<p>This issue came up on another post but for some reason it logs me off when I try to post there … </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. So to answer the original question, “Are non-Catholics comfortable at BC?” I’d say that I definitely am, and I know others in the same boat are too. </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 whether they are religious or not. 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 is probably best known for its Catholic theologians, but also includes other well-known scholars (Athiest, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist …). The theology core requirement can be fulfilled by courses on specific aspects of Catholicism or courses that question the existence of god. 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).</p>
<p>Basically, like most anything else, religious life/lack thereof is entirely what you make of it.</p>