<p>Given that I'm in no way a devout Catholic, is Fordham's emphasis on a Jesuit education overbearing to a student who is not very religious, but open-minded?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Many threads like this here and elsewhere on CC. Fordham is 60% Catholic. You will have professors who are Protestant and Jewish, Catholic, secular, religious (as in Priests and Nuns). Its as Catholic and religious as you wish it to be, or as secular as you want to be. Nobody will proselytize you. Nobody will force you to go to Mass. You may be as individual as you wish.</p>
<p>A Jesuit education means that they embody the Jesuit model and methods of educating the whole person, body mind and spirit. They are open minded. They will engage you and challenge you, but respect you and help you reach your potential. You will get out of it what you put into it, and more. If you put nothing into it, you will not derive the benefits. </p>
<p>You will be required to complete two theology courses, one which will be selected for you Freshman year, Faith and Reason, which is a broad perspective almost philosophical analysis. Its not Catholic doctrine. Though Catholic doctrine may be discussed. </p>
<p>If you are open minded, as you state, you will come prepared to be challenged and open to the possiblity of epiphanies and enlightenment in your life, wherever that may take you. </p>
<p>Some come just for the business/science/math approach and endure the liberal arts and core requirements. But in my opinion they miss out on a lot if they turn a deaf ear to exploring ideas.</p>
<p>There are students who are religious at Fordham but most of them are just ordinary kids from ordinary families and they practice their faith as they do at home. Some are agnostic. Some are Jewish. Some are from foreign countries and neither Jewish or Christian and are entirely secular. </p>
<p>Over-bearing is not a word one associates with Jesuits. This is not a Seminary or Convent. </p>
<p>One of the best ways to see it described is to read the absolutely fabulous memorial attribution made by a former doctoral student at Fordham who was a student of the late Eminence, Cardinal Dulles. This doctoral student is the Lutheran minister in residence at Princeton University now. I believe it can be accessed on the Fordham website if you dig around. It embodies how he came to love and appreciate the Cardinal and respect the Roman Catholic faith, despite being from a different faith experience. And in my opinion, is what best speaks the truth of the Jesuit ethics and ethos. Open dialogue, challenging discussion, and mutual respect. </p>
<p>Fr. McShane speaks of the “transformational experience” at Fordham. And he is absolutely correct. And that is what makes it so special and exciting.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for that reply despite the previous posts on this topic. :)</p>
<p>My daughter had the same concerns. She is not religious at all, and has not found that to be a problem at Fordham (LC campus), nor has she felt any pressure because she does not embrace religion at all. She said there are religious people there, of all religions, and no one has been overbearing at all on that issue. To the contrary, Fordham is very accepting of all religions, and is also accepting of people who are non-religious.</p>
<p>One more salient point on the topic, sort of tangentially.</p>
<p>I note with some sadness that it seems apropos for students to hide their faith, be embarassed by it, or to bad mouth it (or religion in general.) Being agnostic does not mean one has to be negative or bad mouth faith, it only means one is a non-believer. </p>
<p>Fordham has a fabulous Theology Department, which is dovetailed by a fabulous Philosophy Department and several very special Honors programs in religious studies. It also has an Orthodox Christian in residence and they recently hosted the Orthodox Patriarch from Istanbul. Fordham’s Graduate Program in Religious Studies is nationally recognized. </p>
<p>Fordham’s Campus Ministry Office is available, very active, and offers fabulous weekend retreats throughout the year on some property up state (about an hour north of Fordham) which are simply amazing experiences. People who attend them, particularly in Freshman year, come back with rave reviews. </p>
<p>Thus, it is my hope that a core group of students will embrace their faith experience, whatever that is, and stand proud of their belief system, defend it and then LIVE their faith not through proselytizing or overbearing argument, but through acts of sharing, love and compassion for others. </p>
<p>I reject arrogance and condescension. But I embrace faith and compassion, if that makes any sense. </p>
<p>gingerale: I don’t know what your faith experience is or has been…just know that if you attend Fordham, I hope you reach out for the wonderment of challenging ideas in classes with your professors, RA’s, dormies, and Campus Ministry. Trust me when I say that Faith is a valuable resource in College, with all that you will experience: the good, the bad, the ugly. From stress to people who get on your nerves, to people who disrespect the rules, to just “growing up”…Faith can be a really good resource to tap for strength and courage, and sometimes can be a true Epiphany in your life.</p>
<p>The Jesuit emphasis is on educating the “whole person”, making their students well-rounded individuals, not in making them devout Catholics. This emphasis really ties in to the school’s large core curriculum which includes not only theology and philosophy but also subjects as diverse as history, literature, science, social science, foreign language. The Jesuits at Fordham definitely do not push religion down anyone’s throat. But, as ghostbuster mentioned, there is certainly an opportunity to embrace your faith if you choose. The key is that you can choose. I would not let the fact that you are not a devout Catholic dissuade you from Fordham. In fact my S has some friends who are Jewish, Hindu etc. at school.</p>
<p>I don’t believe in god, but I also went to a Catholic highschool. The one main complaint I have about Fordham is that it seems like 80% of all the lectures they hold are related to theology or religion. I don’t understand why they have so many speakers on theology, because students would be more interested in political speakers, or writers coming in to talk or read excepts from their book. (Or at least a broader range of speakers.) </p>
<p>Basically, the only time you might get into an argument on god is in a theology or a philosophy class. I don’t think students are arrogant enough to try and push their faith on you, and teachers are welcome to differing opinions. You might get into political discussions, but they probably won’t turn into heated arguments. And community service is really open to anyone, regardless of faith, helping out. (Although you’ll have to make sure the charity you volunteer with isn’t religious-based. I’ve heard of some tutoring programs where this could be a problem.) </p>
<p>So, yeah, just delete the emails you get about Latin mass and spiritual retreats from the administration. It’s not overbearing at all.</p>