<p>Wow, this thread is ancient… I’m seriously procrastinating though, so I’ll bite. Notre Dame is Catholic. If you can’t stand Catholics, don’t come here. But, if you simply aren’t Catholic, or are a lapsed Catholic, don’t worry, you’ll be in good company. There are a TON of great (but entirely optional) religious opportunities here and about 85% of the student body is Catholic, but I’d say a good portion of them fall into the “lapsed” category and people are certainly able to question the faith! In response to the comment:</p>
<p>“While it’s entirely possible for Domers to deviate from the Catholic worldview at ND, I doubt they can “freely” and “openly” challenge it, let alone contradict it, without risking social and academic ostracism.”</p>
<p>Social ostracism? Hardly. As I said, a large percentage of students here fall into the lapsed category, some because they don’t care, but some because they are questioning their faith. And most students, with the exception of a few of the die-hard, holier-than-thou, Tridentine mass-going crowd (who are a small minority), are very tolerant of other views.</p>
<p>And academic ostracism- what is that? How can one be academically ostracized? By being forbidden from taking classes? If you mean their opinions would be discounted in class discussions, etc, it is my experience that this is not so. Although I suppose there will always be professors who will disagree with their students (on religion, environmental issues, literary themes, etc.) and some will be better at allowing discussion than others.</p>
<p>Also, the Catholic aspect does not in any way affect the study of the sciences here. We do learn about evolution (WITHOUT the “it’s only a theory” disclaimers or teaching of creationism as an alternative theory). And no one seems to object. In my 3 1/2 years here so far, I have only met one person who didn’t believe in evolution. She was a Baptist, not a Catholic. And I think she abandoned her disbelief after being at Notre Dame for a semester or two.</p>
<p>And to honestabclee- “Huh? I don’t attend ND.”</p>
<p>Then maybe you should stop making assumptions and snide comments about it (“She and the other atheist at ND must be good friends.”) and allow current students to enlighten you on what life at Notre Dame is actually like.</p>