Atheists as members?

[ksig-nu-tau]

I am a kappa sigma and I would have to say that it is understood during pledging and initiaition that our fraternity is founded on christian principals and a belief in GOD......Steven Alonzo Jackson revised our ritual and added components to do so....and to my chi omega friend.....the four sisters approached Dr. Richardson and with the help of his brothers he helped the women organize the "first finest forever" chi omegas

[shinerbock]

Well from what I've seen I don't see why this should be a problem. If it is an organization based on Christian ideals, and the members really care about that, they probably should only have Christian members. For greek systems where this is very common, like those in the Midwest or South, most students probably profess to be Christians, so I doubt this is much of an issue. Meanwhile, on Western or more urban campuses, there is probably likely to be openness to having someone who believes differently, so that shouldnt be a problem either. I realize this is a generalization, but I personally haven't seen too many incidents where it is really that much of an issue. In either situation (or one in between) I think the members interpretation of what the ideals of their organization are should decide who is allowed in.

[JonInKC]

Originally Posted by ksig-nu-tau

I.....the four sisters approached Dr. Richardson and with the help of his brothers he helped the women organize the "first finest forever" chi omegas

I thought "First, Finest, Forever" was ADPi's slogan?

[Adelphean]

Originally Posted by JonInKC

I thought "First, Finest, Forever" was ADPi's slogan?

You'd be correct.


And as far as this whole conversation goes, I'm an atheist, and I'm also an initiated member of Alpha Delta Pi. Most GLOs are based on the idea of "Christian Principles". So basically, GLOs are based on what is accepted as a social norm (i.e., don't kill, don't steal, etc.). My lack of belief in a higher power has not in any way detracted from my time in ADPi.

[33girl]

"Love one another" is a Christian principle. That doesn't mean if you're Jewish or Buddhist you have to hate everyone's guts for fear of being mistaken for a Christian.

[Dionysus]

When I pledged, I had to swear on a stack of bibles as tall as me. I dropped out eventually. I'm gonna burn baby burn!!!!!!1

[AChiOhSnap]

I relayed this story already in the Gamma Gamma Chi thread, but apparently many GLOs (or their individual chapters) would have, in the past, had a problem with initiating a non-Christian.

In the early 1970s, my boyfriend's mom was a member of a nationally prominent NPC sorority. After they gave out bids one year, they found out that one of their new members was Jewish. They refused to let her initiate since a Jewish girl "could not partake in a Christian ritual" and immediately depledged her -- my bf's mom feels bad now, of course, but she said at the time it was a unanimous decision because they really felt that it was a religious ritual.

It may have just been her chapter, and I know it wouldn't be that way now, but it's a valid question. In some cases, religion very much mattered.



Edited for spelling

[gamma_rho_omega]

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[KSigkid]

Originally posted by xo_kathy
Kappa Sigma did NOT found Chi Omega. Dr. Charles Richardson, a MEMBER of Kappa Sigma and friend of our 4 female founders, helped the ladies form the fraternity and wrote our ritual and constitution.

That is correct - the fraternity as a whole did not found Chi Omega.

[Strongbeauty]

I am baffled. If an organization claims to have Christian principles, then clearly they intended for Christians to be a member of it. Why would someone who does not even believe in God want to be a member of something that goes against that? This is especially true if Christianity is used in the rituals... If someone is willing to violate their own belief system, what makes you think they will uphold the tenets and ideas of the org?

[MysticCat]

Originally posted by Strongbeauty
I am baffled. If an organization claims to have Christian principles, then clearly they intended for Christians to be a member of it. Why would someone who does not even believe in God want to be a member of something that goes against that?

It all depends on what is meant by the very vague phrase "Christian principles." Does that mean adherence to distrinctively Christian doctrine? Or does it mean, as it often did in the 19th Century (when many of the "Christian principles" GLOs were founded), values such as loyalty, hope, love, chartity, honesty, etc.?

[shinerbock]

We have an agnostic kid. He gets made fun of constantly. However, I dont really mind taking that kinda person, but if someone was like an openly atheistic God-basher, then yeah, probably not getting in.

[SydneyK]

Originally posted by shinerbock
...but if someone was like an openly atheistic God-basher....

It has always bothered me when people assume that atheism equals "God-bashing" or satanism or something similar.

Just because someone doesn't choose to worship a deity, that doesn't mean that he/she condemns those who do. In my experience, I've found that atheists are more tolerant than Christians, Jews, etc... People who are religious tend to bash those who aren't, not the other way around.

[Erik P Conard]

jus' don't let them there snake handlin' Baptists in...

[enigma_AKA]

Originally posted by Strongbeauty
I am baffled. If an organization claims to have Christian principles, then clearly they intended for Christians to be a member of it. Why would someone who does not even believe in God want to be a member of something that goes against that? This is especially true if Christianity is used in the rituals... If someone is willing to violate their own belief system, what makes you think they will uphold the tenets and ideas of the org?

So, if you're a non-believer or one that just doesn't believe in say--Jesus being the Messiah or baptism being a neccessary part of salvation--then you automatically go against the tenets and ideas of the organization? That you don't believe in murder; that you don't believe in 'the golden rule'; that you don't believe in *most of* the Ten Commandments (the moral codes, basically)?

I'm probably asking this to a troll, but athiests still have moral and ethical values; Muslims and Jews, B'hai believers, Buddhists and Hindus have moral and ethical standards as well, but because they aren't Christian they go against the tenets and ideas of the org? That they violate their own belief system? What are these tenets and ideas of the org?

enigma_AKA