Mr. Brian McLoone's Viewpoint on Oct. 5 in The Tufts Daily prompted many people to call me, as they were very concerned about the article. The indirect or direct message was to do something about the article.
I will defend Mr. McLoone's right to voice any and all dissent against religions or spiritual paths. But I would want the facts to be stated.
The recognition of student organizations and the allocation of student activities fees are all up to the rules of the TCU Senate and the TCU Judiciary. Students should have a right to say where their money goes. But to say a religious group is unworthy just because it is a religious group is without merit in logic or argument.
Tufts University was founded in 1852 on the principles of religious liberty and religious freedom. There were to be no religious tests for the admission of students or for the hiring of faculty. Everyone was to be welcomed to a center of learning in order to be a light on the Hill and to bring peace to the world. This was the vision of Charles Tufts and the members of the Universalist church.
To suggest that a person who follows a religious or spiritual path is delusional is very unfair. I would ask Mr. McLoone to read William James' "Varieties of Religious Experiences"; if one of the founders of modern-day psychology had no problem with religious or spiritual experiences, I fail to see why Mr. McLoone is calling a majority of the Tufts University family "delusional."
Every year, the incoming class is invited to state their religious preference. Every year, a percentage of incoming students do this, while many do not. Of those who did respond to the question of religious preference, the breakdown was the following: 23 percent Jewish, 22 percent Catholic, 19 percent Protestant, two percent Hindu, two percent Muslim, one percent Buddhist. [Editors' note: The demographic data on Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Lee Coffin's "Introducing the Class of 2010" on the Tufts Web site slightly differs from Rev. O'Leary's data. Coffin says 23 percent of first-year students identify themselves as Jewish, 20 percent as Roman Catholic, and 16 percent as Protestant.]
It would seem that a large percentage of the student population considers religion or spirituality to be important in their lives. Mr. McLoone seems to be concerned about how the "school" spends money, when in reality, it is the Senate and TCUJ that fund student religious groups.
All student religious groups that are recognized by my office have to follow a very strict set of guidelines, of which the primary directive is to be tolerant and open to all others and to never attempt to push or convert other people. No religious group on campus that is recognized by my office or the Senate discriminates or excludes outsiders. All religious and spiritual events are open to all people at all times. If they are not, I would want to know about it. I know of no religious group on campus that advocates hate.
Maybe we need to remember that civility dies with the death of dialogue. I would welcome any and all to have a dialogue on the role of religion and spiritual life on campus. But I do disagree with Mr. Mcloone's article and its misconceptions about religious and spiritual matters at Tufts University.
Reverend David O'Leary is the University Chaplain and an adjunct professor in comparative religion and medical ethics.
