How religious are catholic universities?
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Anonymous
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Going to Catholic colleges will increase your prejudice towards lgbt
https://news.osu.edu/how-views-of-gay-people-change-for-students-at-catholic-colleges/ |
Anonymous
Did you actually read the article? We found that students at Christian schools – whether Protestant, evangelical or Catholic – entered college with less positive attitudes toward gay, lesbian and bisexual people compared with those at nonreligious schools. All students increased in their positive attitudes for this group by the time they graduated.[i][u] However Catholic school students made the least gains. |
Anonymous
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My experience is with Jesuit schools (think BC, Georgetown, Loyola's). I am not Catholic and not religious. Many classmates were Catholic but they weren't particularly religious. Some went to mass on Sundays, but I would say most did not.
My day to day in the class was not impacted by religion or Jesuits. I had 2 Jesuit teachers my entire time there....and they were both amazing. As an institution, I'd say the messaging from Jesuits was mostly about having a strong supportive school community, to seek and support love of learning, the importance to give back to society, and how knowledge helps to do that. These were all good messages for young adults. I later went to a top-5 school for grad school and was appalled by lack of any such messaging to the undergrads at that school. It could see a real difference in the kind of people/students they were becoming. Four courses, there was a theology class requirement (along with other liberal arts core, like science, philosophy, english, world history etc). However, most of the theology courses could have been listed as a pure history or pure philosophy class and the options included non-Christian religions. I am also female and had no problems getting appropriate reproductive care at a clinic right off campus. This was never an issue for anyone I know. I loved my undergrad, loved the Jesuits, and would never trade it for another experience. |
Anonymous
| above was meant to say "for courses" not "four" |
Anonymous
Are they more or less prejudice toward lgbt than those that go to public colleges. |
Anonymous
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The PP who focused on the fellow students is on the right track. Catholic colleges as institutions can vary in how much they emphasize their Catholic identity and incorporate it into the curriculum. The Catholic culture of the place, however, is more a living thing that lies in the students. An agnostic might not always feel in the center of things, depending on who they wind up associating with. A person easily offended by religious things generally, and Catholic things in particular, probably wouldn’t be happy.
As for the Jesuits, make no mistake. Even the ones promoting all sorts of things ostensibly at odds with mainstream Church practice typically do so from the standpoint of an interior disposition entirely focused on Christ. It is a tenet of Jesuit thought that people are best led to the truth by beginning at their own door, but with the intention of arriving at the teacher’s own door at the end. |
Anonymous
| Not enough. |
Anonymous
My Catholic mom always said, “Nothing good happens after 2:00 am.”🤣 |
Anonymous
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Unless you are a hardcore anti-religion anti-Catholic, last thing to worry about.
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Anonymous
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I went to a Jesuit college as a non-Catholic and felt it was more focused on ethics and service than hardcore religion. For my religion course requirement I took a class in Buddhism. Many people went to mass once a week, but there wasn't pressure to go. You will find a mix of views on many topics (including pro choice and pro life), which I think added to the intellectual debate on campus.
I did realize there there is a pretty insular Catholic community, at least in the Northeastern US. Many kids come from the same handful Catholic prep schools in the Boston/NYC/CD regions and knew each other before even stepping foot on campus. While everyone was very nice and welcoming, I still felt a bit like I wasn't a member of the club. |
Anonymous
I think this is the biggest issue to consider. |
Anonymous
I NEVER felt this way at BC. It never even occurred to me. The one thing I noticed was that my classmates tended to be from wealthier families than my own. I was ok with that. I had great friends and it wasn't an issue. Sure, they could afford spring break trips that I didn't attend - but to be honest - maybe I could have joined them if I asked my parents. But I was so thankful to have them help with tuition that I didn't feel the need to ask for more. |
Anonymous
| I worked at Loyola Chicago for 10 years. I'm not Catholic and very few of my colleagues were. It was a very open, accepting university when I was there. Our chaplain for our college was openly gay, and we had students of every faith background. Overall I think the Jesuit institutions are pretty liberal. |
Anonymous
Yes, I know. I was too tired and bored to post this earlier. Notre Dame is different (ask me how I know). Its Catholic character is more pervasive than Georgetown, Boston College and other top Catholic schools. They're Jesuit; ND isn't. Villanova is somewhere in the middle. |
Anonymous
And not even true at the Jesuit university I attended in the 90s. My sister's 'regular' university didn't even have mixed sex dormitories. This was VA Tech in the late 80s. They were all female or all male, like many college campuses. The advent of the mixed suites--(not just dorms) everywhere a few years later was an eye-opener for me. |