Religion at BC

<p>I understand that Boston College is a Roman Catholic school. Still, are most students extremely religious?</p>

<p>I would offer a resounding no.</p>

<p>Of course its all relative, and depends on what you mean by "extremely religious." While many students do practice their faith (Catholic and otherwise), I would characterize the general religious climate at BC as one of tolerance and dialogue as opposed to extreme religiosity.</p>

<p>This issue has come up on a number of other threads so I'll repost my responses here ... </p>

<p>I am not religious at all (I wasn't brought up anything; if pressed I'd say I'm agnostic) and my decision to come to BC had nothing to do with religion. Others might disagree, but I actually think that the same is true of most people who come to BC. So to answer the original question, "Are non-Catholics comfortable at BC?" I'd say that I definitely am, and I know many others in the same boat. </p>

<p>Having said that, BC is obviously a Jesuit university, and religious identity is a part of that. I'm very open-minded and actually enjoy discussing life/death/big questions type of things. These kinds of discussions are probably more common here than at other schools, though I'm sure you'd still be "comfortable" here if you had no interest in them. Still, I think the core Jesuit values--intellectual life, human rights, social justice--are a big draw for most people who end up at BC, regardless of religion. In my observation, Jesuits are different from other Catholics in that they tend to be much more open to other perspectives and actually encourage them. The theology faculty includes well-known athiest, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist scholars as well as its Catholic theologians. The theology core requirement can be fulfilled by courses that question the existence of god or more specifically Catholic courses. And there are obviously all kinds of campus groups (Buddhist, Baptist, Episcopalian, Eastern Orthodox, Hillel, Muslim are a few that come to mind) in addition to several kinds of Catholic groups (liberal and conservative). "Conservative Catholics" per se are a distinct minority, though often a vocal one.</p>

<p>Basically, like most anything else, religious life/lack thereof is entirely what you make of it.</p>

<p>... and here's what I had to say in comparing BC with Notre Dame, which I visited for the first time last fall for a football game ...</p>

<p>Religion: This was perhaps the most surprising difference for me since I am not Catholic. I'd say I found the Catholicism at ND to be "oppressive." By that I mean, it was very in-your-face (crucifixes and statues everywhere and a huge mural of Jesus Christ on the side of a 14-story high-rise) and omnipresent (I met very few non-Catholics). BC is Jesuit and I think the distinction makes a big difference. Jesuits are above all intellectuals, and historically have sometimes been at odds with official church teachings. In my opinion, that makes for a healthy intellectual environment. It also means that the BC environment is much more tolerant of (and actually encourages) religious/intellectual diversity. Sure there are many practicing Catholics at BC, but there are also tons of people from other religions and probably even more (such as myself) who don't identify with any organized religion.</p>

<p>... hope that helps.</p>

<p>Thanks for the response it was very helpful. From my research I have liked everything about BC--I was only concerned when I read that religious affiliation was a very important factor in admission. I appreciate your input and will furthur consider BC.</p>

<p>Where did you read that?? Religious affiliation is <em>not</em> a factor in admission. </p>

<p>If anything, I think BC values its religious diversity.</p>

<p>My guidance counselor had reccomended that I use the princeton review website which lists each colleges admissions factors. The list of admissions factors for Boston College categorized Religious Affiliation/Commitment as an important consideration in acceptance.</p>

<p><a href="http://princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/admissionsfactors.asp?listing=1023898&ltid=1&intbucketid=%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/admissionsfactors.asp?listing=1023898&ltid=1&intbucketid=&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I can't open that link, but the notion that Boston College admits based on religious affiliation is just plain wrong. </p>

<p>Not only would this be against BC's own principles, it would be illegal. Check out the president's letter on the first page of the BC bulletin: "...and when I say "we," I mean all of us who wish to be engaged with Boston College and its work--whether of the Catholic faith or any other or of no religious faith at all--because our vision is inclusive ..." and BC's policy of non-discrimination ( <a href="http://www.bc.edu/publications/bcm/spring_2005/pdf/nondiscriminationtext.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bc.edu/publications/bcm/spring_2005/pdf/nondiscriminationtext.pdf&lt;/a> )</p>

<p>I suspect that the folks at Princton Review assume that since BC is Catholic, it prefers to admit Catholic students. If thats the case, some one should call them on that since this is simply not true.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I would say that a commitment to Jesuit ideals (specifically, intellectual inquiry, community service and social justice issues) <em>are</em> an important consideration for admission to BC, regardless of what religion (or lack thereof) you label yourself as.</p>

<p>I really appreciate your clarification. I am seriously interested in Boston College now.</p>

<p>No problem, glad to help. Don't just take my word for it though. Ask around especially when you visit campus or if you attend an alumni reception in your area.</p>

<p>Just be wary of hearsay ... there seems to be a good deal of misinformation out there.</p>

<p>BC does not stress Catholicism at all. Required courses are vast and varied. You can choose from anything from Biblical studies to world religions. It is a great school and does reinforce the Jesuit ideal as previously mentioned. In this crazy world I think that is a good thing!</p>

<p>As a practicing Catholic, I have a slightly different perspective on this. I transferred to BC in large part BECAUSE of the Catholic aspect although I did not apply as a first year. I'll explain...</p>

<p>When I was searching colleges in hs, I did NOT want to go to a Catholic school. I wanted to be in a more diverse environment and be exposed to different religions and perspectives. So I applied to a handful of schools, all of them non-Catholic. What I didn't anticipate was that Catholics at non-Catholic schools were either non-practicing (most of them) or extremely closed-minded/conservative/orthodox (choose your adj). I wanted to be part of a faith community but found that there was an unspoken litmus test on political issues (abortion, homosexuality, etc.) and got tired of people quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church at me or when at a student Mass, the priest prayed for the sanctity of marriage as one man and one woman (totally inappropriate in a context where he must have known there were could be gay students in the group). I understand the Church's position on these issues and I have no illusions that they will change anytime soon. But I respectfully disagree, and I have no problem voicing my opinion. More importantly, I believe the Church is much more than a set of rules and dogmas.</p>

<p>I was already considering transferring for a bunch of other reasons when I read about a program at BC called the Church in the 21st Century. Basically it was organized to rethink some basic issues in the church (including the role of women, the priesthood, sexuality, ecumenism, etc.) that I was interested in but had little opportunity to pursue. I was excited and decided right then to put in an application. </p>

<p>My decision to transfer to BC was surprisingly easy. It just felt right. The Jesuits are definitely on my wavelength when it comes to voicing dissenting opinions and seeing the bigger picture. More importantly, I've been able to connect with others who share not only my faith, but my questions and concerns (as well as others who challenge me from different religions and perspectives). For a progressive Catholic like myself, I can’t think of a better place than BC.</p>

<p>Readers of this thread may be interested in the new Jewish Studies Program at BC. This is its inaugural year, and they just put up a website:</p>

<p><a href="http://bc.edu/schools/cas/jewish/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://bc.edu/schools/cas/jewish/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>For its inaugural year the Jewish Studies porgram is co-sponsering the exhibit "The Power of Conversation: Jewish Women and Their Salons" at BC's McMullen Museum of Art:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/artmuseum/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/artmuseum/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>And this lecture series:</p>

<p><a href="http://bc.edu/schools/cas/jewish/news/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://bc.edu/schools/cas/jewish/news/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>And here is a link to BC's Islamic Studies Program, established a few years earlier:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/meis/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/meis/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The news item on the BC homepage about the new Jewish Studies program describes BC as "overwhelmingly Christian." I did not sense this when I visited last year. Any thoughts?</p>

<p>how conservative is BC?</p>

<p>Re "Overwhelmingly Christian": Definitely not. While the majority of BC students would surely describe themselves as some shade of "Christian" or "Catholic," there are many others who would not. I would not say this is "overwhelming." There is a vast range of denominations and even within those denominations a wide range of beliefs. </p>

<p>Re conservative: I'd say BC is by far the most liberal of the Jesuit / Catholic universities, but overall it's in the middle.</p>

<p>On the liberal side:
* 80% of students voted for Kerry in the last election
* Most of BC's famous political alumni and 90% of current BC grads in Congress are Democrats
* BC's Democratic and Green Party chapters are very active and most guest lecturers tend to be liberal (since last year: John Kerry, Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy, Barak Obama, Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky)
* 84% of voting BC students supported GLBT in the non-discrimination statement and about 1,500 marched for gay rights last year.</p>

<p>On the conservative side:
* Many BC students may have voted for Kerry because he is a BC alum, so the 80% figure is probably inflated.
* Some of the most notable members of the faculty are conservatives.
* BC's Republicans are also very active and Ann Coulter's talk drew one of the largest crowds last year.
* The whole reason GLBT issues galvanized such support is because of conservative attitudes within the administration. Though the Jesuits themselves tend to be liberal, the board of trustees is largely conservative.</p>

<p>wow thanks so much!! this helps me alot in where i really want to apply</p>

<p>Bumping this up for abfus .... Also found this link to BC's Hillel:
<a href="http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/svp/st_org/hillel/index.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/svp/st_org/hillel/index.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>This kind of applies to religion so I will post it here. </p>

<p>I believe that the Jesuit way is to eduacate the whole person so that means lots of core classes. I read somewhere that you can't get through them all before your junior year. I really like the school but I would prefer a place that requires no classes...</p>

<p>How strict is the core requirement and what are some of the required classes? Lets say that there is a Math requirement, can you choose from a variety of different types of math classes, or are you assigned a class?</p>

<p>I want as much freedom as possible.</p>

<p>And what is the party scene like?</p>

<p>From all accounts, the party scene is not lacking a bit.</p>

<p>I had the same question about the Core. There are no required courses. Example: the core requirement in Theology can be filled by courses on jesuit theology, comparative religions, questions of god, or social justice issues, etc. So there's some flexibility within each core requirement.</p>