This week we explore the role of religion in America and there are many directions we can go. However, it seems only fair that as students at the largest Catholic University in America we spend our blog discussion on the role of religion on campus. We have already discussed the role of various socializing factors in our political values and ideology. Outside of our parents there it is hard to argue that anything has much more of an impact on our political outlook that our education and our religion. And for much of us those two elements have been linked through parochial schooling at various levels. Obviously we all have various religious affiliations and range in our religious observance from extremely observant to completely nonreligious.
I would like you to address the role the religion plays in your views about society, and by extension about political issues. Have these beliefs been affected by your schooling, whether parochial or public? Please share any thoughts about the nature of religion and politics at DePaul. We are clearly a Catholic institution that leans fairly heavily toward more liberal social politics (generally speaking). What have you discovered about the religious life on campus that is is either surprising or particularly notable in terms of our school culture or politics? This should be a general discussion and you can feel free to expand or elaborate on any aspect of the prompts above or any comments of your classmates.
Honestly, thinking about it, society and my experiences have shaped my view on religion more so than religion has shaped my experiences and views of society. I was always raised in a very strong Irish Catholic home, so religion was never a choice, but an expectation. Until high school though, I remained relatively indifferent to religion. I was dragged to Mass on Sundays and was Baptized, received my First Communion, etc. But, it wasn't until I realized that my political beliefs were in direct conflict with beliefs of the Catholic Church that I realized I could no longer be indifferent - and started to refuse the Church. Granted, I went to high school in the deep South. So on top of being one of the sole Democrats at school and amongst my friends, the Church's youth groups would take the opportunity to even further engrain in our minds their political ideologies. I was literally shown pictures of baby fetuses and told that because of abortion, I must vote Republican...
ReplyDeleteThus, my choice to DePaul had absolutely no connection to the fact that it is a Catholic institution. However, incidentally, I truly admire the Vincentian values of DePaul, and as a result lost the absolute dislike and disrespect I had for the Church. Now and again, I actually choose to attend Mass - something I never had the choice to do in the past, and if I had, I certainly wouldn't have made the choice to go. DePaul takes the good in Catholicism and the principles of what it means to be a good person, and molds that into it's own form of Catholicism rooted not in the morality of loving all. I enjoy Mass at DePaul; but, I exclusively enjoy Mass at DePaul. When I was home for Easter, I literally walked out of the church on Easter Sunday. DePaul, more than any other institution -education or otherwise- I believe, has perfectly mastered the combination of freedom of thought and choice with that of the Catholic values. I actually, to a certain extent, will now defend the Church because, of my positive interactions with it through DePaul. Not only do I no longer loath the Church like I did in Texas, but I'm also not apathetic to it like I was before. More than ever, I have a growing respect for the Catholic Church. And that can be directly related to the Vincentian values and mission of DePaul. So, more than anything, my political beliefs shaped my view of the church - not the other way around.
Religion plays both an extremely positive and extremely detrimental effect on society. In the name of religion aid has been rendered to countless countries and groups of people. In society soup kitchens and homeless shelters are often affiliated with religious groups and networks. However, conflicts such as Israel and Palestine show the horrors of what a set of beliefs can result in. For being the nation's largest Catholic university, little can be found on campus to remind me I am in a "Catholic Zone". DePaul offers masses and services but does an excellent job of encompassing all religions through student groups such as Islam, Judaism, etc. I grew up in a fairly strong protestant home but was deterred from religion as it has a history of non-acceptance for certain types or groups of people, ie: gays, persons from other religions, etc.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I was moderately religious, and went to church with family - more so as a chore. I am have been an atheist for almost 10 years now, and my morals and values have really been shaped through general ideas of treating others with respect and dignity. I don't think religion is needed to have a strong moral compass or set of values, but it could help. At DePaul, although its Catholic, I really don't notice too much religious stuff going on, other than random clubs that meet at the student center, and ash Wednesday where a handful of people had ashes on their heads. I like that for the most part, its very liberal and I don't see any groups jamming their beliefs down students throats, which is good. I chose DePaul based on academics, and nothing religious. I wanted a strong liberal arts education and the school has a wonderful sociology program, but religion played no factor in my choices, and really doesn't play much of a factor in my political beliefs. I usually start to ignore things when I hear the words God in a debate or discussion (politically), which is often in American life.
ReplyDeleteI was not raised in a religious household. Because both of my parents grew up in restrictive religious households, they decided to leave their respective religions once they were married and allow my sister and me to choose our own faith. I was never forced to go to church or observe particular religious holidays. However, I grew up very close to my mom’s side of the family, which is predominantly Baptist. Because of their dedication to the church, which impacted every part of their lives, I feel as though this impacted me as well. Certain political views I hold today are from the exposure of my family, education, and travel. Growing up, most of my friends and classmates were Christian, but I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to travel abroad. The diversity of religion I saw during trips widened my view on religion and definitely impacted my political views.
ReplyDeleteWhen I came to DePaul, I was expecting Catholicism to dominate every aspect of student life. To my surprise the range of religious clubs reflect the diverse student population. I do not affiliate myself with any religion, but I do believe in the Vincentian values. These values are present in most religions and because of this, I believe DePaul does a good job incorporating every religion the student body represents.
Seems like I may be the first to say so, but I would consider myself to be a religious person. I'm Catholic, but you could definitely say I'm of the reformist variety. I went to public school my entire life up until DePaul and my faith did not influence my decision to come here-- I wanted a school in the city with small class sizes that was a drivable distance from home; essentially DePaul was a perfect match for me. I may have an experience with religion unlike many others-- religion and faith practice was never something that was considered part of the conservative tradition as I was growing up. My town, Dubuque, Iowa, was settled almost entirely by Irish and German immigrants and nearly everyone considers themselves Catholic, but we are also a region where you are frequently voting between two Democrats in local elections. I believe that DePaul does a great job of being inclusive to everyone with a faith and even for those without one. I believe that religion should be something willingly chosen after doing your own self-reflection, not something that should be force fed to you. I really think DePaul encompasses these kind of ideas while still maintaining a Catholic tradition.
ReplyDeleteI have gone to a Catholic school all my life. The public schools in neighborhood were below average, so my parents felt a private education was best. However, I do not think that those schools played much of a role in helping me develop my political views. Religious affiliated schools tend to lean towards the right and are very socially conservative. My political views are the opposite, but I never felt as though political opinions were ever discussed in school.
ReplyDeleteI am not a very religious person, so I did not choose DePaul, because it was a Catholic school. However, I was very surprised to learn that even though it is the largest Catholic University, it is also very liberal. It is nice to know that even though this school has very strong religious ties, the students are able to express their opinions freely.
I did not attend parochial school until high school, and did not associate with any religious denomination up until that point. What surprised me was my high school’s ability to alter my religious beliefs, and lead me to identify as a Roman Catholic. I began to appreciate the education, social services, and charity work they provided. Christian morality played a significant role in dictating my actions, behavior, views, and perspective. After going through three years of college, I now identify as agnostic primarily due to various readings and pensive reflection. The decision for DePaul University to include emergency contraceptives in their insurance package was controversial. The underlying reason was that contraceptives are used for a variety of purposes aside from thwarting pregnancy such as reducing cramps and migraine headaches. Although DePaul is a Catholic University that you would expect to rule against including contraceptives in their insurance package, I agree with their decision on the same grounds. It seems unreasonable and capricious to prevent employees from obtaining medicine essential to their well-being.
ReplyDeleteI was raised in a Catholic home and homeschooled until high school at which point I attended the local Catholic high school. I believe my religious views and upbringing have influenced my political views, however I can defend my political views without using religion as the base for my argument. For example I am pro-life because abortion is the killing of something that will develop into intelligent life. When scientists found evidence that single celled organisms could have lived in meteorite that was found President Clinton addressed the nation regarding the topic that we could have found life from outside of our planet. I do not see how our government can deem single celled organisms as life but allow the killing of millions of human fetuses each year.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of religion on campus, DePaul is a Catholic university and should base all of their decisions in Catholic teaching. I do not think that they should be giving contraceptives to their employees; they should have fought the government mandate instead of caving to outside pressure. Frankly I am disappointed in the leadership at DePaul with regards to running the university as Catholic. Another example is the LGBTQ Pride at the library event on the DePaul Library news page. This is something that is obviously not in line with the Catholic Churches teachings and is something that should not be endorsed by a Catholic university. Catholic teachings should be the basis for all decision by a Catholic university, whether and event on campus or what is provided in the employee insurance plan.
Being raised Muslim and attending an all Muslim private high school, religion has played a role in my political views but not a large one. Being part of a religion that is so highly criticized by society and the media, I feel that the most I have learned through schooling and my family is how to defend what really is a beautiful religion. However when it comes to real political issues I feel that the general views around me tend to be right down the middle; neither too conservative nor too liberal. When it comes to my personal political views, I tend to be very liberal more because how my parents raised me and less from the influences I got from school. I did not attend DePaul because of it being the largest Catholic School in the nation but its liberal views are definitely an incentive for coming here. Although our school is a Catholic private school, there is so much appreciation for other religions. There are clubs, activities, and events that suit people from all walks of faith which is great because it can help reinforce someone's own religion, help someone find one, and also learn more about other religions. This creates an atmosphere of acceptance which is one of the greatest things about college; being who you are.
ReplyDeleteUp until seventh grade, I attended Protestant Christian schools. When I "graduated" from my elementary school and started seventh grade at a non-religious school, it was initially a very strange transition. I was used to saying prayers in the morning and having Bible class. And, obviously, all the students identified as Christians. So, when I started going to a school which had no religious affiliations and had students of different religions, I was catapulted out of my little bubble. My faith as a southern Baptist (yes, I'll admit it. I'm from Tennessee.) has had its ups and downs, but has never been fully shaken. I believe my Christian schooling gave me the tools to define my faith by giving me reasons to stay Christian. The morals and life lessons I was taught growing up, I believe, solidified my faith. This has also made my time at DePaul interesting. Catholicism is not an extremely prominent religion in the south. So, to come to DePaul, where so many people are Catholic, and where the school itself is Catholic, was a bit of a shock. While I think DePaul does a good job giving students of all religions a place to worship and talk, I feel as if different sectors of Christianity are left out. Because Catholicism is Christianity, DePaul seems to have less of an initiative to have groups for Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc. This may just be me picky, but for once I actually feel like a minority. I did, of course, choose to come to a Catholic university, so much of this is on me. It's just a very interesting feeling when the main religious views of an institution are different from your own.
ReplyDeleteDePaul does, however, tend to be a pretty liberal-Catholic institution. It seems DePaul is the least Catholic of all Catholic universities. I have mixed feelings on this. On one hand, I think that if an institution claims to have some sort of standard religious/moral code, it should stick to that. On the other hand, though, I applaud DePaul for keeping its core values while still changing with modern times.
I consider myself a reformist Catholic because I’ve gone to Liberal-Catholic institutions throughout Chicago my entire life, and was raised as a Catholic. As a kid, I always hated the idea of sitting through an hour of some old guy talking about Jesus and miracles. As I got older, I realized that the Bible and Catholicism are stories that try to teach one morals. That is the reason why I consider myself a Catholic – it has taught me how to be a good person, even when it means going against huge institutions or widely accepted beliefs (cough, cough… the Catholic Church). Attending DePaul has reinforced my belief in Catholicism, along with other religions’, ability to change (although it hasn’t really changed much, or at all, in the Vatican). I’m really glad I don’t have to sit through Bible classes, prayers, and masses without choice anymore, and attending DePaul has allowed me to continue to ponder the role of religion in my life and in the world. I think there are good and bad in everything, and it should be up to the individual to decide what they want out of the stories they hear.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my whole educational career, I have been in Catholic institutions. However, I believe the effect these institutions had on my political views changed as the years went on. During middle school, these religious doctrines tended to have a strong effect on me because I was always taught these doctrines throughout my life. If I wasn't being taught at school, I was being taught at home due to my Catholic family. As time went on, the influence religion had on my political views waned. High school lead to the beginning of a slow decline, but once I entered college, I can definitely tell that I don't follow my religion as much as I used to. I saw college as a way to experience as many viewpoints as possible, and therefore, I put religion to the side so I could allow myself the opportunity to make sure that Catholicism is right for me. Although religious schooling had strongly influenced me for most of my life, the environment of DePaul has allowed me the chance to follow what I truly believe is best due to the open nature of the school. It's a Catholic school, but it is not forced upon the students. This allowed me to explore other aspects of my life outside the boundaries of relgion, but it still always offers the chance to get right back into Catholicism.
ReplyDeleteHaving grown up in a liberal Anglican environment, gone to public school and now identifying as a non-believer, religion has a very small role in my personal views on political and social issues. The fact that DePaul is a Catholic institution was of little issue to me (in fact, all the universities I applied to happened to be Catholic without my intention!) when I chose to go here, and I think that some Catholic values have a positive influence on the school culture. But, I have found Catholic doctrine extremely detrimental in a really important part of the school community: sexual health advocacy. While DePaul does have a considerably liberal stance on a lot of campus issues, sexual health is completely shoved under the rug. Condoms cannot be distributed on campus, and educational demonstrations can't be performed because of the religious stance of the school. Last year, DePaul was declared the least sexually healthy campus in the US by one source. Being a sexual health advocate, having to face these obstacles has made me see the way that religious influences the college environment in a very negative light. While there is room for socially liberal students on campus, DePaul's agenda keeps us from creating positive change on campus.
ReplyDeleteI was raised Protestant. I had a difficult time believing in God when I was young, but my parents still forced me to go to church at least 3 times a week. I also had to go to a private Christian school nearly 40 minutes away from where I lived. After that, I went to a Catholic high school, which had slightly more freedom, but not a whole lot. Because of this, I leave religion completely out of my political beliefs. Whatever someone chooses to believe in should be a personal matter, left out of something that could affect the public. My beliefs have absolutely been affected by my schooling, but ended up having the opposite effect, really.
ReplyDeleteI was raised as a member of the Catholic faith. As a child, my family went to church each week, I was baptized, attended Religious Ed., had my First Communion, and was Confirmed at the age of 14. In my case, and even the case of my family, we were primarily going through the motions.
ReplyDeleteI believe in God, and much of the basis of the Catholic faith. For this reason, I still identify myself as a Catholic, however the church as an institution is absolutely repulsive. I am at times embarrassed to identify myself with an institution that is so misogynistic and hateful towards women. And an institution so intolerant and primitive in its beliefs. Recently, nuns and monks were chastised by the Vatican for putting too much emphasis on helping the poor versus fighting abortion and homosexuality. That fact is beyond horrifying to me. To sum this up, I struggle everyday to separate my belief in God and the basic principles of Catholicism from the Church and the people involved in it.
This background on my inner conflict leads me to my attendance at DePaul University, the largest Catholic school in the nation. For being a Catholic institution, I am very impressed with DePaul's liberal politics as a whole. I very much like Father Holtschneider, and find him to be incredibly tolerant, and even protective, of all DePaul students no matter their lifestyle. DePaul allows student expression of all kinds within its facilities. For example, tomorrow there is a Drag Show in the student center, and there has been a student production of the Vagina Monologues-- A production banned entirely from the University of Notre Dame. I am proud of DePaul because, for the most part, it does not succumb to pressure from the Catholic Diasies. (We don't even get Easter Monday off..).
However, I agree with Hannah that the sexual health aspect of DePaul is really lacking.
Overall, I am proud to be a DePaul student, but not very proud to be a Catholic.
DePaul is an example of the kind of acceptance and tolerance of which Catholics can be capable.
I like to keep my religious beliefs separate from my political, educational and social life. It is something that I keep private from most other people and I believe this is how it should be for everyone. I try to never let the these different aspects of life cross or mix. I do not even like discussing my beliefs in private conversations. My religious beliefs are mine and I will never try to bring someone into my beliefs just as I do not want others pursuing me into theirs. My parents raised me Catholic, took me to church every Sunday, and I went through all the Sacraments that most Catholics go through. Besides this my parents never forced me to uphold the bible as the sole truth or final answer to all our problems. I find DePaul to be a very unique Catholic University. It reflects my beliefs on religion. It tries to keep the education and religious sides of the school separate from one another. The religion is here if you wish to pursue it, but the University will never force you to practice the Catholic faith or make you feel ostracize for not believing in this faith or going against it.
ReplyDeleteI think regardless of the beliefs you grew up having, religion is everywhere and as we discussed in class, it is impossible to separate religious views from politics and society. Looking at American youth, in general people say “oh my God” a lot, some don’t think anything of it and others consider that a sin. In Congress, there is no way to identify why someone is making the decision they are without the source of their morals, thoughts, way of life, and perceptions. Religion has become a huge part of elections as well. In another political science we were talking about levels of analysis based on the individual level and history is made of states, but the leaders of the time are remembered. We discussed presidents who have had affairs and some people in the class thought it was none of our business, some thought of it as gossip, but I think of it as the president breaking his word which is something to keep in mind for future elections. During the inauguration, the president puts his (hopefully soon, her) hand on a bible and makes an oath under God and in front of the world to do what he can to serve and protect the citizens. He stood before his closest family friends and made an oath under God to stay faithful to his bride, and he broke that promise. I think that is completely fair to make a moral judgment on this politician because if they have no qualms about lying to their wives then why should they stay faithful to me; someone they will never know personally and will not have to deal with after their term is over. That is, unless they want to run again in which case I am not voting for them. Religion is a way for me to see where I stand in comparison to a politician or anyone really. Regardless of which religion someone practices, I would rather they believe in something than nothing. “Those who stand for nothing, fall for anything” – Alexander Hamilton
ReplyDeleteYou quoted Alexander Hamilton. I am now a fan
DeleteI did not go to a parochial school, and my immediate family was largely irreligious. My grandmother is quite religious and goes to mass every week and she never pushed the rest of my family to join. As such when I finally did come into the faith my opinions on lots of things were mostly formed. What religion did was moderate me. Ironic I know. I came from a very non-theistic religious view to a very devout catholic. What religion is, is a world view. I view my world though a catholic lens. There are other lenses such as my capitalist lens, and my boyscout lens, and so on and so forth. That lens shapes how I see the issues of the world. The Catholic chruch will preach a more "conservative view point", but anyone who knows Church history or experiences the politics knows that the "conservative V. Liberal" split doesn't work. It values life in that it opposes abortion and the death penalty. It advocates for helping the poor but holds the right of private property. The Church allows dissidence. It encourages dialogue and those who shut down that dialogue are being immoral.
ReplyDeleteDepaul focuses on issues of poverty over issues of purity, and it think that is the role Depaul is to play in the overall scheme. The Church needs to be reminded about social justice, and Depaul needs to be reminded of morality. We pick at what is good and bad with Catholic doctrine, Sexual health is the argument we have here. And the Church hears the arguments for more sexual liberalism, but I ask do we listen to the churches arguments. I know I hear that we shouldn't but I never hear the why. Not That sexual practice is supposed to be the closest thing we can to experiences God's love for others on earth. Not that we can have that love with multiple people. Not that the love found can create life itself. No, I only hear "Sex Feels good so I should do it." And the worst part is that DePaul is deciding that it would rather ignore the issue than deal with it. I think the people of our class could do with learning the opposing position before decrying it. What DePaul is, a place for dialogue with other faiths, needs to be improved. We are so worried about offending or alienating, we have become passive. And the worst part of all of this people are thinking if one issue is bad then everything is bad. People need to learn that institutions and systems are grey. They can be a lighter or darkershade. But I think the Catholic Church and Depaul are certainly a lighter shade.
I grew up as a Seventh Day Adventist. I went to an SDA school until 6th grade and grew up going to church every Saturday. This religious sect is extremely conservative in its views. I think that this lens has put religion in a very interesting perspective for me. Coming both from a geographically conservative town and religiously conservative upbringing, coming to Chicago to a liberal University, as well as a attending a non-denomonational high-school has allowed me to form my own political and religious views. Since coming to school 4 years ago and examining the religious spectrum, I find myself more and more socially liberal. I think that growing up SDA has set an extremely conservative benchmark, that at the start of HS I wanted to rebel against. Since then I have been able to more personally and objectively (from Seventh Day Adventism) political views.
ReplyDeleteI have gone to public school all my life. I attended a public high school, which was actually pretty diverse, both in race and religion. It was interesting to get different perspectives and get to craft my own ideas and beliefs about particular issues. Religion in my household is not constantly stressed or forced on. My grandparents are devout Catholics and attend church regularly and “preach” their beliefs constantly. My parents are a lot more lax and my sister and I go to church with them on some occasions, but we are not forced to go every Sunday. It is hard for myself to identify with any religion because I see so many inconsistencies that are all around. Thus, religion has not really impacted my beliefs or education.
ReplyDeleteI am not attending DePaul because it is a Catholic University. I chose DePaul because its close to my friends, family, and work, as well as for its good reputation in the Chicago land area. I cannot lie and must admit that I was a little skeptical at first. When I noticed that the school had Religious academic requirements, I felt that I was going to be demanded to take classes out of my interests. Fortunately, it did not turn out that way, and the requirements are very flexible. The student body is also very diverse, which I like. I get to meet new people and learn new things. People at DePaul being so liberal was another surprise. I assumed a lot of people were going to be conservative. I do not have a problem with that, but it is definitely surprising that the biggest Catholic University in America is so liberal.
Unlike most people here I have never attended a religious oriented school, even though my religion somewhat influence’s my political views. I attended middle school and high school in the northern suburbs of Chicago, so 99% of my friends were not from the same religion or race as I was. After 911 my parents tried to place me in a Muslim Sunday school, which they thought might help me in those confusing times. I refused because I wasn’t concerned with religion at that time. In middle school I faced discrimination by students and teachers, in high school it was mostly by teachers. Those early years shaped my outlook on society; it pushed me to recognize my religion as a factor in my life. Being a minority all my life made me a stronger person and a stronger believer in who i am.
ReplyDeleteI have been to a university before Depaul, however I have not felt more at home then in Depaul the professors and students are mostly open-minded. Overall Depaul is one of the most excepting universities in Chicago, I have studied things on the catholic religion but I’m not one so I can not really say if Depaul has upheld or forwent its traditions. Depaul can do what it wishes as long as my rights as a student are maintained. My concern is getting a degree, just another step before law school; That being said, I do admire the Venetian mission of supporting human advancement socially, intellectually and religiously.
Like others on here, I was raised Catholic. I went through baptism, first communion, and got confirmed. Though I went to public schools, on Sundays my family went to church and I had my little faith formation group I was expected to attend each week. As I got older, it got really hard to go to church because of my sexual orientation. I wanted to get away from the Catholic church and try something new because the church wasn't making me feel comfortable at all.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was making my college decision, I was aware that DePaul was the nation's largest Catholic university, but it didn't scare me. I feel that DePaul does a decent job in preserving its faith while accepting the faiths of many other students here. Had I gone to my second choice school, I would not have had the chance to study other religions like Hinduism and Buddhism (I tried Buddhism but I just couldn't get over the whole "no soul" thing). DePaul balances religion with liberal politics nicely. It's really nice being able to attend a Catholic university that allows students to put on and attend drag queen shows!
DePaul isn't perfect, but I think that it really is a good example of how politics and religion can blend together and function side by side. It doesn't have to be politics over religion all the time. DePaul shows communities that it can handle both and still turn out bright, accepting students.
Personally, my experience at DePaul as a catholic institution is mainly a positive one. When I first came to DePaul I was a bit afraid that I would be forced to observe Catholicism in one way or another and at that time I was completely unreligious. However, the first time that I heard the President of the university speak to us on first year student service day, I realized that this institution doesn't wish to convert all of us, all it wants is to create a body of students that will move on in their respective jobs as ethical and humanitarian minded people. The president said in his speech that even if you want to be a business man, it doesn't mean that you don't have to care about people. I realized that the institution wishes us to be well-rounded and caring about the world around us. DePaul doesn't just want to train you to fill a position in the workplace but to create insight in you that will help you to make the world a better place. I think this is something all religions can agree upon, even the non-religious.
ReplyDeleteI was raised in a very Catholic household, and have attended Catholic school from Pre-School to now, so it has very much affected my beliefs and the way that I view the world. Coming to DePaul was surprising to me because even though it is technically a Catholic school, there is barely anything here that would be considered religious or Catholic. This is a very big change from the other Catholic schools I have been to where there were crosses in every class and we prayed before the start of every class. I personally feel that DePaul does a good job of being inclusive of all religions, but I also think that they have strayed too far from their Catholic roots in the effort to be all inclusive. This is still a Catholic school so it would be nice if there were more symbols around campus or other things to show that we are a Catholic school.
ReplyDeleteAs an Atheist living in America I have been exposed quite frequently to a double standard it would seem. For much of my early life, living in a Roman-Catholic family I was the odd man out, not for what I believed IN, but for what I didn't believe. In a society dominated by Christian ethics and beliefs for those of us who don't subscribe to such a tension is felt. Having said that, things at DePaul aren't very "Catholic" per se, and I don't ever particularly feel like I'm at a religious institution when I go to the Campus. I feel that the amount of inclusion that takes place, and the emphasis upon diversity and community really helps transcend the lines of race and religion, creating a certain atmosphere of "We are all DePaul Students". Part of this I believe is due to the location of DePaul itself, located in the heart of Lincoln Park in the City of Chicago will obviously affect the social environment.
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