"Go Directly To Hell!"

This is my first week of school at LeTourneau University. I am excited to learn but am having a problem with the whole "christian university" thing. I don't have a problem with praying before class on Saturdays and I don't have a problem with someone reading a devotional. However, I do have an issue with being graded on my response to how the weekly devotional speaks to me. What if it doesn't speak to me? What if I'm just going to school to learn how to become a good teacher? Can you be a good teacher without having every scripture in the Bible memorized?

I believe it takes all kinds to be good teachers. I also believe that to be a good teacher means having an open mind and not believing in only one thing. Yeah, I believe in God and I was raised in the church. But, I also find other religions and other beliefs interesting and credible. I don't like being forced to "agree" with people when I really don't.

I took a philosophy class years ago. It went against everything I was taught at church. I struggled with it, but it turned out to be a class that I did well in. It opened my mind to other...well, options. Just because I was raised in the church and taught about God doesn't mean I have to agree with it all. I find Paganism very interesting but that doesn't make me a witch. Can you imagine the looks I would get if I voiced that interest? The response from my classmates would be "Go directly to HELL! Do not pass 'go' and do not collect $200!"

I thought I knew what I was getting myself into when I applied to LeTourneau, but I was mistaken. I think my relationship with God is MY relationship with God and I shouldn't be forced to share that with anyone else, especially people I don't know. I'm finding it very difficult to write about things that I don't necessarily agree with. And on top of that, I get graded for it.