<p>I'm a Christian applying to seven or eight liberal arts colleges, none of which are affiliated with Christianity. (None of them has a very Christian student body, for that matter.) Nevertheless, I am confident that my faith will grow at whatever school I happen to attend. </p>
<p>When you're applying to a college, remember this: almost every college (if not EVERY college) will offer: (A a nearby Church, (B a Christian or spiritual life center, (C on-campus religious groups, (D Bible study or a similar course, and (E time to reflect on and pray to God (whether in your dorm room or elsewhere.) Christian schools certainly do an excellent job in these respects, but just about any school can accomplish the same things--provided, of course, that you take the initiative.</p>
<p>In short: if you consider yourself religious but desire to attend a secular school, don't worry! You'll find plenty of people, resources and opportunities that can help you grow in your faith. If you're committed to God, EVERY college experience can be made religious.</p>
<p>Well, considering that this is a forum for ********* Bible thumpers, what do you expect? :-D
P.S: When I meant "Churches," I referred to any religious institutions in the vicinity of the college. Marlboro College, for example, has no chapel, but there's a church in the area that Bible thumpers can attend. Works well enough, no?</p>
<p>Well, given that God doesn't just exist within a church, it would actually work everywhere. Still, it would be nice to have a community place of worship nearby, which is indeed the case for all the colleges to which I'm applying.</p>
<p>Um, he's not suggesting that every institution should affiliate itself with Christianity, just that Christians can to to any secular school and be just as Christian as they would at a religious school.
This is good advice for the folks (parents generally) that think that one has to go to a Liberty or Bob Jones type university in order to be a Christian.</p>
<p>wait, but what about denying evolution. At some hippy LA college, i bet everyone believe in evolution, and you would be left out of that whole evolution/science ignorance culture of many Christian colleges.</p>
<p>Most of the people that I know that went to Christian colleges did not do so because of the "faith" but rather because they wanted to surround themselves with like minded people and be part of the thumper club. It is more about the culture of the school than gaining any spiritual insight, so just going to church would not suffice.</p>
<p>You will burn in hell!!! You are going to school that is not even Christian! God gave you colleges that praise the Lord while you are rejecting them and going to some other one! You will be tortured by the eternal flames of hell and ripped by the demons over and over.</p>
<p>Do you think God can only reach me if I go to a school that calls itself Christian? </p>
<p>Let me ask you an honest question, disregarding the intentions (however satirical) of your post. Do you think God cares (A about the label of the school we go to, or (B the spiritual development that occurs while we're there?</p>
<p>With all due respect to the great Christian schools out there, I'm confident that God's grace, love and Spirit is not regulated to a few dots across the country. I remain equally confident that I can serve the Lord whether I go to Liberty University or a tiny, unaffiliated liberal arts school.</p>
<p>I495, if you are talking to me, here is my response:</p>
<p>I agree with you completely. My point was that most people seeking "christian schools" are not seeking spiritual enlightenment or a deeper relationship with god. My experience has been that the people that go to these places want A)rigid social structure, B)reaffirmation of their current beliefs C)to be surrounded by similar people as themselves. They like evangelical christian culture (rigid social structure based on concrete rules, simplistic world views, important paternalistic leaders) more than christianity as a religion.</p>
<p>Point taken, but that's certainly not true of everyone. Wheaton (IL), from what I hear, is one example of a school that really does test and challenge your beliefs--even if it is Christian in nature.</p>
<p>Its not about the quality of the school, its about the quality of your spirit. Are you doing this because you like the culture of the school, or because you desire a close relationship with god?</p>