaith, and social justice organizations.

Goals

Some of the goals of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) are to:

• support and interpret religious and ethical life in its corporate, public, and organized forms and activities as well as its individual, private, and contemplative forms and activities;
• educate the college community about issues of religious and philosophical thought and practice, especially as they relate to contemporary conflicts and debates in society and the world;
• educate the college community about issues of importance in contemporary public discourse, especially as they relate to religious and ethical questions;
• promote intra-faith and interfaith dialogue, understanding, and action;
• challenge stereotypes about religious and philosophical identities and promote pluralism; and
• ensure that members of the college community find support on their particular spiritual and ethical journeys as they integrate them with their academic and intellectual pursuits, studies, and journeys