A delicate question regarding religion...

yeah, it was a Sunday chapel service. I can picture the PG, big tall, lanky kid, played basketball for Major Arritt.

Jack, help me with this but at some point in our FUMA career we had one of Billy Graham's grandsons as a PG in Snead Hall, I think A company. Franklin Graham came and really laid out a fiery sermon on a Sunday, one of the few times I didn't go to Catholic Mass as this was a "required attendance" event. I want to say it was 1986-87. Maybe Capt. Dan can review the rosters.

At my Junior School graduation, a real "fire and brimstone" preacher (and I do mean preacher) came in to talk to us boys. I believe he was related to one of us cadets. He went on for a good 20 minutes with a heavy dose of hell-fire and damnation sermon.

I liked FUMA because it was religious but didn't try to force it upon anyone. The weekday chapel services were fairly benign but a great chance for personal reflection. I liked it because it was a twenty minute break in the bustling week of FUMA life. The chapel is such a beautiful building that you can't help but to relax and contemplate your day. It still has some of the prettiest stained glass windows I've ever seen.

Although I attended the usual weekly chapel services, I attended only one or two of the Sunday services. I'm Catholic so I always took the van or bus down to Columbia to go Mass. Any chance to get off campus was always appreciated and there was always coffee and donuts after Mass. I can't remember the priest's name now but he was a relatively young Black priest; not very common in the Catholic Church, especially in a rural setting. He was always very friendly to the cadets. Capt. Hardy and his boys were there every Sunday. It was weird to see a faculty officer "out of uniform".

To this day I like to tell people that I was raised Catholic, went to Scouts in a Methodist Church, went to a Baptist military school, and graduated from a United Church of Christ affiliated college. I'm a well-rounded and religioned person!

Michelle, and other parents, one of the things I like about this forum is the mixing and sharing between current parents and alumni. Take part in any discussion on the forum! That goes for alums as well!

CaptDan

Hope it's alright I replie :D My son is Middle School Cadet Second year.Baptist however it never came up about other's believe accept he didlearn from some. He grew with God greatly last year. and looked forward to that part of life at FUMA this year. Sorry CPT Dan if I shouldn't commented

Saw and read this thread and thought I would submit my 2cents worth.

I attended '57-'61 (3 yrs. Jr. School, 1 yr. Upper School) and attended Chapel each and every day. I am Jewish, and the Chapel services were a real learning experience for me. First, I LOVED (and still do) the music. I find myself singing some of the songs to this day and always remember where I heard them--in FUMA chapel.

No overt religious 'message' was ever made to me during my stay, nor were any derogatory statements made to me to my face regarding my religion. I will also tell you that, in my many jobs and schools over my lifetime, FUMA was the ONLY place I ever stayed more than a year or so where this was true. Basically, no one cared at all about my religion or was anything ever said about it one way or the other. This in itself is a miracle, as people like me have been hearing comments and so forth all our life. Example: I was Chairman of the English Dept. at a "very, very" private school in Palm Beach. A student asked me to be a guest at the Kentucky Derby party at the Beach Club. We went, I had a very nice time, and was told by the student afterward that her family was almost kicked out of the club because I was present there for 2 hours during this event. Nothing new here, but just a reminder of how the real world works.

Having said that, FUMA gave me the inspiration to examine ALL religions during college and grad school, which was a very helpful idea to me at the time.

So, regardless of the current environment at FUMA, I can honestly say that it was the ONLY place I have ever been that was totally free of religious prejudice, yet another concept that I learned there. A final memory--having the opportunity to play echo taps at graduation in the Chapel. I don't know if that tradition is still followed, but if it is not, it should be reinstated. It was a very important part of the ceremony and gave us pause to think about our futures.

and then only under their breath for fear of offending someone!

Personally I would like to see prayer rejoin the Pledge of Allegiance each morning.............but then again I would also like to see corporal punishment in some of its milder forms return :?

Barbara

As for tuition.....I will post on that thread.

Don't mean to split hairs--but "God Helps Those Who Help Themselves" isn't in the Bible.

One of the reasons I was so happy to see your account active again, eStreet, is because of the thought-provoking questions you raise, and the thoughtful way in which you raise them. As you know, I want this forum to be an open, truthful discussion area so that even parents of prospective students considering FUMA will get a more complete view of the school as it is now and as it has been in years past.

Thanks!

Wow, I didn't mean to stop this thread dead in it's tracks! Any more feedback, anyone?....anyone?.....

eStreet,

This has really been an interesting topic. My son is currently a cadet at FUMA. He is in his second year. He began last year as a freshman and plans on returning next year (despite a 15% tuition increase :cry: ) My son chose to go to FUMA on his own to my great suprise. We are not a very religious family. My hope for my son was that he would learn something about religion and be familiar with the Bible. I was concerned about how he would feel about chapel services and the religious undertones of the school. I certainly did not want him to feel pressure about religion or uncomfortable about his lack of religious background.

:) I am happy to report that he has not felt any pressure regarding Religion. He has not felt that he was being pulled toward any particular religion. He has become familiar with the Bible. He made reference to a story in the Bible recently and also picked up on a religious message in a movie we were watching. This is exaclty what I wanted for him.

I work with a guy that was offered an "olive branch" by another co-worker after a disagreement. He asked "what am I supposed to do with an olive branch?" THis is the same guy that thought the bumper sticker "My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter" was a way for Jewish people to brag about their religion :shock: He had no idea that bumper sticker is usually on a "christian" car and that Jesus was indeed Jewish. Anyhoo...I am glad that my son won't make those embarassing mistakes.

He thinks that chapel is, if nothing else, fairly relaxing. He enjoys singing in the choir. He has only enjoyed the religious aspect of school and has taken quite alot from it. He has felt no pressure. :)

Time for me to chime in.... :D

First of all, the next time you are on campus, track down Capt. Benson. You will discover the person, before you discover the Chaplin. I mean that in the most sincere form. He is an honest, open, approachable person and you do not meet people like him often...(except on campus). I can not help but think of this as a huge benefit on campus with "todays kids".

I have thought about this subject for a long time and have shared in many of the opinions posted on this thread. Often I disagree with some of the "preaching" in the mailings or messages. The message has changed since my presence on campus as a cadet. Having said that, it has to change. This is not about "change is good", it is about what is needed.

Boarding schools across the board have falling enrollment. The demand for a high quality boarding school is declining and day private schools are booming. FUMA can not sit back and say "this is the way we have done it for 100 years". It may be that FUMA has done it the same way, but that is not what parents are looking for in a school these days. The school must offer more religion, value or moral based messages and those teachings are an item on the "want list".

FUMA's "preachings" in the mailings are nothing more than the school selling the advantages of attendance. What they sell, they really offer. They have to get that message out to set them apart from other boarding schools. On the surface they all look the same. FUMA is different.

Kids are different today than when we were on campus. Look around, it is not just at FUMA. Everyday you can see where another teenager has lost his path and got into trouble on a big scale. Parents on the surface believe education is the answer to all problems. So they look at the day school near by and trust the "value/moral" teachings to them (the parents). However, maybe this is not enough, maybe stronger leadership is needed. So they look for boarding schools to drive the message home.

Our parents, discovered FUMA and said "Military school, that is just what he needs, that will make him a man". Today that is no longer the fix all. They are looking for an environment to cultivate a person, not just a man. FUMA's message addresses such needs. A parent can trust the Academy, not just to educate their son or to mold him into a leader, but to give him the values, lessons, morals and religion (all fall in the same category IMHO). This step is an honest approach to providing a foundation to a young man. A young man who can now see the differences in his actions and what is "right".

Military may have done that exclusively for us, but it is not going to work with todays kids. The President may not have intended that to be the result of his message, but it is now the direction.

Its is an open campus, free to discussion and ideas. I am on campus and talk with the cadets all the time. They are comfortable and receptive to the message. Granted the "message" is not just religion, but a multi prong approach to achieving to end result. That has always been FUMA goal, even when we were there, they are just using a different means.

By the way, I have not received any form of compensation for my above posting. It was free from any influence of the academy and was written in my own hand...

:lol:

To answer your last post, I strongly believe that all cadets have a very good idea about every faculty member's religious beliefs. However, I don't believe cadets feel pressured to join any groups or to follow any certain religion -- not by faculty or staff members, at least (fellow cadets may be more pressuring in this regard, believe it or not). The biggest complaint you might hear from cadets is being "forced" to attend chapel three times a week while on campus (heaven forbid we take time from their breaks!). We all know, though, that chapel attendance is mandatory and all families are informed of this during the admissions process.

I don't know how long it's been done, but every class starts with a devotional time every day now, both in the Upper and Middle Schools. Neither myself nor administration tell the teachers what to cover or what material to use (except the Bible), but I've seen much of what is being used and I think the faculty members are doing a great job with this. They also know I'm always available to help in any way I can with devotional materials.

Since I began as Chaplain, I've had several faculty members present the chapel messages, including LTC Giszack, MAJ Williams, COL Sullivan, COL Arritt, COL Nothnagle, CPT Miller (Middle School Chaplain), and LTC Ivens. LTC Ivens and I are ordained Baptist ministers and LTC Moore was recently ordained in the Episcopal Church. Personally, I'm very comfortable with having people like these speak for me in chapel when they do.

We do have an FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) huddle group here on campus, MAJ Muench leads an IDEA (Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness) club, a local Catholic priest has weekly Catholic studies in the library, and I have had a Tuesday night Bible study in the past. There is no pressure at all to participate at all in these activities.

Our cadets come from so many religious backgrounds. In my two years, we have had Christians from about every denomination, Muslims, Jews, atheists, agnostics, Wiccan, etc. I love having conversations with our non-Christian cadets, because they are transparent conversations about our faiths and the guys know I don't hit them with a "full-court press" about my faith (I like to allow my actions to reflect Christ's teachings, as well as my words in chapel). Last year, I had an international cadet tell me that he was disappointed with how we treat Jesus with such a lack of respect for the most part in this country. The great thing, in my opinion, was that this cadet was Muslim! We had several great conversations while he was here.

Another long response. Whew! I'll try to cover the Religion class in the next one. I appreciate the spirit of this conversation -- as we all know, religion can be one of those topics that can stir up some pretty strong emotions. God bless, and I'll post again soon!

Wow, a very interesting (and seemingly large) topic. Let me post a few comments, based on what I've read. First, there are many Christian denominations represented on the faculty and staff at FUMA. I myself am a proud Baptist, but grew up in the Episcopal church and lived in a mostly Roman Catholic country growing up (El Salvador). As a result of my personal experiences, I am aware of and respect the denominational differences in the Body of Christ. FUMA is a Baptist school, but nowhere in our curriculum or chapels are specifically Baptist lessons taught. (Granted, being a Baptist, I would love to sometime teach any interested parties the Baptist distinctives, mainly as found in Shurden's "The Baptist Identity.") Beginning this school year, we have offered a voluntary communion after Sunday worship services on the first Sunday of every month. They are after the corps has left the chapel, are well-attended, and communion is offered to anyone who is a believer in Christ (this practice is better known as "open communion").

I don't believe it is my job (or calling) to "make" good little Christian, Baptist young men here at FUMA. I am called simply to spread the gospel of Christ through words, but moreso through my actions ("Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words" - Francis of Assisi). I consider myself a seed-planter, if you can understand that imagery, that allows the Holy Spirit to water the seeds planted at FUMA. The high school (and middle school) age is such a difficult time for many in regards to their spiritual identity; I consider it an honor to be able to walk along that path with these young men while they are here. It is my prayer that many will come to know Christ for the first time or draw closer to Him because of their time here, but I place that all in the hands of God.

I will definitely post in this thread with more comments -- I have another class coming in shortly to take a Religion test, so I must run. I do feel, however, that this conversation may lead to another of Capt. Dan's FAQCasts, dealing with religious life here at FUMA. :-)

Jesse, just to clarify, our Mission Statement doesn't use the phrase "belongs to the Lord."

I know that such wording is often used by General Jackson, our president. He often says "this school belongs to the Lord and he's been changing lives here for over 100 years," or words to that effect.

I'm still interested in gathering perceptions before posting my own perceptions, but I did want to confirm Jesse's post that we definitely acknowledge our Christian mission within our mission statement.

Our Mission (posted on the web site's home page):

"The mission of Fork Union Military Academy is to provide young men a college preparatory education in a residential, Christian environment. Using the best aspects of the military system, the Academy teaches its cadets responsibility, leadership, discipline, and pride by providing an atmosphere in which spiritual, mental, and physical growth can flourish."

I'm still interested in hearing more about whether there is a perception that FUMA is more "in your face" or dogmatic or openly evangelical than in earlier years, since I wasn't here when many of you were and am unable to know whether we have changed recently.

I'm also curious whether those who are familiar with FUMA today share the perception that FUMA is of a "decidedly more evangelical bent" and displays an "arch, 'in your face'" quality to our religious emphasis.

I'm not arguing the point, just asking for perceptions past and present. It's very interesting to me!

Thanks for the help!

CaptDan

p.s. And eStreet, I'm glad you're back and posting! I seem to remember your username in some of our thought-provoking threads in the past. Thanks!

p.p.s. Alwaysapard, I really enjoyed your post as well and found your description of chapel services, faculty attitudes, etc. very interesting and insightful. I can hardly wait for our current Chaplain, James Benson to chime in at some point.

Great topic.

First of all, I found Fork Union to be a deeply spiritual place. I felt a certain peace and "oneness" there that I have never experienced anywhere else. I say this as one of those "liberal" christians so despised by the Southern Baptists.

You can't seperate the spiritual mission of Fork Union from what the academy is. Even if you got nada, zero, zilch out of the chapel services you were still among faculty and staff that walked strongly in their faith--and hence their spirituality was a strong part of the complexion of the academy itself. And I believe that because FUMA makes no bones about being a place that emphasizes the spirit, such men and women are drawn to serve there. I had a couple atheist teachers at FUMA who were clearly miserable and aren't there any more. I don't think you could ever truly be happy on the staff at FUMA unless you embraced the concept of the equilibrium of "body, mind, spirit."

Yet in chapel, God seemed distant. From the color guard yelling "AT EASE" on the ramp there was a certain "solemness" to the whole occasion that I don't think resonated with most students. Reverence and respect for God were conveighed well, but not the liberating nature of a relationship with God. Strong churches today aren't like chapel at FUMA. They have contemporary music, and a general joy and enthusiasm that would probably get you 10 demerits at FUMA. God seemed dogmatic, distant, and in many cases boring---not somebody you would want to approach.

WIth that said, I believe the chapel services on the whole did have some positive effect. I remember in particular a rough time I went through during my senior year where people who mocked the whole religous aspect of the school came up to me and quietly told me they were praying for my well-being. I don't think this would've happened at any other school in America. I particularly enjoyed when faculty and sometimes students spoke--as well as guest speakers---because they were people you respected to begin with and if their faith was important to them--maybe there was something to it.

I am very happy to see how much FUMA has immersed itself in the concept of service above self. As Matthew 27 reminds us "whatever you do for the least of my people, you do for me" and the muslim pillar of charity teaches--there is no higher virtue---THAT I truly believe. I read with pride about FUMA kids tutoring locals, having canned food drives, doing jogs for causes--and other efforts.

Fork Union was never a hotbed of open dialogue about spiritual matters, nor were liberal viewpoints given equal time--but I also believe that's moreso what college is for. Challenging your beliefs and having engaging dialogue about them. I believe the school tries to instill virtues and values that while religous in nature, are also timeless and helpful even if you don't go on to become a Bible-banger.

I am a proud member of the Moravian church--an old protestant denomination that none of you have probably ever heard of. While I don't agree with much of the dogma of the southern baptist church, I don't think I would be a Christian today had I not gone to FUMA (double negative, sorry).

Does FUMA's mission statement not decree that FUMA "belongs to the lord"? I may be wrong, but I believe it's also in the first dictum of that statement. As Director of Communications, I'm sure you're always very interested in how the Academy is perceived, and how those perceptions are formed... I, too, am interested in such matters.

In my time at FUMA, religion was a mandatory evil to be endured for quite a few of us, well, for me. I was not athiest or agnostic, just confused. I welcomed the chance to discuss differences of opinion, but found many of my peers to be unwilling to lay their views on the line. The exception was my roomie, Vakos, but he has not wavered in his opinions...EVER.

I don't think it's just the academy that's changed. I think society is more open to theological discussions and the youth of today are becoming more willing to challenge the norm.

Just my two bits.