<p>I know that St Olaf is a Lutheran school and the majority of the students are Lutheran, but I was wondering how accepting the student body is of atheism. I know that there are not only Christian students, but many non atheists are uncomfortable with atheism, and I am afraid if I went there I would end up having to pretty muh bite my tounge for four years.
So, mostly in the perspective of a student, how accepting is the general student body of atheism? And especially from the view of a student atheist at St Olaf.</p>
<p>Google search brought me this: </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/saint-olaf-college/304904-non-religious-people-st-olaf.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/saint-olaf-college/304904-non-religious-people-st-olaf.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/saint-olaf-college/868324-atheist-agnostic-st-olaf.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/saint-olaf-college/868324-atheist-agnostic-st-olaf.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/saint-olaf-college/620919-how-religious-college.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/saint-olaf-college/620919-how-religious-college.html</a></p>
<p>I’d guess that it’s like most Christian liberal arts college- as long as you have an open mind, it’s NBD.</p>
<p>I go to Carleton, the school across the river, and I have several Jewish friends at St. Olaf, as well as an agnostic friend (soccer recruit/music major/math major - all chose the school for reasons other than its religious background). My guess is that if you go to Olaf, religion will be more prevalent/conspicuous, but I don’t see the average Ole giving you grief for your beliefs - they’re pretty polite, for the most part.</p>
<p>St Olaf’s is an Evangelical U. If you can accept overt Christian (Lutheran) worship on campus and in class, you should be okay. Perhaps a better question is why would an aetheist want to go there?</p>
<p>If you do go there, take a class with Charles Taliaferro. He’s supposed to be an expert in arguments for God’s existence.</p>
<p>I live near St. Olaf and know a lot of students who have gone there. I would NOT classify it as an “Evangelical U”. It is more religious than most LACs, and I believe some religious coursework is required. But I would put it a lot closer to the middle of the spectrum of “tolerant” than pretty much any other “religious” school I could name. The students I know who have gone there are definitely not in-your-face religious, and as mentioned above, are actually quite polite. In fact, I am guessing that a few are non-believers themselves – but they are also go-along-to-get-along types. I, too, am an athiest… and do think I would have trouble “going-along-and-getting-along” for four years. You might look harder at Macalester, or Carleton if you have the stats.</p>
<p>Where do you get the idea that St. Olaf’s is an Evangelical U? Many schools are religious without actively trying to convert people.</p>
<p>hi! I actually attend St. Olaf and I can tell you it is VERY accepting of atheists. I know many atheists, non-believers, and Christians. There’s even an Atheist/Agnostic club. In general, St. Olaf is pretty left-leaning.</p>
<p>St. Olaf is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In my book that make it Evangelical.</p>
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<p>Well, it makes it a college affiliated with a church with “Evangelical” in its name.</p>
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<p>You must have a very tiny book.</p>
<p>So I guess some are saying that St Olaf’s, although affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran church, is not in fact Evangelical. Hmm I suppose this could be true, but the weight of what we know seems to far outweigh the loopholes of what we don’t? Also I think being evangelical is a fine quality and something that St Olaf’s should take pride in. BTW- I don’t want to be accused of bickering so I will give others the last word. GL to all.</p>
<p>I think you misunderstand what evangelical means. Look up the beliefs of this church. They are rather liberal. Exactly the kind of place that openly accepts people from various different walks of life.</p>
<p>sosomenza, they are just Lutherans. Which is not considered an evangelical sect (in spite of the name). Seriously… if you want an evangelical school, try Liberty or Oral Roberts. Or quite a few southern universities have a large population of evangelical Christians. No one who has ever set foot on the St. Olaf campus would consider it an evangelical school in the way the term is typically used.</p>
<p>I’m a pastor. The ELCA is a mainstream Protestant denomination. The national body of the church leans toward the liberal side. Conservative Lutherans are WI Synod and Missouri Synod.</p>
<p>You should be fine at St. Olaf. I haven’t looked at their course requirements, but if it is anything like my daughter’s Catholic college, there may be a broad spectrum of religious classes.</p>
<p>Yikes-remind me never to never give the last word, again!</p>
<p>I know a gay atheist who went to St. Olaf’s. Said it was the best time of his life.</p>
<p>sosomenza - the type of evangelical you seem to be suggesting - narrow, intolerant and closed minded, was nowhere in evidence when my daughter of Jewish backround/raised unitarian/currently agnostic visited and stayed overnight last fall. She was blown out of the water by the sense of inclusion, and willingness to engage in respectful dialogue that we dont even see at home in the lefty NYC area. In fact, my daughter the agnostic, might minor in religion and found the stimulating discussions about religion to be hopeful and inspiring.</p>
<p>You should not have any problems at St. Olaf.</p>
<p>As others have pointed out, the ELCA is not fundementalist church, but rather a mainline protestant denomination that is highly ecumenical and rather liberal in its outlook. It is in “full communion” (allowing for the exchange of clergy and sacraments) with: the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Reformed Church of America, the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church and the Moravian Church. It is liturgical (vestments, church calendar, standard liturgy) like Catholic and Anglican/Episcopal churches. It is unique in that even though it recently reinstituted the historic episcopate for its bishops (bishops are installed/ordained by other bishops in historic episcopate) and require its new pastors to be ordained by bishops, it does not require this of its ecumenical partners as a condition of full communion. Thus it can be in full communion with Episcopalians which require the historic episcopate and other protestant churches that do not. </p>
<p>It is helpful to look at Merriam Webster’s first definition of Evangelical: of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as it is presented in the four gospels. This is the “old” definition, the fourth definition is the fundementalist one that seems to be in more common use today. </p>
<p>It should also be noted that the word Evangelical was the term Martin Luther preferred to have used to describe churches that followed his reforms and thus was highly used in Germany and other countries in Europe in Lutheran church names.</p>