Connections Quarterly Winter 2018 - World Religions | Page 13

C H AP E L A N D THE N O N - RE L I GI O U S
of other traditions, using Chapel as a bridge
to build understanding and acceptance
between communities. Over time, some
chaplains began to speak openly in services
about there being many paths to the divine,
explicitly declaring that every tradition had
something of value to offer.
“As one of my students puts
it, ‘Knowing that someone
is non-religious tells you as
much about who they are as
knowing that someone is
a non-golfer.’”
Our process hasn’t been without hurdles.
Many had to rethink what it means to be
true to their tradition. They had to recon-
sider what they were trying to deliver in
terms of core message. In some cases, the
very purpose of Chapel had to be reframed
to address the reality of increasingly diverse
student bodies. These explorations often
unearthed deep convictions among stu-
dents, staff, and alumni, and required careful
negotiation and navigation.
It’s with this history in mind that I suggest
we again cast our collective eye on the stu-
dents who gather in our Chapels. Another
group has emerged, whose members often
find themselves disconnected and even
alienated from what many independent
schools offer.
Drawing parallels between non-religious 1
students and, say, Baha’i students is not a
tidy equivalency. Being non-religious is not
the same as being of a different faith group.
As one of my students puts it, ‘Knowing that
someone is non-religious tells you as much
about who they are as knowing that some-
one is a non-golfer.’
Today, one would be hard pressed to find a
Chapel program in a CSEE school originat-
ing in the Christian tradition that has not
changed its practice in response to students
from other faith groups. Whether subtly or
radically, schools that were once distinctly
and exclusively Christian now shape their
gatherings to make them more accessible
for Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, and other stu-
dents. More often than not, this diversity is
actively celebrated. Many, including myself,
would affirm that this shift has created a
more relevant and meaningful experience
for students of all faiths—a net gain for the
entire community.
We do have our perceptions, though. With
individuals like Richard Dawkins and Chris-
topher Hitchens in the public eye, some are
tempted to transfer their assertive tenden-
cies to other non-religious people. In real-
ity, the Pew Research Center 2 makes clear
that non-religious people who claim the
term ‘atheist’ are far less likely than religious
1. ‘Non-religious’ is the term preferred by the students of my school who have been most closely involved in these
conversations.
2. American statistics in this article are drawn from the Pew Research Center’s ‘2014 Religious Landscape Survey.’ Cana-
dian figures are taken from Statistic Canada’s 2011 census report.
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CSEE Connections

Winter 2018
Page 11