Agnosticism, Misunderstanding Challenge University Catholics

Roman Catholicism seems to be one of the least understood and most frequently misrepresented of religions, perhaps especially at Harvard. From the return of polls it is difficult to draw sweeping statistical generalizations on Catholic students. Only 23 Catholics, past and present, answered questionnaires; one of the 23 is a convert and the others were born Catholics. Of those, however, who were reared in a Catholic tradition, almost one fourth now declare themselves to be "agnostics" or "atheists." Another six retain formal affiliation with the Church but partially withhold intellectual assent or seem lax in their religious practices, though they have no particular disagreement with Catholic theology.

The remaining 60 per cent who answered the poll, including the convert, seem to be orthodox in their faith. To begin with they practice their religion. They also agree with the Church on issues of Catholic doctrine (for instance, they unanimously affirm that "God is just"), yet they vary among themselves on all matters of opinion.

The religious tradition in the families of the students reveals some parallels to present positions. Those students who have become agnostic in opinion characterize the influence of this tradition as "slight" or "moderate"; the fourteen strong Catholics predominantly characterized their background as including a "marked" religious tradition, although a sizable segment of the orthodox evaluated their tradition as only of "slight" or "moderate" influence.

The orthodox Roman Catholics differ in their judgments about Harvard's "challenge" to their faith. One half of the staunch Catholics have never "reacted either partially or wholly" against the Church, but about an equal number affirm there was a time when their views "could fairly have been called 'agnostic' or 'atheistic.'" Generalizations for the Catholics at Harvard are thus difficult to draw.

Moreover, the influences of the University are hard to isolate. Four-fifths of the Catholics who reacted against their religious tradition dated their original reaction back to secondary school or earlier. And only about half of the more or less "questionable" Catholics noted particular aspects of the College as factors in their religious "transition." It is interesting that only one fourth of Harvard Catholics attended parochial secondary school.

It might be said with some justice that the true effects of Harvard will be observed only after ten or twenty years. But present Catholic tallies can be compared with over-all totals for the University to arrive at some interesting observations. In general, there seemed to be nothing which distinguished Catholics from the rest of the College in the political sphere. Family income actually exerted a greater influence in determining a party preference and position on various issues.

The influences of religion on international issues seem clearer. Whereas 67 per cent of all the questionnaires favored total war over surrender to the Soviet Union, 87 per cent of the Catholics were for bombs rather than capitulation. This is linked to the fact that almost half the Catholics (of all varieties) feel religious beliefs are central in the conflict between East and West, compared with about 25 per cent for the College as a whole.

The "questionable" Catholics are much more in favor of Communists being allowed to teach in colleges (6-3) and socialists being permitted to teach citizenship courses in public high schools (7-2) than were the more orthodox Catholics (who voted 9-5 for prohibiting Communists and only 9-5 for allowing socialists to teach). The College in general voted 3-1 against prohibiting Communists and 2-1 against prohibiting socialists.

In the sphere of morals it seems that certain stands retain strength after the original metaphysical foundation has dissolved, for two-thirds of the Catholics who had slipped from orthodoxy objected "because of religious beliefs" to both legalized abortion and extra-marital intercourse--a surprisingly large percentage considering that a much smaller fraction of the students polled would follow suit. An even more surprising feature of this question is that some of the staunch Catholics (five in all) failed to object to certain of the practices listed in question 41, all of which are morally objectionable in the eyes of the Church. Three, in particular, think pre-marital intercourse justifiable.

Also in the realm of the moral influence of religion falls the fact that Harvard Catholics feel that atheists and agnostics are less likely than Catholics "to hold ethical opinions with which they can agree." Half the Catholics polled, however, feel that atheists and agnostics are just as likely as Catholics to "do the morally right or kind thing," and we can certainly speculate that some of this "tolerance" comes in many cases from their experience at Harvard.

The climate at Harvard might justly be deemed very cold for Catholicism, and indeed discouraging to all faiths. The fundamental difficulty stems from a lack of understanding among students and the faculty as to the nature of a Catholic's religion. And this is frequently compounded by an insufficient awareness in Catholics themselves of the implications of their position as members of the Church and at the same time students of the University. This dual misunderstanding often leads to the skeptic's sneer at the intellectual vacuity of Catholicism, and breeds in some Catholics a shy defensive attitude, or even a position of religious relativism.

The Harvard creed seems to be a form of temperate agnosticism--belief in a process of questioning with truth ever at the end of the corridor, yet in this case a process which does not question its own value, even though for the individual the corridor has no end but death.

Followers of this agnostic creed cannot understand the Church and why it would hesitate to send Catholics to such schools as Harvard. They feel this is dishonesty, intellectual cowardice, a policy founded on fear and lacking all respectability. The Church, for its part, is primarily interested in men's salvation; it exists as a means towards salvation, and it believes close contact with the Church almost essential for every man who wants to be saved. The individual makes his own choice concerning Harvard, but he chooses with knowledge of his spiritual obligations as a member of the Church--one obligation being, of course, to fulfill his intellectual potential.

The Church acknowledges that the most tested faith may be the strongest, that people may grow spiritually under tension; but the Church has no faith in strain per se. And certainly a continuous process of questioning will not in itself appear as a positive good, either to the Catholic Church or to Catholics.

At Harvard the Catholic primarily experiences indifference. He may be moved at times by some of the amazing statements various of the faculty seem compelled to make; but these he can answer, if only to himself. As always it is more baffling to cope with the indifference, for it assumes a prior judgment; it rests on an implied assumption that Catholicism is by nature phony; that Catholicism is patronizing, and assumes the air of a father who won't tell the child there is no Santa Claus. Catholics are certainly not despised, but in general they are respected only despite their Catholicism.

Some of the responsibility for a continuation of such a patronizing attitude among students and faculty members must rest upon the Catholics themselves. Too often they retreat from discussions of religion; they offer a catechism answer, or the excuse "I really haven't had time to read up on this yet." It is assumed they don't think for themselves about religion. Certainly at some point the individual's act of faith becomes a distinguishing factor--Credo ut intelligam, I believe that I might understand--but up to this point explanation is surely possible, and for that matter so is defense. Fifteen of the Catholics questioned had periods of reaction against Catholicism; some at least of the others have examined their religious beliefs from their vantage point in college. The examination of one's beliefs is almost essential to every intelligent being, or else the beliefs will not expand as the individual develops, and will soon become empty and useless. Thus every Catholic should possess an examined faith, and he should let others learn from it, share it. But first he must make it real and alive for himself.

Catholicism is different from most of the religions represented at Harvard--different in its stress on tradition and dogma, and also in its claim to catholicity. There is an undeniable fascination for the agnostic of a positive faith--an attraction which may be disliked but cannot be denied. Skepticism may pose a threat to the Catholic's faith, but Catholicism, on the other hand, is an open threat to the skeptic, because it holds forth hope.

Thus the Catholic will find religion a constantly recurring topic of conversation, his friends getting the feel of his faith as they might test the temperature of the ocean in early June. But they are not prepared to swim. Their first position is the easy one of attack. They know all the old arguments and most of the new ones; the Catholic has to know more. His defense has to be alive, the natural corollary to a living faith; it must be forceful and impressive, stemming from all that his commitment means to him. His defense will not convince others that what he believes is true; it will only show them that he is convinced, and indeed this is all he has to do. And beyond this he has to impress people with his own life, with what he is as an individual, what he says, and what he thinks, the way he drinks beer or reads a poem. Those who like him for what he is can always say he would be the same in any event, that Catholicism has made not the slightest difference except to get him up earlier on Sundays. They can say this, but in most cases it will not be what they think.

There is a place for the Catholic at Harvard if he can prove himself intellectually and prove that his Catholicism is an examined faith. He has to break the shell. It's easy to isolate oneself, but in isolation one can learn nothing about others or about oneself. Catholics are not unlike other students. On certain moral and theological questions there is more unity, but often this unity is a purely verbal affair and is splintered by diversity in personality.

There is a place for the Catholic at Harvard, and there are many Catholics trying to find it. But not without risks. The basic mathematics concerning loss of faith scares some, shocks others, but we mentioned the lack of finality in our figures--and especially in this particular set--due to the small numbers and also to the uncertain effect of time. If asked by some Catholic we didn't know whether he should come to Harvard we would have no ready reply--it's too individual a matter