Christian colleges- is it okay if you're not christian?

<p>Agreed. I have a friend who goes to Loyola (Jesuit school) and it’s not really religious at all. It depends on the individual school; religion-affiliated schools or historically religious schools are much less strict and much different than evangelical/actively religious schools.</p>

<p>My D went to a Catholic high school and the only thing she didn’t like was that they didn’t allow certain clubs on campus that went against the Catholic beliefs. For example, Gay Student Alliance and Amnesty International weren’t allowed. This wasn’t a Jesuit high school so I’m not sure if this applies to Loyola.</p>

<p>this is a problem for me too. i’m jewish but im thinking about majoring in international relations and i know georgetown has a really good program but they are catholic. in general how religious are affiliated schools?</p>

<p>Catholic or Jesuit (which are basically Catholic) schools usually are not an issue for those who do not conform to their faith. The others are right, most of the time Christian refers to Protestant forms of Christianity which are traditionally more conservative and sometimes not as accepting of other faiths.</p>

<p>I’m sure if your stats are that high you could get a good or better deal somewhere else. Why would you go to a Christian college if you’re not Christian?</p>

<p>Usually the term “Christian college” refers to evangelical, Christian colleges, and NOT to Catholic colleges. </p>

<p>Catholic colleges have a long history of students from many background (for example, Georgtown, a jesuit college, has had a full time rabbi on staff for over 30 years, and has a Muslim student prayer room). Those are things you probably wouldn’t find in a Christian college (ie, evangelical), but you would in a Catholic college, which is very different.</p>

<p>I guess we’re talking about Catholic colleges here.</p>

<p>I’m making some generalizations that echo some statements already mentioned, but they are worth repeating:</p>

<p>1) A lot of “Catholic” colleges have students of many different faiths. Others do not – see below.
2) Jesuit colleges tend to be more liberal to the point where they’ve gotten in severe trouble with the Church because they are so off-base on Church teaching. Obviously, if you’re a Catholic college, there are some standards that the college has to meet – you can’t just affiliate with the Church in an official capacity and not act accordingly.
3) There are Catholic schools that are more Catholic in the sense that they are in line with Church teaching, but, in general, unless you are Catholic, you probably won’t know about them. In other words, if you are applying to a Catholic college and are not Catholic, chances are you will be fine.</p>

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<p>I don’t understand. She attends a Catholic school, and then complains about the fact that it’s Catholic? I’m missing something here.</p>

<p>what about a jew at pepperdine?</p>

<p>These posters are correct that you will find diversity and different religions - BUT - what you might notice are more subtle differences having to do with how authority is viewed, and how questioning and arguing and disagreeing are viewed. People within the Catholic faith will NOT notice these differences because they are viewing this from inside their own framework. As a Jew who once taught at two Catholic colleges, I can say that there are subtle differences in how people are expected to accept authority, and how people are expected to express differences of opinion. This is VERY subtle but it is there. That said, it may be good training for life!
Pepperdine: different category entirely. I would doubt that this is a good fit.</p>

<p>levirm, is that authority in general, or authority as in the Church?</p>

<p>Catholic colleges tend to be much more “mainstream” than so-called Christian schools. While Catholics are obviously Christian, their schools will be quite different than schools that list themselves as Christian. Catholic schools, like Boston College and Notre Dame enjoy a very Catholic Christian identity identity, but value traditional education. “Christian” (re non-Catholic) schools are often not what most would look for in the hunt for a college. Many, like Pensacola Christian College in my area, are unaccredited and go so far as to say they refuse accreditation, lest they be subject to the laws of an accrediting body. Who knows if that’s truly the case or if they are just substandard programs unworthy of regional or even national accreditation? Be sure to choose a program that is regionally accredited, and one that does not violate your own convictions, even if it doesn’t share your religion. You will have greater success with these criteria at a Catholic college than at an evangelical school.</p>

<p>the jesuits go through 14 yeas of training, so you will be getting the cream of the crop in regards to catholic religious orders</p>

<p>Non-Christians are generally welcome and fit in nicely at most Catholic universities (Boston College, Fordham, Georgetown, Holy Cross, Loyola, Notre Dame etc…). I am not sure about universities affiliated to other Christian denomination.</p>

<p>Here is the complete list of the 28 Jesuit colleges in the USA sorted by popularity:</p>

<p>[Jesuit</a> Colleges and Universities Quiz Results - sporcle](<a href=“http://www.sporcle.com/games/jesuit_colleges_results.php]Jesuit”>http://www.sporcle.com/games/jesuit_colleges_results.php)</p>

<p>“is that authority in general, or authority as in the Church”</p>

<p>I would say both, IMHO.</p>

<p>Years ago I worked briefly with an engineer who told me that he’d applied to the University of Virginia, but wasn’t accepted because he was a foreign-born Muslim (this was in the mid-60s). So instead he went to his second choice, the University of Notre Dame. We both enjoyed the irony. He told me he had a ball there.</p>

<p>Xavier University in Cincinnati (Jesuit) has a full-time rabbi on staff–his office is called “Office of Interfaith Community Engagement.”</p>

<p>And last year they dedicated a multicultural prayer room, which is more than most non-affiliated colleges have. (Not just “non-denominational”, which usually translates to “Christian,” the space is equipped with water for ritual washing, prayer rugs, and so forth.)</p>

<p>I agree, there seems to be a huge difference between Jesuit schools and “Christian” schools. I think by the latter people mean schools that regulate every aspect of students lives according to certain precepts.</p>

<p>On the other hand, there are legitimate Catholic schools that enforce the Church teaching, unlike the Jesuit schools. At those, clearly being another religion would be more problematic.</p>

<p>many people who are not christian attend christian schools. Most of them respect others religions. Of course there will be a bit of pressure on you to join whatever church runs the university, but I think that (besides mandatory chapel in some cases) they won’t force you into anything you don’t want to do.</p>

<p>Our middle is a non christian attending a Lutheran school. </p>

<p>Pros - small size, safe environment, less partying (on campus anyway),volunteer opportunities, great friends </p>

<p>Cons - ultra conservative, rules that assume she can’t make good choices for herself, campus activities center around religion</p>

<p>She fits in because of her tolerance for others’ religion, not the other way around. It really is possible to be a humanitarian who feels a reponsibilty to help others and not be christian.</p>