Atheists at Baylor

Colleges and Universities A-Z Baylor University
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<p>Hey, my first thread…</p>

<p>I’m atheist and have received a full-tuition scholarship as well as acceptance from Baylor. I like the programs the university has to offer and am pretty sure that I will go there if my first choice, Austin College, doesn’t give me a comparable scholarship. My question is: is the religiousness on campus so rampant that I would be discriminated against, constantly taunted, or forced to do religious programs (I know of the 2-semesters-of-chapel requirement)?</p>

<p>I’ve seen multiple perspectives of life at Baylor - from a quote on collegeboard.com by a Baylor student saying, “There are non-Christian students here, but they don’t fit in and I don’t know why they’re at Baylor,” to the school’s repeated assurance that all religions are welcome there (I told them I was Muslim, which is how I was raised). In your opinion, which one is closer to the truth?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance,
Andrew</p>

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<p>I talked quite a bit about this issue in the 2006-2007 Acceptances thread. Here's probably the most relevant post:</p>

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I have a friend who's Muslim, and she really likes it here. From my experience, people aren't going to condemn you for being Muslim (of course, I'm sure there are exceptions, but you'll get intolerant people at any university, religious or secular).</p>

<p>I'd say that as long as you don't mind any of the stuff I mentioned earlier (classes, chapel, Christian ideology, visiting hours in the dorm, etc.) and don't mind being surrounded by a good number of Christians, then you'll be fine. Of course, I'm in BIC, and honors people tend to be more liberal, but I still don't think you'll have a hard time overall. Even not all of the professors are Christian.</p>

<p>Oh, and from a PM Twenty8 sent me when I was considering Baylor:</p>

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[Quote]
Personally, I'm Muslim (gasp!) and lean more towards the liberal end (double gasp!), so yeah, there definetly is diversity, but you have to look for it. I'd say the average person is somewhat religious, from a well-to-do family, and doesn't really involve himself or herself in politics. As far as professors go, I honestly can't say I've had a bad one, or one that I felt treated me differently. Actually, in my religion course, my prof. knew I was Muslim and he really appreciated my prescence. There are even a few Jewish professors as well. All in all, it's a mixed bag, but most people are more open-minded then you might think.

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<p>I do think I should mention, though, that I am applying to transfer out due primarily to the school's strong religious affiliation (though there are numerous other factors). Now I don't want to deter people from looking into the school, because several non-Christian students I know are content with their experiences and interactions. I think it really is a matter of individual taste. For me, I wonder that I could be happier on another, secular institution. And for me, that "wonder" is too great to ignore by not applying.</p>

<p>For all non-Christians or not-so-pious Christians, I would strongly recommend visiting the school and getting a feel. As one of my professors concisely put it, "Baylor is not for everyone." And, perhaps, it may not be for me.</p>

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<p><em>nods</em> I believe I mentioned that Baylor's not for everyone several times in the other thread (or if I didn't, I meant to say it). It definitely is a Baptist University, though not as hard-core as some other schools. And you do wonder sometimes why non-Christians are there (I wouldn't go to a Muslim university, for example), though I think it's great that they are fine with it. </p>

<p>In fact, I'm Christian and I wasn't sure Baylor was right for me at first. I wanted at least some level of diversity and openness. But I'm finding that Baylor is the right fit for me. Having gone to public school all my life (and a fairly liberal high school), it's really neat to be with more people who share my world view. I had times in high school where I wanted to discuss/debate about something, but it would have been pointless to discuss it with people who came from a completly different worldview.</p>

<p>At the same time, I'm a comparatively liberal Christian, though I'm still on the conservative side. And I don't feel stifled by the atmosphere here, which I was afraid of, but I feel I can grow. I've actually learned more about other religions here (through the BIC program) than I've learned in public school. For example, right now we're reading the Qu'ran, and Saturday we're visiting a mosque. And actually, there's a Muslim girl in that class, and it's really neat to hear from her about what we're discussing.</p>

<p>I just wanted to reassure the OP that I haven't really seen any non-Christians "discriminated against, constantly taunted, or forced to do religious programs" other than chapel, religion classes, etc.</p>

<p>ETA: One thing to note, though, is that the Baylor admissions people and the like tend to downplay Baylor's Christianity, at least in my experience. From what they made it sound like, Baylor wasn't that Christian at all, except for it's rules and requirements. That was actually another thing that detered me from Baylor at first, because I felt like if they were a Christian university, they should be one straight out instead of in name only. If I wanted to go to a secular school, I'd go to one. Talking to people on campus and looking around campus helped me get a much better feel, as I found out that Baylor was indeed Baptist more than in name, though it wasn't overwhelmingly so (one other school I looked at, for example, doesn't allow drinking (even if you're over age) or dancing at all.) So definitely visit, and see if you can deal with the atmosphere here. I know several non-Christians who really enjoy Baylor, though for some it may be despite the Christian atmosphere rather than because of it.</p>

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<p>Thanks a lot, everyone, for your responses.</p>

<p>I don't mind the visiting hours and not drinking - that's definitely for the best. The problem is having another faith constantly shoved down my throat. The admissions people I've talked to have also downplayed its Christianity, and I too visited the school and noticed its religiousness (to some extent).</p>

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And you do wonder sometimes why non-Christians are there (I wouldn't go to a Muslim university, for example)

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<p>Well, I am seriously thinking about pre-med and, as you said in the other thread, the program seems to be good. I actually started thinking about and liking Baylor before I know of its religiousness, and I am getting a full ride =)</p>

<p>Do any of you know any non-Christians I could talk to about the school? Any non-Christians out there reading this post that could testify? Please respond or pm me if you are willing to chat.</p>

<p>I've watched a few of the chapels, and it seems like an annoyance although not something that, alone, would convince me not to go. Are the non-scripture classes religion-based? Does the biology program teach evolution with an asterisk and a lengthy sermon? Are evangelists rampant there?</p>

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<p>Just bumping this thread up one more time. I'm pretty much down to either Austin College or Baylor. Baylor is $12,000 a year cheaper than AC for me, but I am still uncertain about the religiousness. Do most of the students at Baylor tend to fit a certain demographic (conservative, evangelical Christians)? I am fiscally conservative myself but think I would get bored and frustrated being around homogeneous people all the time.</p>

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<p>You're going to hell.</p>

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<p>
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Do most of the students at Baylor tend to fit a certain demographic (conservative, evangelical Christians)?

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<p>I would say a majority of the students at Baylor are rich, white, and are conservative, evangelical Christians. However, there are many students who do not fit that stereotype, especially in the honors college.</p>

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Do any of you know any non-Christians I could talk to about the school?

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<p>Let me ask around...</p>

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Are the non-scripture classes religion-based?

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Aside from my BIC classes (which are interdisciplinary), they don't seem to be.</p>

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Does the biology program teach evolution with an asterisk and a lengthy sermon?

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While I haven't taken a biology course yet here, I'm pretty sure the answer is no. Can ask around if you'd really like, though.</p>

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Are evangelists rampant there?

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Do you mean people who are going to try to force you to convert? If so, then no, there aren't too many of them, at least from what I've seen. But then, most people here assume a person's a Christian when they first meet him or her, since this is a Christian university, so they don't bother trying to convert that person. There are Christians who are forceful in expressing their own beliefs, yes, but there are non-Christians who are just as forceful.</p>

<p>Anyway, there are indeed a variety of beliefs here. Most people are fairly conservative Christians. In fact, at my very liberal high school, I was considered very conservative. Here, though, I'm on the more liberal end of the conservative side. I'm not bored by a lack of diversity in beliefs (and I was afraid I might be), but I can't predict if you will be.</p>

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<p>I've taken biology twice, one of my professors told us that we HAD to believe in evolution because it is a fact. The other didn't even talk about it. </p>

<p>I also took the first religion course required in which the professor taught all the different views everyone has then had us write a paper describing what we believed in and why.</p>

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<p>Thanks a lot, everyone, for your help. I eventually decided the atmosphere at Baylor wasn't quite for me and sprang for Austin College in Sherman.</p>

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<p>Glad to be of help! Good luck at Austin College!</p>

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<p>Thanks BookAddict =)</p>