<p>How welcoming is the High Point community of someone who is not religious? My daughter loves the school on paper (we intend to visit this fall--she's just starting her search). However, she is concerned that HPU is a Methodist school and she can count on one hand the number of times she been to church in her life :)</p>
<p>The only religion requirement at HPU is to take one class. It can be anything from studying Jesus in the gospels or a world religion course. Your daughter would probably enjoy a world religion course so she can simply learn the history and basics of religions like Buddhism, Islam, and more. That would be it though! </p>
<p>As far as student life, religion is by no means shoved down your throat like at Liberty University, per say. However, you will see bible verses displayed around campus and our president does refer to us as a God and Country school. Since we are 75% out of state we have a lot of social diversity so your daughter will find plenty of people in the same situation as herself. Most people keep their religion to themselves or within their friends. </p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Thanks–this helps a lot!</p>
<p>As a current freshman at HPU and like camdisco24 mentioned, HPU is not a school that shoves religion down your throat. We are required to take a religion course, but there are so many options it is easy for students like myself to pick one that interests me, although I am not Methodist. I went to a private Catholic high school, and I am not involved in religion at HPU! It is there only if you want it. I would not let this play a determining factor whether HPU is the right school for your daughter!</p>
<p>If anything, I see the religious education requirement as another opportunity for students to expand their horizons, and one may even recommend that a student takes a religion course that teaches different traditions than those of his/her personal religious beliefs. It’s ultimately just another way to help students mature as intellectuals, and there is absolutely zero pressure or influence to study anything one wouldn’t want to study. I think it’s a great opportunity that many students rarely get the chane to take advantage of.</p>