Should Adequate Prayer Facilities Be Provided For Everyone?

[T-Bone _]

Well?

[Paddington]

Yes, Yes, No

But the 2 yesses don't mean the university should bend over backwards on specifics.
It should have an auditorium or banquet room feel and religious groups can doll them up any way they want when they are scheduled.

The 'no' is because................I don't know how to read a question properly and thus misvoted.....*end edit*............ everything has limits. People can invent a religion based on an episode of Life Goes On and get 2 people to show up and then act like they own the place.
That wouldn't work out.


more edit: I guess those 3 people should get to book the room too, but they would be at the back of the line.

Edited October 16, 2008 by Paddington

[MissyP89]

If they are going to be living on campus, it's not unreasonable for a student to expect his/her spiritual needs to be accommodated for (provided, of course, that there would be no threat to the safety of others).

Then again, I do believe that all faiths have the right to worship under the above circumstances--I have always been interfaith in that way. Others may not agree.

[homeschoolmom]

Public universities have no obligation to provide prayer space for anyone. The university I went to had an "ecumenical religious center" that was adjacent to the campus It was not run or supported by the university.

Private universities can do what they want to.

[hoosieranna]

My private undergraduate college provided university facilities. My graduate public state university did not provide university facilities. I do support facilities being available to students. The provider will depend on the individual situation. I didn't particularly support publicly-funded facilities at the state school. I had no problem with privately-funded facilities at the private school.

[Paddington]

Come to think of it....the public university I went to had a center and it was privately funded. All other sorts of activities were scheduled there too.

[Madame Vengier]

The answers are obviously yes, yes and no.

Except in the cases where one group from one faith demands something the other groups don't get: their own personal space that cannot be touched by anyone else. Especially when the university has already provided FIVE--read it--FIVE prayer spaces total on the campus to fulfill the needs of all who wish to use them.

[homeschoolmom]

Okay... wait... to clarify my answer.... I think that any university group (religious or otherwise) should have equal access to meeting rooms and such, but if it's a "church" or whatnot, no.

[Fidei Defensor]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' post='1679395' date='Oct 16 2008, 06:16 PM']Public universities have no obligation to provide prayer space for anyone. The university I went to had an "ecumenical religious center" that was adjacent to the campus It was not run or supported by the university.

Private universities can do what they want to.[/quote]
This is my feeling, too. Students should not expect a public university to provide any religious accommodations.

For private schools, however, they can provide whatever they wish to whomever they wish.

[Vincent Vega]

[quote name='fidei defensor' post='1679507' date='Oct 16 2008, 09:12 PM']This is my feeling, too. Students should not expect a public university to provide any religious accommodations.

For private schools, however, they can provide whatever they wish to whomever they wish.[/quote]
I pretty much agree with this.
The only difference being, if the public university chooses to provide space for one religion, they've got to provide for all. Can't be picky and choosey.

[Fidei Defensor]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' post='1679509' date='Oct 16 2008, 08:18 PM']I pretty much agree with this.
The only difference being, if the public university chooses to provide space for one religion, they've got to provide for all. Can't be picky and choosey.[/quote]
I agree.

[dominicansoul]

As long as one group doesn't go on a rampage and start killing people because they feel the prayer facility isn't to their liking and insults their "religion."

[Ash Wednesday]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' post='1679395' date='Oct 16 2008, 07:16 PM']Public universities have no obligation to provide prayer space for anyone. The university I went to had an "ecumenical religious center" that was adjacent to the campus It was not run or supported by the university.

Private universities can do what they want to.[/quote]

This.

I couldn't answer all the questions because it would depend on whether the university was public or private.

I went to a public university and students didn't even really have some generic interfaith chapel. There was a student union building with a bunch of rooms that could be set up for whatever you like, be it meetings, conferences or worship services. That or students went to local churches. I am pretty sure there were jewish and muslim student unions on campus, too. There was no fuss about any of this. Many religious groups had their own established buildings or houses off-campus.

I've tried praying in interfaith chapels in airports and I generally don't find them to be the most pleasant places anyway. About as holy of an experience as praying in the sterile environment of a doctor's office, to be honest. Sometimes, students in my fellow Catholic ministry group would almost get a bit touchy and sore because I preferred going to mass at the local church rather than on campus.

As is, private schools can do whatever they want. Public schools I think should provide spaces for various uses but really it's probably best that they don't try to pander to any specific religious group.

[prose]

I originally voted yes yes no, but when I thought about it further, it occurred to me that universities shouldn't have a spiritual obligation to the students unless they are a Christian/Catholic/Muslim/Jewish etc. university. The only way I would really see it as an obligation would be if it was something that the university advertised or was based on

[Guest Jon]

[i]Should adequate prayer facilities be provided for everyone?[/i]

[b]
[color="#0000FF"]They already have been - we're in them.

God bless,
Jon[/b][/color]