Losing My Religion: Student Thanks Boston College for making him an Atheist

The Heights - Boston College Student Newspaper ^ | March 19, 2014 | Stephen Sikora

[Diago]

Any Catholic parent who pays to send his child to a Jesuit college (e.g. Boston College, Holy Cross, Georgetown, John Carroll ect...) is nuts.

Check with the cardinal newman society or you will regret it.

[Alex Murphy]

Despite entering college as a Christian, two months from now I will graduate this Jesuit, Catholic school as an atheist. Ironically, the basis of that belief was developed in classes I was required to take based on Jesuit values and ideals —the education of the whole person through BC’s core curriculum. The Jesuits don’t teach students what to think. They teach them how to think. Above all else, that’s what college is for. And I’m grateful that I chose BC as the place to learn that.

PFL

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

Don’t worry, the Pope says atheists can get to heaven too as long as they follow after “the good.”

[JPX2011]

Notice how it’s all about him? God didn’t give “me” enough proof. “I” can’t imagine a God who would reject those with the wrong belief system, etc. ad nauseaum. A fount of scholarship he ain’t.

[dfwgator]

At least he didn’t say, “Thank God, I’m an atheist.”

[ConservativeStatement]

Or “And I was like omigod.”

[metmom]

Ironically, the basis of that belief was developed in classes I was required to take based on Jesuit values and ideals .......

Well, that looks like a whole chunk of his problems.

[Viennacon]

These aren’t actually Catholic colleges. The fact that they are still allowed to remain affiliated should be considered a heresy in itself.

Here is the key line

“in my view, an unjust punishment for having the “wrong” belief”

Quite vain and arrogant isn’t it, that this pathetic, nothing (in his own worldview), just time plus matter plus chance, thinks his view means anything at all.

[faithhopecharity]

he asked why couldn’t God have left us better evidence of His existence

he (the student) himself is that evidence
his professor should hand him a mirror

[RIghtwardHo]

Nothing “makes” you anything. You become what you decide and choose to be. The “world” is a whole lot less influence than you would suppose.

[ealgeone]

By the end of the class, and after deep contemplation, I finally realized what I truly believed—there is no God. Both the idea of a higher being, and the many religions of the world, were founded by man to inspire hope and influence human behavior.

Respectfully disagree with this conclusion. Whenever we see societies move to control others, it is a man-made initiative. We see man's sinful nature arise as witnessed by the Nazis, communism, Islam, etc.

Christ centered societies, though not perfect, offer a clear distinction from the remainder of the world.

If you doubt this, just book a flight to North Korea and upon your landing say disparaging things about the little tyrant. You'll quickly learn what I'm talking about.

[defconw]

I often wonder why 22 year olds (or there abouts), think I give a crap what they think?

[ViLaLuz]

He should go see the movie God’s Not Dead.

[Oliviaforever]

"By the end of the semester, I fully believed evolution as a fact for the first time. Further, as someone who finds the existence of God and evolution mutually exclusive, it was much harder for me to identify with the Christian faith."

I have read other accounts of even statistics regarding the outcome of people who go off to college fully believing in Creationism and after just a few college classes they are lead to believe in Evolution by secular college professors who lead their young impressionable students away from the values of their families.

These professors victimize their students as they understand that the college kids are often away from home for the first time and are for the first time experiencing freedom and responsibility. They use that as as opening and encourage their students to question all that they were taught and all their family and Christian values and plat the seed of Evolution.

[HangnJudge]

Unless one is a VERY strong swimmer,
The treacherous waters of unfocused study of Philosophy
Is a a fast path to a confusion of spirits

I know one who became deeply confused at Boston College
He was extremely bright, complex in understanding
The consequences are not pretty

The student was interested in computer Ethics
Computers do not have ethics, People do.

[fieldmarshaldj]

One thing this article tells me is that he learned absolutely nothing.

[Alex Murphy]

These aren’t actually Catholic colleges. The fact that they are still allowed to remain affiliated should be considered a heresy in itself.

Where does that leave Catholicism, given the current (Jesuit) pope?

[JSDude1]

So I guess you are saying the current Pope (a former Jesuit) is nuts. If so I’d agree.