<p>The key distinction between schools that are sponsored by a religious entity and those that are truly religious in nature is the extent to which the doctrines and policies of the religious entity control teaching and campus life. The difference is significant. A religious denomination can sponsor a college in which autonomy and academic freedom are respected. But they can also impose limits on teaching and expression that put constraints around what can be considered. In the latter case, the end result is not higher education at all, since a necessary process of intellectual development is the encouragement of students to re-evaluate their own basic assumptions in order to examine them objectively among a range of alternative values. If the values that can be tolerated are pre-determined for students, the outcome may be training or indoctrination, but it’s not higher education.</p>
<p>I agree that mission statements are valuable litmus tests of a school’s religious orientation. Reading the online campus newspaper can also give you a good idea of how free students (and newspaper advisors) feel they are to express a full range of opinions and ideas.</p>