Comments on: Religious Student vs. Philosophy Professor: Both Sides

By: Richard Wade

Richard Wade — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:37:15 +0000

Oh, the Professor was so beastly! He held me down and he pulled up my platitudes, you know, the ones I repeat whenever anyone asks me about my beliefs. I was terrified! And then he pulled down my unquestioned assumptions! Oh it was so humiliating. (sob, sob) And then, and then… (sob) he did something to me that was completely against every fiber of my being…. I can hardly say it… He… He MADE ME THINK!

By: James Smith, João Pessoa, Brazil

James Smith, João Pessoa, Brazil — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:59:26 +0000

Why should we be surprised that a fundamentalist christian group lies to get contributions? They lie about everything else so this isn’t really stretch for them.

Most of the problems of the world are, and always have been, caused by religion. Mankind will never be truly free until the dark yoke of religion is lifted by the clear light of facts and reason.

By: paulagail

paulagail — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:05:31 +0000

A higher education is in place further one’s goal of having a certain career. What place does any professor have in challenging one’s beliefs? If one person grows up believing in evolution and a professor challenged that and consequently told the student they were going to hell. That would not be right. The same can hold true for the belief in God. Most students have to take a course like this at some point, whether they want to or not. Having to defend your position on your beliefs is not the point of higher education. Belief in God or the absence of God is a personal thing and should not make a student the object of ridicule in the classroom.

By: Rosemary LYNDALL WEMM

Rosemary LYNDALL WEMM — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:01:54 +0000

In other words, you can teach a theist logic but you can’t make her think. Well, not about her religion, anyway.

It is all about the person’s ability to compartmentalize their thoughts and reasoning ability. Those who have trouble with this try to caste the blame externally. Instead of saying: “Thinking about this makes me really uncomfortable and I don’t want to do it”, they say: “This teacher and/or book is evil/bad and should be punished for what they are doing to me.” It is the classic poor student’s attempt to externalize their failings.

The best students allow the data to change them.

By: Rosemary LYNDALL WEMM

Rosemary LYNDALL WEMM — Mon, 04 May 2009 02:55:25 +0000

Faith: a steadfast belief in something which cannot be justified by reason and for which there is no evidence. It is a thing which is highly valued, even worshiped, in religion but anathema to science, law and reputable educational practice.

Christian theists are fond of saying that their god has given them the “gift” of faith. It’s a bit like the Red Queen saying that she tries to believe six impossible things before breakfast. Few people have trouble believing that the Red Queen’s practice is rediculous. Theists, however, do not notice that their statements of and about “faith” are equally absurd.

By: Phil E. Drifter

Phil E. Drifter — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:25:24 +0000

There is no god. Get over it. Think for yourself instead.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:20:06 +0000

I’m a B.A. in Philosophy, graduated this year.

This is really scary stuff. I fear for the Philosophy professors who may now have to worry about this happening to them. oh well.

As per my own experience, most of my Philosophy teachers had intentionally hidden their own beliefs (or lack thereof) in an effort to get the students to think critically on their own, and not simply accept the professor’s beliefs because “the professor said so.” Judging from some of the other comments on this thread, I don’t think this practice is really limited to my school.

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:03:05 +0000

Logically speaking it would be normal for a heavily religious person to get a poor grade in a philosophy class applying critical thought to belief systems. Critical thought is the antithesis of religious belief systems, faith in the entity of choice must be unfailing, belief in the religious dogma must be total and any kind of criticism of their religious leaders is unthinkable. I have got to say, that you people in the US are in real trouble, when they start shifting their religious fundamentalism from primary and high schools to university.

By: frik

frik — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:43:12 +0000

Typical right-wing academic watchdog group. Spreads disinformation and resorts to fear-mongering. When do these groups contribute anything new to philosophic debate?

By: Siamang

Siamang — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:06:58 +0000

I don’t feel an emptyness, I just feel like there’s no there there.

Like if you sat me alone in a room and asked me if either Milton Berle was there or God was there. I feel their absence equally.

It does not matter who is “right.” The truth of the matter is what has value.

Which brings us to the point that you are you and I am I, and we’ve had different paths and life-experiences up to this point.

And it brings us to the point that knowledge is something that can be passed from person to person, but experience is not. You can give me knowledge in the form of a description of your experience, but you cannot give me your experience.

Unless you can give me knowledge of the existence of God, in the form of evidence, or you can cause me to have an experience of God, which has eluded me so far in this life, I cannot take your experience over my own.