Reply to Would a non-Catholic feel comfortable at Bishop Ireton?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm an atheist but have brought up my children to know that a) every person must decide what to believe for him or herself  and b) one should always be respectful of the religious beliefs of others, regardless of whether or not you agree.

I am a little baffled by the PPs who are so hostile to the idea of non-Catholics at Catholic schools. Of course anyone who chooses to attend a school has to be willing to adhere to that school's rules: that's not about religion, it's about understanding that different schools do lots of things differently, and you have to be able to live with not having everything just the way you want it.

But in my view, any good school should be respectful of students coming to their own conclusions about matters of conscience. With the Spanish Inquisition long over, and Pope Francis at the Vatican, why would a Catholic school not wish to do the same? Why would a Catholic school not welcome people of other faiths and no faith at all, as long as they abide by community rules and are respectful of Catholic traditions? PP, is your childrens' faith so weak that you think having some non-Catholics around will somehow damage them? Do you need to keep them away from people who are different in order for them to feel good about themselves?

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This gets to what you think the purpose of Catholic schools is.

You seem to feel the purpose is to educate all comers? Do you believe that?

Suppose that the fundamental purpose of Catholic schools is to educate Catholics, to instruct them in the teachings of the Faith, to shepherd them through the Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation and to propagate the Faith.

There's a history here. When the great immigration of Irish to the US they wanted their own schools. Helped, no doubt by the very cold shoulder they received from the Protestants for at least the first hundred years. This history may be at the root of the problem many Catholics have with Catholic schools serving as an alternative to the public schools and higher-priced private school for middle class non-Catholics. If these schools are not here to educate Catholics, then they have no purpose.

In DC, there are Jewish schools, Christian Schools, Schools for Germans, French, Muslims and other groups. Do these schools exist to " to keep them away from people who are different in order for them to feel good about themselves"? (You can probably add to this Schools for the Rich, Schools for the Politically Connected)
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