What Do I Say?

[angels&angles]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

As far as getting through [the religious element in ritual], standing quietly while not reciting the part in question seems to be an acceptable response.

Non-Christian here, and that's what I did. There were a few call-and-response things that I just stood quietly during. I'm not sure if anyone even noticed.

Now, if there's a chapter who is requiring members to go to church, that's another thing altogether, but I suspect the active members of a chapter who does that will be asking leading questions to determine if you are a good fit for them. As someone else said, don't lie or sidestep the question, but don't bring it up either.

[MysticCat]

Sorry for the lane-swerve, but these four threads might be of interest:

Religion?

Atheists as members?

Joining an organization and not being religious and here:

Christianity in ritual.

And I do have a hard time imagining a chapter in the South that requires all members to go to Mass. Expecting all members to go the services at, say, the nearby Baptist church, maybe, but a whole chapter of Catholics?

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

And I do have a hard time imagining a chapter in the South that requires all members to go to Mass. Expecting all members to go the services at, say, the nearby Baptist church, maybe, but a whole chapter of Catholics?

I agree with this, and I wonder if the OP is using mass in place of worship due to her unfamiliarity with Christianity? (Perhaps she is unaware that this is typically used in reference to Catholicism.)

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

I agree with this, and I wonder if the OP is using mass in place of worship due to her unfamiliarity with Christianity? (Perhaps she is unaware that this is typically used in reference to Catholicism.)

Quite possible, and if so, my bad.

[adpiucf]

No one will require you to go to religious services or change your beliefs. You will get a sense of each chapter during recruitment, and whether or not you feel comfortable. If you join a sorority, you will be prepared prior to any sorority rituals about what to expect, and you can address any concerns with your new member coordinator. I assure you that many many women from all walks of life have joined sororities and have not been made to feel uncomfortable because their beliefs differed from the 100+ year old founders' beliefs! Any "religious" connotations in the rituals are historical in basis and it is the values (which are basic values of being a good person and helpful to others) that come out of that background which are the true takeaway. You wouldn't feel obligated to start worshiping Zeus and Poseidon, so don't worry about Jesus.

Any chapter that offers a "mass" or other religious worship or bible study is doing so for benefit of interested sisters and absolutely cannot require all of its members to attend -- your friend is confused or may feel pressured because a lot of girls participate.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by angels&angles

As someone else said, don't lie or sidestep the question, but don't bring it up either.

It's okay to bring it up in an oblique way, though. For example, if someone asks what you did last summer, and you were a counselor at the JCC day camp, or you went to Israel with your family, etc., you can say that and see if they react in a negative way.

(I'm giving Jewish examples because those are easy for me to come up with off of the top of my head. Obviously, insert your own religion here. If you are an atheist, that's probably the hardest to casually drop into conversation.)