College

[The_Cavalier]

Is it a sin for a catholic to attend a protestant college?

(Note: simply to study, not to grow more familiar with protestantism and subsequently to convert)

 

[JanetF]

Is it a sin for a catholic to attend a protestant college?

(Note: simply to study, not to grow more familiar with protestantism and subsequently to convert)

I don’t see how it could be. Although I’d be wary of a place like Bob Jones U.

 

[CrispSnowflake]

Why would it be a sin? Jesus loves Protestants and Jesus loves Catholics.
There are plenty of Protestants who love and follow Jesus!

 

[Joe_5859]

No, it is not intrisically sinful to attend a non-Catholic college.

I would encourage the student to make sure they know what they’re getting into, though.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Some 60 years ago, I recieved a scholarship to one of the Little Ivy League colleges with a strong Protestant legacy. My parish priest congratulated me and wished me well there.

There were a large number of Catholics enrolled there, and we had a very active Newman Club. Several of us went to daily mass at a nearby Catholic Church during Lent.

 

[kozlosap]

Go to the university that best fits your needs for an outstanding education. Do I think you would be happy at BYU or Liberty University, NO, but if they offered an excellent academic program in your chosen field and offered enough free $$$$$$$$, then you could consider it.

 

[The_Cavalier]

I don’t see how it could be. Although I’d be wary of a place like Bob Jones U.

I had read on WikiAnswers that there had to be a compelling reason. I don’t know if I can trust this source, though. First, the author didn’t cite anything—no church documents, no section from the catechism, nothing. Second, there’s no telling if the author was catholic. Has anyone ever heard of such a provision? It’s likely this person just made it up, perhaps.

 

[Joe_5859]

I had read on WikiAnswers that there had to be a compelling reason. I don’t know if I can trust this source, though. First, the author didn’t cite anything—no church documents, no section from the catechism, nothing. Second, there’s no telling if the author was catholic. Has anyone ever heard of such a provision? It’s likely this person just made it up, perhaps.

Please don’t take as definitive advice on the Catholic faith that you receive on WikiAnswers (or here for that matter). You are right – it could be anyone posting. In the absence of documentation, I would count it as a well-meaning opinion.

Where you go to school is a prudential judgment You need to weigh all the variables. I certainly would encourage a person to give due consideration to good Catholic schools. But there are all sorts of fators that need to be accounted for: programs of study, cost, location, etc., etc. Even taking the WikiAnswers guy at face value, I would consider such things to be “compelling reasons” to consider a specific school, even if it’s not Catholic.

If I was looking into a Protestant school, I would want to do my research and know what I was getting into. If the whole atmosphere of the university was hostile to Catholicism and there was nary a Catholic on campus to be found, I personally would want to have a very compelling reason to go there. But I’m not sure how many colleges would fit that description that aren’t specifically Protestant theological schools.

And, of course, when in doubt, ask your priest for guidance.