I do appreciate not wanting to feel as if you are being forced to take a religion class. But if thou feel that way, but the option is to take a world religions class or something similar, and not a class that is teaching just one particular doctrine, I think these schools are definitely still worthy of consideration. So much of the turmoil in today’s world has some basis in people’s religious thinking. If we all better understood one another and what beliefs different religions hold, we might be able to better communicate and more peacefully coexist on this planet. The purpose of many of these religion classes is not to indoctrinate you into one way of thinking but to learn about a variety of different beliefs. So I hope people don’t automatically dismiss great schools and programs on the basis of having to take one class, particularly if it is a class that can give us a better understanding of the world around us. Also, be mindful that the vast majority of early colleges and universities were founded by churches. Many do still maintain their affiliations today. And there can be benefits. Often times scholarships are available to students at those schools who share that religious affiliation. Our experience of many of these schools is that most have very diverse student bodies, especially in the MT and theatre departments. Very few of them require any sort of intense religious study. All that to say, I wouldn’t automatically dismiss a school because it has some religious affiliation. Do your due diligence. Find out what the campus culture is truly like. Find out what the religion class required really consists of. And then make your decision. You may find it might just be the perfect school for you even if you don’t share its religious affiliation.