my religion and pledging
 

I am a seventh day adventist, I wanted to know would i not be picked because of my religion. We practice keeping the sabbath holy from friday sundown until saturday sundown.

If you are thinking of an NPC sorority, they do not discriminate on the basis of religion. However, keep in mind that rush/recruitment will most likely be held over a weekend period.

I realize this is a stupid question, but what does "keeping the sabbath holy" entail?

Um, wouldn't it be the same thing for practicing Jews?

It really depends on the school you attend. For many chapters, not that much occurs over most weekends, but recruitment is one of those things that is mandatory. When you are an active member, the likelihood that they will excuse you from recruitment for religious reasons is fairly low. There are, however, some chapters that cater to Jewish women who are used to this restriction and may not have a problem with this. I guess the main thing to understand is that once or twice a year, you may have an obligation on the sabbath.

Obviously not the most reliable source (wikipedia), but this could give you some idea of what he/she (I couldn't tell gender from the username) means by keeping the Sabbath holy:

To keep the weekly Sabbath holy, Adventists abstain from secular work on Saturday. They will also usually refrain from purely secular forms of recreation, such as competitive sport and watching non-religious programs on television. However, nature walks, family-oriented activities, charitable work and other activities that are compassionate in nature are encouraged.
Much of Friday might be spent in preparation for the Sabbath; for example, preparing meals and tidying homes. Some Adventists gather for Friday evening worship to welcome in the Sabbath, a practice often known as Vespers.
Saturday afternoon activities vary widely depending on the cultural, ethnic and social background. In some churches, members and visitors will participate in a fellowship (or "potluck") lunch.

She may be asking about the NPHC, in which case, we nationally do not discriminate on the basis of religion and denomination.

What individual chapters choose to do off the record is what they choose to do. However, you will most likely not have a problem based on religion unless you go into it looking for a problem and picking a fight. People are often their own worst enemy.

As for the Sabbath (upholding the Sabbath means different things for different religions, denominations, and people), you will have to express what it means to you early on with hopes that the chapter can work around it. They may or may not be able to do so during the intake process and if you become an active collegiate. Many people respect you more when you uphold your religious beliefs regardless of anything else. That doesn't mean they'll be able to accomodate your beliefs most of the time. Afterall, the organization/chapter/world does not revolve around you.

Again, that all remains to be seen but go into with an open mind just as you expect the chapter to do.

This is also pretty dependent upon the campus culture of your school, the chapter you join, etc. Just be upfront but not confrontational about your requirements, and be open to their feedback. See if there is a way to reconcile your obligations to the sorority with your obligations to your faith. I am a practicing Catholic, and while we don't have Sabbath restrictions per say, there were a few days during my pledgeship that fell on holy days of obligation. I talked with my pledge educator and told her about the requirements I had, and made arrangements to make up/compensate for what I missed. It was not really a big deal.

If what psusue is close to how you keep the Sabbath (doing family/community events and service etc) perhaps you can bring that up to the chapter as a way of scheduling things that are part of programming anyways and also fit in with your faith practices?

While I am not a Seventh Day Adventist, most of my out-laws were. I was raised with basically the same idea of keeping the Sabbath as the Adventists, only on Sunday. I'm not a vegetarian, though being a vegetarian is much more common now than when I was in school.

As PhoenixAzul said, it depends on the culture of your campus, and how strictly you decide to keep your beliefs. During Rush, we had a few girls who were Russian or Greek Orthodox ask us if they would have to compromise their faith, and we truly did our level best to make sure they wouldn't have to do so (planning formals around their holidays, etc). IDK if they still ask religion on the sign up forms - probably some campuses do, some don't. Frankly, if I had rushed as an Adventist, I would ask during the first round about being a vegetarian first, and then mention that you do it for religious reasons. The sororities which would be tolerant of your faith are the ones who would truly be sisters.

I think putting that on a form is not acceptable anymore, but it isn't like we can't have it on recs or just know by means other than asking.

Thanks - I wasn't sure. I have noticed more women who have a particular zeal for their faith wearing a symbol of their religion during first & second rounds lately, but you can't always go by that, either. For example, Baptists can't wear a little casserole (I can say that - I'm a Baptist)!

OR, under clubs or organizations, a religious group can be mentioned. Seriously, I respect the Seventh Day Adventists, and that would actually interest me in getting to know a PNM.

I know if I wore something Jello related I could be mistaken for a Mormon, so I'd definitely have to add a cup of coffee, and a woman pastor to make it clear I'm ELCA Lutheran to people ;)

Fixed that for ya. No confusion can be had now.

initiation ceremonies are often held on friday nights or saturdays.

Thank you al for the information. I am definetly going to listen and be open minded. I really want to pledge I just dont want to much conflict. I had one more question. at my univerisity there arent any Zetas around and this is the sorority that I want to pledge. I heard alot of rumors that the reason why they are not on the campus is because the president of our nphc didnt like them.


If i cannot pledge Zeta I would rather not pledge at all. I wanted to know what should I do?