Religious Colleges

[sanantone]

From a strictly academic perspective, learrning secular subjects through a Christian worldview, if you are not already a person of faith, could be quite rewarding. You're still going to learn the meat and potatos of the given subject. The faith-based perspective could be a nice academic extra if you allow it to be because you'll receiving some insight into the worldview of about 2.6 billion people. 

Pug

While you may find it rewarding, I did not. I did not enjoy being forced to read bible scriptures and a book on Proverbs which completing courses in project management. The lessons had NOTHING to do with project management. We didn't even discuss project management the weeks we completed the religion coursework. I have ZERO regrets about leaving the school. I know all I need to know about Christianity. This thread is 2 years old. This is your first time posting on the forum and you go digging for a 2 year old thread? Screams spammer to me.

Pug has been posting on the other forum for a while, but I agree with you. I took a class at a Christian school, and they assigned us a free textbook written by a guy with humanities degrees. He tried to use biology and psychology to prove that homosexuality was either a choice or a result of trauma. Unlike him, I actually have a background in biology and psychology and could recognize when he was misinterpreting research and cherry-picking, so I didn't get any value out of that course.

[pugbelly2]

From a strictly academic perspective, learrning secular subjects through a Christian worldview, if you are not already a person of faith, could be quite rewarding. You're still going to learn the meat and potatos of the given subject. The faith-based perspective could be a nice academic extra if you allow it to be because you'll receiving some insight into the worldview of about 2.6 billion people. 

Pug

While you may find it rewarding, I did not. I did not enjoy being forced to read bible scriptures and a book on Proverbs which completing courses in project management. The lessons had NOTHING to do with project management. We didn't even discuss project management the weeks we completed the religion coursework. I have ZERO regrets about leaving the school. I know all I need to know about Christianity. This thread is 2 years old. This is your first time posting on the forum and you go digging for a 2 year old thread? Screams spammer to me.

Pug has been posting on the other forum for a while, but I agree with you. I took a class at a Christian school, and they assigned us a free textbook written by a guy with humanities degrees. He tried to use biology and psychology to prove that homosexuality was either a choice or a result of trauma. Unlike him, I actually have a background in biology and psychology and could recognize when he was misinterpreting research and cherry-picking, so I didn't get any value out of that course.

I did not mean to offend. I was only attempting to point out the potential value of learning a given subject in a context other than what one is used to. It's one way to promote growth and depth. It was certainly not my intention to revive a 2 year old thread to cause trouble. I just joined the forum and was combing through much of the older stuff. I've been a member of the other forum for a very long time, first as Pugbelly, then later as Pugbelly2 after something happened to my account that couldn't be fixed. I'm not a spammer and I don't seek confrontation. I will (at times) take alternative views on various subjects to promote good-natured debate and conversation. 

Pug

[LevelUP]

From a strictly academic perspective, learrning secular subjects through a Christian worldview, if you are not already a person of faith, could be quite rewarding. You're still going to learn the meat and potatos of the given subject. The faith-based perspective could be a nice academic extra if you allow it to be because you'll receiving some insight into the worldview of about 2.6 billion people. 

Pug

While you may find it rewarding, I did not. I did not enjoy being forced to read bible scriptures and a book on Proverbs which completing courses in project management. The lessons had NOTHING to do with project management. We didn't even discuss project management the weeks we completed the religion coursework. I have ZERO regrets about leaving the school. I know all I need to know about Christianity. This thread is 2 years old. This is your first time posting on the forum and you go digging for a 2 year old thread? Screams spammer to me.

Pug has been posting on the other forum for a while, but I agree with you. I took a class at a Christian school, and they assigned us a free textbook written by a guy with humanities degrees. He tried to use biology and psychology to prove that homosexuality was either a choice or a result of trauma. Unlike him, I actually have a background in biology and psychology and could recognize when he was misinterpreting research and cherry-picking, so I didn't get any value out of that course.

I did not mean to offend. I was only attempting to point out the potential value of learning a given subject in a context other than what one is used to. It's one way to promote growth and depth. It was certainly not my intention to revive a 2 year old thread to cause trouble. I just joined the forum and was combing through much of the older stuff. I've been a member of the other forum for a very long time, first as Pugbelly, then later as Pugbelly2 after something happened to my account that couldn't be fixed. I'm not a spammer and I don't seek confrontation. I will (at times) take alternative views on various subjects to promote good-natured debate and conversation. 

Pug

Pugbelly2 isn't a spammer.

People of all faiths are welcome to the forum, so don't be afraid to post.

I took a class at a Christian school, and they assigned us a free textbook written by a guy with humanities degrees. He tried to use biology and psychology to prove that homosexuality was either a choice or a result of trauma.

This sounds like a false dilemma.

[Alpha]

Anyone ever attend a religious college and you're not religious? I have found a program that I love but am a bit apprehensive about because it's a really religious university. The on campus program has chapel requirements and required religion courses. The online master's degrees don't have those requirements. The textbooks all appear to be the regular college textbooks except for one which is a book of management proverbs. I'm not religious at all. This is what I'm struggling with. The university is open to all faiths and has a mix of students. I'm thinking this could make for some interesting talks in the ethics class! Everything I have read about the school and the discussions I've had with staff have been great and really supportive which as an online student is really important. Religion has not come up at all in any of my conversations which I think is a bit interesting. Has anyone gone to a religious school and what was your experience? What did you struggle with? What worked for you?

From a strictly academic perspective, learrning secular subjects through a Christian worldview, if you are not already a person of faith, could be quite rewarding. You're still going to learn the meat and potatos of the given subject. The faith-based perspective could be a nice academic extra if you allow it to be because you'll receiving some insight into the worldview of about 2.6 billion people. 

Pug

To this I would only add that in my own opinion, one need not take courses at a religious school in order to get insight into that worldview.  We are surrounded by that worldview.  It dominates our culture and this fact is at least near the core of much of the social debate in this country.  Beyond that I'd only point out that there are several other easily accessible ways to learn about religious culture.  Books are free at your local library.  Youtube, podcasts can be used as well.  

"Roughly 48.9% of Americans are Protestants, 23.0% are Catholics, 1.8% are Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).[57] Christianity was introduced during the period of European colonization. The United States has the world's largest Christian population.[17][59]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States

[sanantone]

Anyone ever attend a religious college and you're not religious? I have found a program that I love but am a bit apprehensive about because it's a really religious university. The on campus program has chapel requirements and required religion courses. The online master's degrees don't have those requirements. The textbooks all appear to be the regular college textbooks except for one which is a book of management proverbs. I'm not religious at all. This is what I'm struggling with. The university is open to all faiths and has a mix of students. I'm thinking this could make for some interesting talks in the ethics class! Everything I have read about the school and the discussions I've had with staff have been great and really supportive which as an online student is really important. Religion has not come up at all in any of my conversations which I think is a bit interesting. Has anyone gone to a religious school and what was your experience? What did you struggle with? What worked for you?

From a strictly academic perspective, learrning secular subjects through a Christian worldview, if you are not already a person of faith, could be quite rewarding. You're still going to learn the meat and potatos of the given subject. The faith-based perspective could be a nice academic extra if you allow it to be because you'll receiving some insight into the worldview of about 2.6 billion people. 

Pug

To this I would only add that in my own opinion, one need not take courses at a religious school in order to get insight into that worldview.  We are surrounded by that worldview.  It dominates our culture and this fact is at least near the core of much of the social debate in this country.  Beyond that I'd only point out that there are several other easily accessible ways to learn about religious culture.  Books are free at your local library.  Youtube, podcasts can be used as well.  

"Roughly 48.9% of Americans are Protestants, 23.0% are Catholics, 1.8% are Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).[57] Christianity was introduced during the period of European colonization. The United States has the world's largest Christian population.[17][59]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States

Agree. The vast majority of Americans were raised in an Abrahamic religion. If you happen to be in a religious minority, you're still surrounded by hundreds of millions of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Mormons. That worldview is in our politics. You can't escape it.

[pugbelly2]

Anyone ever attend a religious college and you're not religious? I have found a program that I love but am a bit apprehensive about because it's a really religious university. The on campus program has chapel requirements and required religion courses. The online master's degrees don't have those requirements. The textbooks all appear to be the regular college textbooks except for one which is a book of management proverbs. I'm not religious at all. This is what I'm struggling with. The university is open to all faiths and has a mix of students. I'm thinking this could make for some interesting talks in the ethics class! Everything I have read about the school and the discussions I've had with staff have been great and really supportive which as an online student is really important. Religion has not come up at all in any of my conversations which I think is a bit interesting. Has anyone gone to a religious school and what was your experience? What did you struggle with? What worked for you?

From a strictly academic perspective, learrning secular subjects through a Christian worldview, if you are not already a person of faith, could be quite rewarding. You're still going to learn the meat and potatos of the given subject. The faith-based perspective could be a nice academic extra if you allow it to be because you'll receiving some insight into the worldview of about 2.6 billion people. 

Pug

To this I would only add that in my own opinion, one need not take courses at a religious school in order to get insight into that worldview.  We are surrounded by that worldview.  It dominates our culture and this fact is at least near the core of much of the social debate in this country.  Beyond that I'd only point out that there are several other easily accessible ways to learn about religious culture.  Books are free at your local library.  Youtube, podcasts can be used as well.  



I would argue that the vast majority of Americans who claim a faith have absolutely no idea about it. They don't attend services, don't read related material, and certainly don't have a grasp on the worldview professed by the faith leaders. IMO, America today is dominated by secularism with a very loud, very vocal minority from the faith communities.

[sanantone]

Americans know almost nothing outside of the dominant culture, and it would benefit us to learn about other cultures. Many Americans think that atheists are devil worshippers, which is idiotic because atheists don't believe Satan exists.

[wildebeest]

To the topic: I went to a Christian high school, and that was more than enough for me. I don't need or want proverbs interspersed with my curriculum while I'm trying to gain subject-matter expertise, and don't think it's particularly useful to try to integrate religion into the teaching of non-adjacent subjects, at least for me. I'm fully capable of stacking specialized knowledge onto my values, and integrating the two if appropriate. 

I really enjoyed learning about world religions and taking classes on the history of Islam, but the classes I took examined religion from the outside, which is my preference. I don't want to be proselytized to while attempting to learn about, like, the multiple streams framework or punctuated equilibrium.

If others find value in that, that's cool too, but it isn't for me.

[ReyMysterioso]

As long as we're on the subject, what I will add to the conversation is my coworker's experience of having gone to a small religious college (not Liberty.) They offered him a full ride, and for financial reasons, at the wise old age of 18, he took that over his first choice, which was Big State University.
What he came to realize for the next few decades is that anyone who sees on a resume or LinkedIn or in conversation where he went to college makes assumptions that he must be religious and/or have conservative social values. Neither is true. He doesn't like the baggage his degree came with. Your mileage may vary.

[Pats20]

As long as we're on the subject, what I will add to the conversation is my coworker's experience of having gone to a small religious college (not Liberty.) They offered him a full ride, and for financial reasons, at the wise old age of 18, he took that over his first choice, which was Big State University.
What he came to realize for the next few decades is that anyone who sees on a resume or LinkedIn or in conversation where he went to college makes assumptions that he must be religious and/or have conservative social values. Neither is true. He doesn't like the baggage his degree came with. Your mileage may vary.

That’s very interesting. It’s probably a good thing that the stereotyping isn’t the norm or else there wouldn’t be any religious colleges left. They would all be out of business.