Divinity School Students and Staff Debate Mass. Ballot Questions

A group of Divinity School students and staff exchanged differing opinions on the Mass. referendum questions on charter school expansion and the legalization of Marijuana on Monday.

The discussion was part of “Religion in the News,” a series of events intended to address the intersection of faith and the news hosted by the Center for the Study of World Religions.

Students and staff debated the voting measures over lunch. Associate director of the Center, Corey F. O’Brien, expressed her opposition to charter school expansion.

“Charter schools take away money from the public schools,” O’Brien said, who preferred reforming public schools. “Public schools will be severely burdened by the new charter schools.”

Divinity School student Vicky Lee disagreed, suggesting that charter schools could be a better alternative to unfixable school administrations.

“These smaller alternative systems work because they can improve the student experience a lot,” she said.

Participants were also divided on marijuana legalization. Center Director Francis X. Clooney said that traditionally the Catholic Church viewed marijuana use as a sin, as evidenced by the Boston Archdiocese’s decision to spend $850,000 against the legalization of marijuana last week.

However, Clooney noted that legalization is not as contentious in the Catholic community as abortion or assisted suicide.

“In the end, well-informed voters might be driven to think differently due to their religion, but still cast a vote according to their beliefs,” he said.

While some participants raised concerns about the unknown long-term effects of marijuana, Center events coordinator Ariella R. Goldberg suggested that the media portrayal of marijuana is skewed against legalization.

“The sky is not going to fall down should marijuana be legalized,” she said, after sharing her experience of living in Colorado after marijuana legalization.

Lee, similarly a proponent of legalization, was guarded about the long-term consequences of marijuana use, arguing that education about safe practices was essential.

“While marijuana is not a gateway to opioids, it can be a gateway to an addictive lifestyle that unaware younger people may regret in the long run,” she said.

Towards the event of the event, Divinity School student Benjamin Keller warned against always voting on the basis of religion.

“I have to balance my personal faith,” he said, “And refrain from imposing it onto others and ask ‘Does my religious view on an issue have to be everyone else’s view?’”