What’s life like at Belmont University for kids who are Jewish? Has your Jewish son or daughter felt out of place?
Can’t really help you with your questions but at a recent tour they made it very clear that it is Christian in name only. After further research the school is pretty diverse and has people of all faiths (or no faith).
i have a friend who’s sending his son there next year…when I asked him about the Christian part, he said, “it’s Christian?” LOL…so he might be clueless or maybe it’s just not that overt.
Err… Belmont is serious about Christianity. All students are required to take classes in the Old and New testaments as well as regular convocations in Christianity faith& traditions. Christ is supposed to be centralnin everything they do and the goal is to “NOT become a great University that happens I be Christian” (their wording) but as christ-centered as student-centered. All dorms have spiritual assistants that organize Bible study and Christian Missions opportunities. There are parietals.
I hope your friend was joking with you.
here’s a good thread from last year…noting a fair number of Jewish students (and who go to the Hillel at Vanderbilt) http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1876601-belmont-atmosphere-for-non-devout-christian-and-progressive-student.html in the case of my friend who’s sending his son there, i asked him more and he sort of knows about the christian part but he and his family are agnostic and his son - a hard-core musician – seems to have no qualms about fitting in.
My son is graduating in May and is Jewish, although not very religious. He has enjoyed his time at Belmont. He said that his religion classes were academic in nature and he enjoyed them quite a bit. Convocation credits can be religious but not all of them are. My son has enjoyed Belmont.
One Saturday, at Be Belmont Day, the President of the University put it this way “We have students of great faith, little faith, and no faith at Belmont. But all our teachers are professed Christians and will treat your child according to the golden rule”
We were there as well. He then ended with a prayer, where most of the people in the gym bowed their head to join in.
We were there too…also Jewish. And also wondering about this!
Thank you everyone for your comments. After careful consideration, my daughter has decided that attending a school with an emphasis on Christianity, is not the right fit for a liberal Jewish gal from New England. She has just committed to Drexel University in Philadelphia. We’re relieved that she has made this decision, as the college transition is hard enough without adding more complexity to the equation.