Do Jesuit schools turn students into atheists?

Last updated on: July 23, 2016 at 4:13 pm by Jacob Lupfer

Do Jesuit schools turn students into atheists? 2016-07-23T16:13:00-04:00 Jacob Lupfer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

As media report on Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine’s ties to Jesuit institutions, I guess this joke was inevitable.

Tim Kaine was educated by Jesuits, so we’re finally guaranteed an atheist on the ticket.

— Kieran Healy (@kjhealy) July 23, 2016

Kaine attended a Jesuit high school and served for a time with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

I know enough Jesuit-educated people who are no longer involved with religion to get why the joke is funny.

I would like to push back on a few points.

First, Jesuits run a number of schools and colleges that, either by design or evolution, cater to an elite constituency that is seldom Catholic, Christian, or even religious at all. Plenty of people who care nothing about the depth of Saint Ignatius’ spirituality send their children to Jesuit schools for the prestige or the reputation for academic rigor and quality. To say it another way, many young people who went to Jesuit schools but are now atheist elites in business, academia or government were never very religious to begin with.

Second, many Jesuit-educated secular elites regard their teachers and priests with great honor and respect. Even though they are disconnected from religious communities, they think of Jesuits as the very best of what faith can bring to scholarship and service. Relatively fewer, I would confidently say, credit Jesuits with pushing them from belief to atheism.

My third point is really just a personal anecdote. I began a doctoral program at Georgetown University as an agnostic with a modest amount of hostility toward religious faith, and toward the Catholic Church in particular. I was assured that Georgetown’s affiliation would not unduly interfere with my scholarly pursuits.

Quite happily, as it turns out, the Jesuits did encroach on my education. Though I only had one priest as a professor, he was a model Jesuit and easily one of the best teachers I ever had. Almost from the start, Georgetown’s religious identity and its dedicated commitment to people of other faiths warmed me toward religion in general, and to Georgetown’s Jesuit tradition in particular.

As someone who studies and writes about faith in public life, I am very grateful to approach my subject with openness and some appreciation rather than hostility and scorn.

While I am not a practicing Christian in any meaningful way, I bristle at the assumption that Jesuits turn students into atheists. For me, their influence in the opposite direction has been significant.

Image credit: Pixabay

I have written appreciatively about Georgetown’s approach to controversial issues here. I also wrote a piece about belief and doubt for The Washington Post.

Previous Post

July 23, 2016

What kind of Catholic is Tim Kaine?

Next Post

July 25, 2016 Catholic bishop slams Tim Kaine for pro-choice views

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #Faith2016 Christian right Christianity Debates Democratic Convention Donald Trump GOP nominating contest Inauguration Media News roundup Personal Polls Religious freedom Republican Convention Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 August 2017 July 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz