The University of Notre Dame is among the five schools I'm interested in doing my PhD at. Surprisingly, this is quite the application. They require two of everything - letters, transcripts, personal statements. But what brought that common, confused smile to my face was a question asking my religion! Some of the answers not shown in the picture below include Catholic, Baptist, Buddhist, Christian, Episcopalian, Jewish, and Eastern! What should I choose???
posted by PB&K @ 7:04 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
I don't know about everybody else, but almost every time I get the option of "prefer not to state", I choose that option.
-DC
Yeah. The argument goes that religion characterizes minority status and constitutes institutional diversity just as much as sex, ethnic origin and sexual orientation. I think institutions are getting more interested in what their religious composition is, too. I don't usually support the "choose not to state" option, so I'd choose the most general term of Christian. Isn't it funny, though, that "Eastern" is considered a religon? For that matter, they should have Western or Mammonism on there, too!
janine
I'm leaning toward Protestant. I'm not offended at the question, and don't mind supporting their curiosity. Religion is an important matter. After all, Notre Dame is a Roman Catholic University. Alvin Plantinga, also a Protestant, is on the philosophy faculty at ND. So, they're definently open to other 'ideas'.
Technically Roman Catholic. Receive money from the archdiocese. Whether or not Alvin Plantiga's ideas are contrary to those of Catholics is another story. They also have George Marsden and Mark Noll in the history department. Catholocism these days isn't what Calvin thought it was (or what it was, for that matter, in the seventeenth century).
j9
Very true, j9. Do you know what sort of obligations come with the funds received from the archdiocese?
Technically, Protestantism isn't what it was under Calvin, either. What are academic-types and the public thinking when they use the 'Protestant' label? You probably know a little more (if not much more) than myself on this issue.
Thanks for your imput j9 and DC.
Well, I spoke about this very question with a prof at a Catholic College recently. He said that the archidocese doesn't like to fund stem cell research, and doesn't want discussions on the possibility of abortion. He couldn't say too much more. Many Catholic colleges comply with federal requirements for institutions receiving student financial aide, and thereby sacrifice any hopes of requiring a catholic theology course or chapel attendance (as far as I know).
But the truth is, Catholocism is in identity crisis right now, and in the process of reconstituting what it means in contempoary evangelical America. Young Catholics are doing Bible studies like never before. They're spreading our faith. They're defending Jesus. It's a revival noboody really predicted 10 years ago. I remember telling my Catholic youth group in ninth grade that I saw myself as a Christian primarily and then a Catholic. It was heresy. I had no idea, but they really saw that as a radical statement and I was asked afterwards whether I really wanted to keep coming to our *Catholic* youth group. I'm not sure that would happen in the current evangelical environment of this country, but in 1997, I left the Catholic youth group.
According to G. Marsden, if someone tells you they are "Protestant" they probably don't go to church. I don't really agree. Today I think it just means non-Catholic. I don't really like saying I'm Protestant, it kinda alienates my Catholic roots. And, I think the public thinks "white/Anglo Saxon" when they hear that word. So, that's why I say "Christian," which I hope encompasses not just Protestants.
I think they really should put "Mammonism," "Sex," "Academic Excellence" and "Beauty" for additional choices of religion. We all worship somethin'.
j9
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