<p>Hey !
I have heard from a couple of people from my school that georgetown is a very religious school. The thing is that I am an athiest but I am very open minded and respect other peoples beliefs. Is georgetown still a good fit for me since I am really interested in it because of its academic excellence ?</p>
<p>georgetown is not that religious as everyone makes it out to be. everyone has told me that the school is open to all faiths, and religion is not forced upon anyone. i had the same question in mind when I applied.
im Sikh too and I'm pretty religious yet I ended up applying early this year to georgetown.</p>
<p>i am an atheist applying to gtown as well. from what i have heard, everybody is pretty open-minded about each individual's religion preference (or lack thereof).</p>
<p>Thanks guys....</p>
<p>I'd like to remind everyone that atheism is a religion in of itself. It's a particular belief about religion.</p>
<p>a "belief", or opinion (as i believe you are using it), about religion is NOT a religion. A(meaning NOT)+theism(belief in god or any particular set of beliefs concerning supernatural absurdities)=no belief in god=no religion. i do not pray to a GOD of ATHEISM. to do so would be both oxymoronic and moronic. I do not follow the bible of atheism, unless you mean that to be REASON. so please refrain from such ostentatiousness in the future.</p>
<p>I got pretty lost in the myriad of equal signs throughout your response...anyhoo, I didn't realize that religion required either a bible or a god. Also, I didn't know you had to pray to be religious. I didn't know a lot of things until you bluntly told me your "philosophy" on religion...lmao</p>
<p>no such things exist. they were there for sarcasm's sake. i guess now it's ruined by way of explanation.</p>
<p>actually,I think flipback is pretty right about his/her definition of religion. Unless the person is a deist, a pantheist or an agnostic, it can assumed that the he/she believes in a superior being.
Also, flipback did not say that u have to pray to be religious. He/she just said that he/she does not pray since flipback is an atheist and flipback used the example of praying since it is a major aspect of theism.
I am seriously not trying to offend anyone...just clearing things up...</p>
<p>As the analogy goes: Atheism is about as much of a religion as bald is a hair color.</p>
<p>thank you rohanshingh and dsm</p>
<p>This thread is why Georgetown makes students take two theology classes, one being "The Problem of God." Its a great opportunity for all students, religous and non-relgious, to discuss such issues in an academic environment and challenge each other. Since everyone has an opinion on this subject it makes for an incredibly stimulating and thought provoking educational experience. It was definitely one of the highlights of my Georgetown years.</p>
<p>When I did a summer program at Georgetown the Jesuit presence on campus was pretty clear. Each classroom had at least one crucifix in it, and earlier this year my interviewer wanted to spend pretty much the whole time talking about community service/church involvement.</p>
<p>1789, I would love to be in one of those classes since I like to debate on this issue. It helps to strengthen my opinions. Its probably better than going to a college where every1 tries to avoid this issue...
But would it hurt my application if I reveal the fact that I am an atheist in my interview?</p>
<p>You said it yourself, I think you have a very sincere answer for the "Why Georgetown?" question. </p>
<p>Georgetown is better because "I would love to be in one of those classes since I like to debate on this issue. It helps to strengthen my opinions. Its probably better than going to a college where every1 tries to avoid this issue..."</p>
<p>Just be honest and discuss your interest in theology and the "Problem of God." It would be much better to have a free flowing conversation about who you are, why you are applying to Georgetown, and why Georgetown is better than the other schools you are applying to, than to have the interviewer feel that you are being deceptive.</p>
<p>Finally and FYI, Georgetown, or any university for that matter, can not discriminate based on religious beliefs. Otherwise, you'd have a pretty sweet law suit.</p>
<p>then why is the school 65 percent white? they discriminate... and you can't fight it...</p>
<p>Ok, a 65% white population in a country in which there is around a 73% caucasion population. It is in no way necessary to have numbers disproportionate to the population. Also, here are the caucasion percentages for some other top universities: Harvard 58%, Cornell 56%...you get the idea. The point being, Georgetown's isn't particularly higher.
Furthermore, African-American and Hispanic students combined are expected to comprise 27 percent of the projected 19.9 million students, a 4 percent rise over the 2004 figures. So only around 27% of of total college applicants only a few years ago were black or hispanic. Obviously this does not include ALL minority populations, but two large ones in the US and Georgetown has around 8% higher than that.
The white population has probably nothing to do with discrimination and everything to do with the number of qualified minority applicants. Not letting in qualified white people because they're white is also discrimination, by the way. I'm not saying that NO discrimination exists, but the whole "they discriminate and you can't fight it" is a little unfounded (and defeatest?). Besides the previous discussion was on discrimination based on religion, not race.</p>
<p>Actually private schools can discriminate on religion, and the conservative evangelical schools have no problem asking prospective students about their personal salvation experience. But it may help to know that in the 18th century the founder of GU, John Carroll, could not receive a higher education in North America because he was Catholic. He went to Europe for his education, and upon returning was determined to found a school (albeit a Catholic one) that would not discriminate on religion. I'm pretty sure that GU is the only Catholic school that has not only a campus priest, but a campus minister, a campus rabbi, and a campus imam.</p>
<p>And hey, that's 800 posts - closing in on four figures!</p>
<p>
[quote]
a "belief", or opinion (as i believe you are using it), about religion is NOT a religion. A(meaning NOT)+theism(belief in god or any particular set of beliefs concerning supernatural absurdities)=no belief in god=no religion.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Not necessarily. While a-theist means "without God (or gods)", strictly speaking, it does not necessarily mean without religion. Certainly, there have been religions that do not worship a God and yet have religious practices (early Buddhism being one, before Buddhist religious figures deified personalities of the Buddha and it all just became so complicated.) While a belief or an opinion on a particular religion may be mere commentary and therefore nonreligious (as it does not require the partaking of said religion), atheism is a position in the context of the overarching discussion on religion. Atheism (like all other religious beliefs) is in the unique position to say "All other religions are incorrect." (An over-generalization, of course, since Islam has ties with the Jewish and Christian faiths, and other religious links that I'd rather not explain right now.) It does provide its own unique alternative: nothingness. This is a rather nihilistic theology, but it is one that atheists subscribe to... living now, living for today, and not believing in a divinely-imposed afterlife. </p>
<p>That said, if you're inclined to study something else, you can take Biblical Literature instead of Problem of God. (I took the latter. It was stimulating and quite the exercise in logic.) Your second theology option can be in the lower range of theology classes (001-199, I think?), and this covers anything from Islam, Buddhism, General Religion, Catholicism, etc. </p>
<p>As for the Catholic presence at Georgetown, it's there if you look for it. Yes, there are crucifixes in some classrooms (mostly in White Gravenor, I haven't seen them as often in the ICC, and I never have classes in Healy). Most of the time, you won't notice unless you search the walls for Christian iconography. But the Jesuits are some of the most fantastic and interesting people I know (I am not Catholic)... you just need to look beyond the collar and see what they have to offer you academically, intellectually, and often-times socially. They are great counselors, professors, chaplains (even in the non-religious sense), and if ever the need arises, spiritual guides.</p>
<p>One of the best things about being in Washington D.C. is that if what you're looking for isn't on campus, it can probably be found in the city. This may be rather inconvenient, but contrast this to other schools where you're limited to what the university offers you. D.C. is diverse and sprawling with a multitude of religious communities. You'll find what you need to fulfill your spiritual desires, if you're willing to make the effort.</p>