A California college student is drawing attention over their school “turning into a Christian college basically overnight.” Prior to enrolling, the institution was allegedly “100% secular,” but now, it has “forced religious activities,” making the student question whether this strategy was false advertising or a bait-and-switch. Hundreds of online users tuned into the student’s rant on r/legaladvice, where plenty wondered why they didn’t transfer elsewhere.
“The change is severe,” wrote Reddit user Remarkable_electric, who claims the school even changed its name to sound religious and revamped its homepage to include a “statement of faith.” “I’m so uncomfortable with the whole thing,” they remarked, explaining how they would have never enrolled had they known the college was a Christian-centric institution.
Being in a Vocational Program Could Complicate the Student’s Capacity to Transfer
Legally speaking, a commenter says that Remarkable_electric should be able to transfer schools. After all, “private institutions have the right to change hands in the U.S., and it seems like your university chose to do that,” they wrote. Unfortunately, that could be an issue, since OP claims they’re in an accredited vocational program, which could complicate where they can go to another school.
Besides seeking out help to transfer, some commenters suggested that the Calfornia student just bite the bullet and put up with the new system. “This probably isn’t what you wanna hear but I would ride it out and just finish your education,” said a Redditor. Their reasoning was that the political scene in the US has been heading for a more conservative and Christian-based approach, so it’d be more trouble swapping schools over religion when it’s become such a prevalent topic.
From schools enforcing religious activities to politicians holding prayers and sermonettes in the White House and Pentagon, this commenter wouldn’t be wrong. Back in the 2024 elections, Republican candidate Trump was heralded by many Christians as “Anointed by God,” according to BBC. Though, there’s no evidence that the changes at OP’s school have anything to do with the current administration.
Religion in schools or the government has always been a controversial topic, and while Remarkable_electric’s school is apparently private-owned, they feel as though they’ve been tricked. As they put it, “They clearly knew they were going to be a Christian school when I signed up but didn’t tell me or any of the other students.”
