Faith at Dartmouth

[rug]

by Alex Fredman | 5/19/17 2:25am

At the beginning of her sophomore summer, Angelina Lionetta ’18 was worried about one of her upcoming classes. The course, a philosophy class called “Reproductive Ethics,” would cover subjects such as genetic enhancement, selective diminishment and abortion.

Lionetta is Catholic, and those issues, especially abortion, are sensitive among members of her religion.

Born into what she calls “an old Italian family” in Andover, Massachusetts, Lionetta grew up as an active member of her church: her parents took her to mass as a baby, she was an altar server and she taught Sunday School for third- through fifth-grade girls. At Dartmouth, Lionetta has continued to be passionate in her religious life, actively participating and organizing social events at Aquinas House, the Catholic student organization on campus.

Lionetta considers herself to be socially liberal, though she leans more conservative on certain issues. She said that as a woman and a pre-med student, she believes that abortion is a public health issue — one that has implications for both the mother and society. As a Catholic, however, she still maintains that life is sacred. For Lionetta, her beliefs on the subject can be challenging, as they differ from those held by some other devout Catholics.

Coming into her “Reproductive Ethics” class, Lionetta said she wondered how students in the class would react to her opinions — would they look down on her for her views? But after having conversations with the professor and engaging in small group discussions with fellow classmates, Lionetta said she realized her concerns were unfounded. In fact, she discovered that the views of her classmates were more diverse than she originally assumed.

Lionetta’s experience is not uncommon among religious students at Dartmouth. While students may face apprehension and misunderstanding of their beliefs, overt acts of prejudice are rare. Dartmouth students’ religious and spiritual experiences are understood best by the nuance used in describing individuals’ beliefs, rather than by attempting to generalize students into like-minded groups.

http://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2017/05/faith-at-dartmouth

[dlk]

1. Fragile Faith

It appears many conservatives have fragile faith. In fact, it is so fragile, they are afraid to even listen to/learn about different ideas and opinions. Perhaps this is because deep down they have reservations and doubts about what they profess to believe. Just listening to or reading about a different opinion should not be considered dangerous. That's Dark Ages thinking. Surely they have their own mind and the free will capable of making their own decisions. Critical thinking is part of the college experience.

[rug]

2. Thinking begins with doubt.