Union
Like almost all universities, mine has a Christian Union. Officially, their function was to be the "christian society", providing information and support for Christians and non-Christians alike.

In practice, they were like the fucking Borg. Looking to assimilate every single person within their laser-guided eyesight, and inject God's hot steaming love into you by any means necessary. I was targed by the drones in my first year of university.

Did they come round to my door like Jehova's witnesses? Did they put religious tracts in my college mailbox? Did they run "Love Jesus" concerts?

No. They didn't. They were much more insidious as I found out the hard way. They'd pick on someone not particularly religious who's a bit of an outcast. A geek, a weird person, etc.They would become friends with them. Chat with them in the kitchen happily, and bring them in to the social circle.

Then, the invites start to subtly change - instead of being invited down the pub, you get invited to a lunchtime talk about Jesus... with free lunch. Or to a religious discussion group, again with free lunch - they know their audience.

All that is forgivable. What isn't forgivable is when after about eight or nine weeks of this you're really connected with them. You have a good circle of friends who like you and you like them. And it becomes apparent to them that you're firmly an atheist. They give up on trying to convert you... and completely shut you out of their lives. Ask about something social... they're all busy. Or they booked a table for ten at a restaurant and it'll be too busy to squeeze in an eleventh. Emails go unanswered. Organising a party? They'll forget to inform you, and be vague about the date when asked. It was like flicking a light switch - one day all was well, the next I was a pariah to them.

It's a horrible, horrible blow to realise that they weren't actually your friends. But during the time they were trying to convert you, they were acting just like your real friends did - even now, looking back I can't see a single moment where they weren't acting totally friendly and nice to me. Which makes it all the more bitter and sharp when they completely shut me out.

At first, I thought this was just me. Or I'd done something really bad to offend them, or I was just not fitting in. But then I spoke to someone else who'd had the same experience. And another. And a third. I have a few friends now who are Christians and all of them have the same low opionion of the university CU.

There is not a word harsh enough to describe these cunts. Nearly ten years later, the anger is still hot and blazing. I was nervous and scared and new at uni, they knew it, saw it and gave me the friendship and support I needed and used it like a tool to manipulate me.

The saddest part of all came when I spoke to a current first-year at the university. They'd tried the same thing on him, though he'd heard enough stories to be wary. They're still doing it :(
(calamarain just invented dehydrated water, Sat 21 Mar 2009, 23:15, 7 replies)

funny how it goes...
I'm going to University College Dublin, which used to be the "Catholic University" of a Catholic country, so you'd think Catholicism would be everywhere, right? Well, no: it's a flipping den of iniquity, the Chlamydia Capital, with so much drinking they had to hire security. There are a few Muslim students, who don't seem to mind.

There is something called the Newman Society, named after Cardinal Newman, the first rector, but they don't seem to do anything - makes me wonder if it's a secret society. There is a church on campus, which puts up the occasional notice of e.g. Easter mass. The priest is also one of the student advisors, but on the one occasion I saw him he didn't mention religion at all. Basically, my experience has been the opposite of yours: the former "Catholic University of Ireland" is practically a religion-free zone.
( bnt what, me worry?, Sun 22 Mar 2009, 1:46, closed)

Militant did the same thing in the 80s
Labour Party members were 'courted' by local groups and taken on cheap coach trips to London rallies or nice events like barbecues.

I took my kids on a few of these junkets and great fun they were too, though being somewhat older than your average student I was ready for the inevitable dumping once they realised I was only there for the free lunch. Happy days.

Yes, Militant, Christian Union, Moonies - all a bunch of cults.
(Juan Quar is clinging to her front teeth on, Sun 22 Mar 2009, 9:34, closed)

Mrs Kite
Had a similar experience; a load of mums at the first school kept badgereing her to attend heir prayer sessions; she declined a few times and got ignored. Bitches.
(kitescreech still here, Sun 22 Mar 2009, 12:06, closed)

There is something very odd about many of the CUs I've encountered.
Don't know why, but my experience of them and their members has tended to verge on the "space cadet" side...
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Sun 22 Mar 2009, 16:19, closed)

Absolutely.
It happened a lot at my uni - the quiet students would be overjoyed to have made a sizeable bunch of friends so quickly. However, when it became apparent that they weren't that interested in the religion part, they got dumped. And because they'd been spending all their time with these "friends", they were now back to square one. And it's so much harder to make a new bunch of friends a couple of months into term, as everyone else seems to have already sorted out their friendship groups.

Not really Christian behaviour, is it?
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Mon 23 Mar 2009, 11:29, closed)

Bitter
No. And to this day, I wish I'd had the balls to tell them to their faces that they were a bunch of underhanded manipulative bastards.
(calamarain just invented dehydrated water, Mon 23 Mar 2009, 18:52, closed)

Typical...
...of college/university christians. Self righteous turds, the lot of them. And they all shag like bunnies (with each other) as well, because they've been forgiven, you see.
(ubergeekian, Tue 24 Mar 2009, 11:55, closed)