<p>hey sorry, i don't know if this question has been asked before .. if it has, then i'd really appreciate it if someone would forward me to the thread..
lol but i was just wondering like, how big is the catholic presence (idk if i'm phrasing that right) at georgetown? like i read on the site how it's a jesuit school and like, students have to take a philosophy and theology as part of their core curriculum .. but i was just wondering like, is a big part of the georgetown atmosphere or life?</p>
<p>Only if you want it to be.</p>
<p>I’m bumping this - I love the sound of Georgetown, but I’m a hardened atheist, and not at all comfortable with the idea of a religion-centred college experience.</p>
<p>Just for the record, I have no moral objection to religion in education, but it would most definitely put me off, personally. On the other hand, I guess it might be an interesting cultural experience…</p>
<p>It’s not at all a part of your experience if you don’t want it to be, short of having to take a Theology class (which doesn’t have to be christian-centric to begin with, there are tons of others to choose from). It’s a completely different atmosphere than say, Notre Dame. Religion is here if you want it, but you could easily go 4 years and have you’re only major experiences be a theology class or two (which can be philosophical in nature instead) and perhaps a blessing at commencement/graduation.</p>
<p>Some of my best friends are atheists, and I am fairly agnostic, none of us have ever (and I stress ever) felt pressured. The Jesuits are some of the most laid back religious people you’ll ever meet.</p>
<p>Thanks, C-Revs - that’s really interesting (and reassuring) to hear. What proportion of the student body would you say are active members of the Catholic church? Obviously, it’s going to be an estimate, but I’d be very interested nonetheless.</p>
<p>In a lot of the press about Notre Dame and Obama, Notre Dame is being referred to as the “premier Catholic university.” Did I miss something? Is Georgetown no longer Catholic? When did Georgetown lose its status as the oldest Catholic university in the US?</p>
<p>Wikipedia says:</p>
<p>Although it is a Jesuit university, only fifty-eight percent of the student body is Roman Catholic.[98] Georgetown hosts a Buddhist clergyman and a full-time rabbi, as twelve to fifteen percent of undergraduates are Jewish.[99][100] It was the first U.S. college to have a full-time imam, to serve the over 400 Muslims on campus.[101] The student body is generally religious and volunteer minded, and more than 400 freshmen and transfer students attend a nonreligious Ignatian retreat annually.</p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>ND likes to tell themselves that, but we know whats up 
</p>
<p>It would be really hard to guess what percentage of the student body is actively practicing… I wouldn’t even want to take a shot at it because I don’t think its very easy to say. All I can say is that its perhaps enough that you’ll meet people who do, but not enough that most of the people you meet do.</p>
<p>That was sort of confusing statement, but the takeaway should be that if it’s a big deal that you’re around Catholics then perhaps it could be an issue for you… though there are a lot of Catholics at most schools public and private. To be honest, don’t worry about the percentages and what have you, the feel is what’s important. I can tell you from my experience that when people say “religion is what you make of it” here, its exactly true. If you don’t want it, you won’t be alone.</p>