I noticed the weird thread about Michigan being a good school for “One Nation Under God” and had to chuckle a little.
Well…Michigan is a very good school for all kinds of people who believe in all kinds of Gods. And yep, there are religious kids there. Bunch of Christians, Bunch of Muslims. Hindus. Sikhs. Buddhists. Pagans. Jews. . Pretty much the full global spectrum of religions. And there are plenty of clubs and organizations for every kind of diversity you can imagine.
You can be a Gay, Muslim, Black kid…and find like minded friends at UMich. My daughter plays D&D with a kid fitting this description.
UMich is also Atheist friendly. I know this because I kinda cringed a little when my daughter wrote one of her admissions essays about being an Atheist. Though I respect her beliefs, I thought this might be too controversial for an admissions essay. Turns out I was wrong. She wrote a very heartfelt essay about defending her Atheism in public school. She was offered early admission and got a generous scholarship.
So while it’s true that UMich is a wonderful school for those living “Under God”…whichever God you want…it’s also a pretty darned good school for those of us who prefer to live without God/s.
MaryGJ, I know several students who wrote their essays about their faith (be it Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, etc…, and yes, atheism as well), and they had success with many universities, including Michigan. In fact, I know of at least two that wrote about being atheists in families where religion is very important. Perhaps more astonishing is the fact that those two students were also admitted in Georgetown. Well, not that astonishing since good universities are looking for students who are self-aware, curious, and willing to learn, regardless of their religious convictions.
A Pew Research study of the American Religious Landscape found that 36% of college age millennials report themselves to be religious “nones”. This study was done in 2014, and this number has continued to climb.
Religious “Nones” (not to be confused with “nuns” lol) might still have a sense of spirituality or a creator, but do not feel a preference or connection to any particular religious traditions.
This is a HUGE shift from previous generations who overwhelmingly identified with Christianity.
For a lot of these kids, having a campus experience where they can comfortably reject ties to organized religion without judgement…in many cases, has become as important as finding faith community support is to students of faith.
As religion continues to lose influence in America, it will be interesting to see how colleges respond to these trends.
It’s easy to be a person of any belief system at UMich, including non-belief. There’s a massive amount of diversity and tolerance.for difference. The local religious groups have been respectful, unobtrusive, smart, and kind. Good people of every assortment in Ann Arbor. We’ve been really impressed.
Please explain what you find weird. I don’t see anything weird about referring to our country the same way our democratically elected congress decide is most appropriate. United States of America is synonymous to One Nation Under God since 1954 when the pledge of allegiance was appropriately modified. So I merely said USA in a different way.
^indeed I am - no idea how this is relevant to this thread though. maybe next time starting with an "OT:… " tag would be more appropriate.
Just a disclaimer - i am not here to start a religious debate or pass judgement on how you decide to live life (that would be against forum rules). I am merely explaining what you previously commented as weird by providing supporting facts.
I’m just extremely happy that University of Michigan is tolerant of faith diversity…including the increasingly popular choice not to believe in any religion or God.
You don’t have to live “Under God” at University of Michigan…that’s why the post was “weird”.
For that matter, you won’t find a college with more national diversity, so “One Nation” is grossly inaccurate to the UMich experience as well.
Go, atheists! It is heartening to hear of acceptance for this viewpoint which so many seem to find threatening just because it challenges their personal belief system.
Pitzer College actually has a major in Secular Studies, so I guess they get the prize for most accepting!
My family has the opposite view of bearcats above. We think that the addition of the reference to God in the Pledge in the 1950’s-- which was done as a reaction to communism as part of the McCarthy era-- was a serious mistake that undermines a separation of church and state. Our country was founded on the principle of freedom of religion, which includes the freedom to follow any religion OR NONE AT ALL.
There are shifting realities bearcats. In the 1950s, the overwhelming majority Americans identified as devout Christians who went to church weekly, if not daily. As such, saying the pledge of allegiance in school, or the concept of “one nation under God” applied to virtually all Americans. That is no longer the case. In fact, most Americans today do not identify as practicing Christians. Personally, I think religion is entirely personal and should never cross to the public domain, and that is coming from a very devout Catholic. I can see no upside to imposing a set of religious beliefs onto the masses. That was never the intention of religion and spirituality.
There are elements of brainwashing both among atheists and people who follow the most conservative form of any religion. I chose to be spiritual and know that there is a greater force than Humanity and/or Nature.
That’s a subjective and unsubstantiated opinion, gmfreedom. But hey, everyone has an opinion.
“I can see no upside to imposing a set of religious beliefs onto the masses. That was never the intention of religion and spirituality.” Well said, Alexandre. You’re dead right…the times, they are a changing:) And so are perceptions, as you pointed out.
I’m an atheist raised by athiests who were raised by atheists ( my grandfather and GRANDMOTHER both had degrees in Chemistry from the University of Chicago and declared themselves athiests in college). Husband has similar background.
My daughters are also athiests and, given the family they were raised in, find it startling when some people seem to consider announcing that you are an atheist as being provocative. But my U of M daughter has found people to be pretty accepting.
@bearcats I found the title of the post weird mainly because that isn’t the way we usually refer to the United States.
As for complying with the decisions of our Congress, the country’s motto is actually “E Pluribus Unum”. The phrase, “under God” is from the Pledge of Allegiance, which isn’t the same thing. And besides, Congress never directed that we refer to the country as “one nation under God”.
How would one know if someone is an atheist? Atheism is the absence of a belief. Do people announce that they don’t believe in god? It seems to me that it would be a non-issue. You don’t announce it or wear it or otherwise signal it. It just is.
You must not have read my OP, Brantly. My daughter wrote her admissions essay on being an Atheist.
The whole point of the thread is that someone made a previous thread with the title "UMich is one of the best colleges in this “One Nation Under God”.
I countered…it’s a terrific college if you’re Atheist, too…since my daughter was accepted early admissions with her essay about her Atheism. There is no requirement at all to live “under God/s” at University of Michigan.
And yes…sometimes you DO announce it, or wear it, or talk about it. Just as some people talk about their faith experiences shaping their outlook and their character…Atheists do this, too.
And sometimes a well written essay about your experience as an Atheist gets you admitted to University of Michigan
I doubt my kiddo is running around telling everyone who will listen about her absence of belief in the supernatural…but one of the essay questions was an extremely good fit for discussing a decision she made in high school that was informed heavily by her non-belief.
I’m sure there were other kids who used the question to talk about their faith experience, and still others who talked about something else entirely.
But yeah, Having faith in science, logic and reason is a pretty preciously held tenant for some people…particularly some scientists, like my kiddo.
And yes, indeed, there are several formal student organizations on campus that are outspokenly supportive of, and offer community for disbelievers.
