Religion?

[Lady Pi]

Religion is a big part of many chapters and their sorority's rituals. Like every chapter meeting y'all pray together. Many rituals have heavy religious overtones. You just have to ask yourself if you can pledge your entire self to something that is heavily focused on God if you don't really believe in it. It could really offend some people if you participate in a ritual that you don't believe in. Of course you won't know until you go through it, and by then it's too late!

Go through Recruitment and feel it out. You can talk frankly with your Recruitment Counselor about such things and she will be able to give you a lot of insight about the campus sorority culture. those conversations are pretty confidential so don't be afraid to ask any questions that you may have.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by Lady Pi

Religion is a big part of many chapters and their sorority's rituals. Like every chapter meeting y'all pray together. Many rituals have heavy religious overtones. You just have to ask yourself if you can pledge your entire self to something that is heavily focused on God if you don't really believe in it. It could really offend some people if you participate in a ritual that you don't believe in. Of course you won't know until you go through it, and by then it's too late!

Go through Recruitment and feel it out. You can talk frankly with your Recruitment Counselor about such things and she will be able to give you a lot of insight about the campus sorority culture. those conversations are pretty confidential so don't be afraid to ask any questions that you may have.

I'm not sure about people being offended because a member doesn't believe in God even if He is in the ritual if the member believes in the sorority's values and what they stand for...sounds a little unfair to me.

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by Lady Pi

Religion is a big part of many chapters and their sorority's rituals. Like every chapter meeting y'all pray together. Many rituals have heavy religious overtones. You just have to ask yourself if you can pledge your entire self to something that is heavily focused on God if you don't really believe in it. It could really offend some people if you participate in a ritual that you don't believe in. Of course you won't know until you go through it, and by then it's too late!

Go through Recruitment and feel it out. You can talk frankly with your Recruitment Counselor about such things and she will be able to give you a lot of insight about the campus sorority culture. those conversations are pretty confidential so don't be afraid to ask any questions that you may have.

I find it interesting that you prayed at every chapter meeting. Was this a Christian school?

I do not think that you are correct in your assertion that sororities in general are "heavily focused on God". What is your criteria for this? It's a pretty general statement that should be supported with evidence.

Originally Posted by Lady Pi

Some people think of it like taking communion at a church when you don't believe in God.

Sorority ritual is nothing like "taking communion". My membership in a sorority is not going to bring me salvation.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

I find it interesting that you prayed at every chapter meeting. Was this a Christian school?

I do not think that you are correct in your assertion that sororities in general are "heavily focused on God". What is your criteria for this? It's a pretty general statement that should be supported with evidence.



Sorority ritual is nothing like "taking communion". My membership in a sorority is not going to bring me salvation.

I will say my chapter had a "prayer request" prayer at every chapter meeting, and it is at a public school. However I don't remember it ever deviating from something like, "God, please remember all of these sisters and their prayers"...but it never really bothered me to sit quietly and listen, and no one ever said anything to me about the fact that I didn't bow my head, fold my hands, and close my eyes. I wasn't the only sister that did not directly participate. But I don't remember it being an issue for those that were not religious or those that were as long as everyone was respectful, and for the most part we all were (of religion anyway).

[Lady Pi]

Some people think of it like taking communion at a church when you don't believe in God.

[sydney bristow]

Originally Posted by Lady Pi

Some people think of it like taking communion at a church when you don't believe in God.

K well maybe they need to get the sticks out of their butts.

Implying that someone shouldn't join a sorority that has "Christian" rituals because they "don't believe in them" is ludicrous.

I'm not religious in the least bit but I sure as hell believe in my sorority's ritual.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by sydney bristow

K well maybe they need to get the sticks out of their butts.

Implying that someone shouldn't join a sorority that has "Christian" rituals because they "don't believe in them" is ludicrous.

I'm not religious in the least bit but I sure as hell believe in my sorority's ritual.

This^

What I was thinking, but better said.

[ellebud]

Originally Posted by sydney bristow

K well maybe they need to get the sticks out of their butts.

Implying that someone shouldn't join a sorority that has "Christian" rituals because they "don't believe in them" is ludicrous.

I'm not religious in the least bit but I sure as hell believe in my sorority's ritual.

You go! And thank you. And, at least in our little corner of the world people believe in respect for other people and a little thing called sisterhood that accepts people with religious differences.

[Drolefille]

/cosign the not giving a crap what people believe religiously as it relates to ritual in anyway. If we wanted to discriminate we could call ourselves a "Sigma*" sorority and only let "Sigma" people in.

*Replace Sigma with whatever belief system best fits your GLO's ritual whether Judeo Christian or Greco-Roman Pagan or Hindu.

But we're not just a "Sigma" sorority, we accept everyone regardless of faith, as long as they don't mind participating in "Sigma" rituals. And I say this as someone whose faith has changed a LOT from college to now.



Also, anyone who compares it to going to communion should get their priorities in line.

[Lady Pi]

With all do respect, you don't know what happens in my ritual so you can't judge where it should be on my list of priorities or how closely it ties in with my religion.

Never in my first post did I say anything about discrimination or if she "should be allowed" to do things. I was talking about if she would feel comfortable. If she feels comfortable and is accepted by a chapter on her campus then that's all that matters. NPC sororities don't discriminate on the basis of religion and I don't want to change that. I just meant that it can be a big deal at some chapters and not a big deal at others.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Lady Pi

With all do respect, you don't know what happens in my ritual so you can't judge where it should be on my list of priorities or how closely it ties in with my religion.

Never in my first post did I say anything about discrimination or if she "should be allowed" to do things. I was talking about if she would feel comfortable. If she feels comfortable and is accepted by a chapter on her campus then that's all that matters. NPC sororities don't discriminate on the basis of religion and I don't want to change that. I just meant that it can be a big deal at some chapters and not a big deal at others.

No, I don't, but my mother is an ADPi and is in agreement with me on the matter. Which suggests it's not about your ritual and more about your opinions on religion

[ellebud]

Lady Pi: With all due respect let me make a few observations: One is that sorority rituals(not the essence os sisterhood) and membership may vary greatly in different parts of the country. When I was at the university that my daughter now attends one sorority went to Church for initiation. They no longer do this due, in part, to a very diverse membership. At some point the decision was made to eliminate this practice to enhance sisterhood. Would anyone suggest that a Fleur de Lis (a French cross) be eliminated as the symbol of KKG because there are Jewish members? No. There is historical ritual and symbols and the evolution of many houses.

This may be regional, but prayers are NOT the norm here.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by ellebud

Lady Pi: With all due respect let me make a few observations: One is that sorority rituals(not the essence os sisterhood) and membership may vary greatly in different parts of the country. When I was at the university that my daughter now attends one sorority went to Church for initiation. They no longer do this due, in part, to a very diverse membership. At some point the decision was made to eliminate this practice to enhance sisterhood. Would anyone suggest that a Fleur de Lis (a French cross) be eliminated as the symbol of KKG because there are Jewish members? No. There is historical ritual and symbols and the evolution of many houses.

This may be regional, but prayers are NOT the norm here.

*cough* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur-de-lis *cough*

It's a flower not a cross

Otherwise I agree. Even when religion is at the core of our rituals, belief in the religion itself is not required, it's supporting the ideals that the religious aspects are standing for. Otherwise we'd restrict the membership to people who believed in the religion itself.

[Psi U MC Vito]

Wait, the Fluer de Lis is a cross? I thought it was just a stylized flower.

[Lady Pi]

Drolefille- Wow. My Mom is an ADPi as well and is in agreement with me. What a surprise that mother's agree with their own daughters. You are still misinterpreting my post.

ellebud- That's exactly what I'm saying, that it varies from place to place and that the PNM would have to go through Recruitment and talk with her Recruitment Counselor and figure out how it is on her campus for herself.