Just thought I’d finish a post I had in my drafts and editing it to make it more relevant…

I found it interesting at the beginning of the semester that for and institution that prides itself on not having a strong religious background, we have a lot of special rituals and traditions. We give offering to Athena, we have the friendship poles, we participate in Lantern Night and Hell Week. We have these rituals and traditions to create community and connections. Which is also the point of religion, in some sociological definitions. However actual religion is often dismissed on campus, as we discussed the other day. Just thinking about it, for some people, it is a sin to worship Athena. I love the concept of Athena and participate in offerings often, but I’m not sure how often the college thinks about the religious needs of some students, and the implications that some college actions have on their religious identity. Even thinking about the Chapel, I had never heard about it before class. And I did a lot of research on Bryn Mawr before I came. It’s very interesting to think about the current state of the Chapel as a representation of how Bryn Mawr views religion, and I’m interested in what the college has planned to remedy that. I know the limited space on campus is a big problem, so I doubt we’re going to another Chapel any time soon. But I wonder how the college plans on fixing a problem that they haven’t addressed. And I suppose that is why we’re all here, right? Because the whole concept of history is that we can learn from our mistakes, but only if we address them?