GLO's have changed with the times. It used to be, way back when, that to join LXA, you signed a statement affirming you were, among other things, a protestant-believing Christian. This requirement was removed sometime in the 60's.
However, we try to make it very clear to associate members before initiation that the LXA ritual is based heavily upon Christian ideals, and that some of the teachings come from the Bible. However, if you are not Christian, or even not even religious, these are lessons that anyone with common-sense would have some insight to already, albeit from a slightly different perspective.
I am Christian, but many, many brothers I have met are not. I have known Jewish, Buddhist, Agnostic, Atheistic, and other belief-system based brothers, and, to a man, they still loved the Ritual, they just may not have agreed with the spiritual philosophy behind it. They still uphold the Ritual, and try to live to the ideals taught in it, but, it does not REQUIRE any religious commitment. I don't know of many GLO's (Lambda Delta Sigma, maybe), that actually function these days as a religous organization, we just mostly have religous roots. Remember, GLO's came to being in part to a backlash against religion at many campuses, that either required you to believe in a specific way (especially if the campus was church-sponsored).
|