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Author Topic:   Oppression in College Classrooms
Meldinoor
Member (Idle past 4808 days)
Posts: 400
From: Colorado, USA
Joined: 02-16-2009


Message 1 of 44 (550314)
03-14-2010 3:56 PM


A friend of mine recently asked me to watch a video released by Focus on the Family (a Colorado based evangelical ministry) about how Christian college students suffer discrimination and abuse in college by professors because of their faith. With suitably low expectations I went ahead and saw it.
The video basically claims that college professors often ridicule and disriminate against students who have a religious (at least, Christian) background. How teachers often digress to talk about how stupid Christians are and how atheism is the way to go. How colleges preach liberal propaganda and immorality, etc.
Then it went on to talk about "teach the controversy" and other ID slogans, and as if to further cement the unbreakable bond between ID and religious faith Stephen Meyer joined in to take a shot at the "presuppositions" that science teachers teach, and the lack of "alternative viewpoints". At this point my eyes glazed over and rolled back into my skull... I've heard this before.
Now, as a college student myself, I think this is all a load of bull crap. Or, possibly true from the perspective of an insecure student who thinks that teaching facts is tantamount to oppressing Christians. But my limited experience of college (just finishing my first year) hardly qualifies me to speak generally of the college experience. So far my experiences have been strangely opposite to what the makers of the video claim.
In my one year of college I've had:
One teacher in a non-science subject (UML and system design) talk about his disbelief in plate tectonics, and "ridicules" my acceptance of relativity theory. (He also believes Quasars to be sub-atomic particles and thinks the earth cooled and solidified from its molten state because it moved away from the sun.)
I had a math teacher who sounded strangely creationistic when he made some suspicious references to Adam and Eve during a lecture
I'm also giving a presentation tomorrow in English class on evolution and ID, for an english professor who has expressed pro-ID sentiments and who reminded me to mention "Stephen Gould's theory" as a counter-argument to evolution!
These are my experiences so far. But I'm curious, all of you who are attending college or have at one time or another, what were your experiences? Did you notice any discrimination or oppression of religious students? Is there any basis to the claims I mentioned that the video makes?
It might also be good if you shared when and where you went to College. I go to Colorado Technical University.
Thanks.
Respectfully,
-Meldinoor
The video in question is here:
The Truth Project - Focus on the Family
(Top video)
Edited by Meldinoor, : No reason given.
Edited by Meldinoor, : No reason given.
Edited by Meldinoor, : Added question marks
Edited by Meldinoor, : No reason given.
Edited by Meldinoor, : No reason given.

Replies to this message:
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Message 2 of 44 (550372)
03-15-2010 9:26 AM


Thread Copied from Proposed New Topics Forum
Thread copied here from the Oppression in College Classrooms thread in the Proposed New Topics forum.

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22388
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 3 of 44 (550376)
03-15-2010 9:36 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Meldinoor
03-14-2010 3:56 PM


Undergrad: University of Delaware
Grad school: Carnegie Mellon University
It's been a while since I was in school, but nothing about creation, evolution or religion ever came up in any class I attended. I never took a biology course, though, and since I was an engineering major I had no non-science courses after freshman year.
But several of my friends were what we called Jesus Freaks back then, and they all rejected evolution out of hand. I remember overhearing a discussion they were having among themselves. One said that a professor mentioned evolution during a lecture and another asked, "And no one said anything?"
--Percy

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nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 4 of 44 (550381)
03-15-2010 10:40 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Meldinoor
03-14-2010 3:56 PM


Meldinoor writes:
The video basically claims that college professors often ridicule and disriminate against students who have a religious (at least, Christian) background.
I have been hearing this charge for decades. As best I can tell, it is an example of the big lie.
Personally, I have never come across anything like that.
Undergrad: at University of Western Australia (including a biology class).
Grad school: Yale (mathematics).
General comments:
  • Would biology teachers get into religion? I doubt that they would want to, but if a student raised a question about creationism, they would respond. Most would probably just comment about the scientific method, and about why creationism is not science.
  • If a student challenged a teacher over creationism, would the teacher belittle the student's religion - some probably would.
I do see a hidden message in that video. The hidden message is that evangelical Christians are feeble minded idiots who are unable to think for themselves and unable to defend their beliefs, and who thus need to be protected by pre-indoctrination before they go to college.

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Replies to this message:
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slevesque
Member (Idle past 4640 days)
Posts: 1456
Joined: 05-14-2009


Message 5 of 44 (550398)
03-15-2010 11:59 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Meldinoor
03-14-2010 3:56 PM


Anyone else having trouble watching those videos ???
I can't figure out how to get them in a bigger screen other then downloading them, but the dowloaded files show no image, just sound

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Taq
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Posts: 9970
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.6


Message 6 of 44 (550400)
03-15-2010 12:12 PM


At the liberal arts college I went to half of the professors in the biology department attended the same Methodist church. In fact, being a liberal arts college they considered religious studies to be a necessary part of a well rounded education. Frankly, Focus on the Family is barking up the wrong tree. I would hazard a guess that for every professor they can find that looks down on religious students we could find 3 or 4 religious professors that look down on atheist students. This seems to be another example of the martyr fantasy that some christian sects actively portray to make themselves feel like better christians.

  
nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 7 of 44 (550403)
03-15-2010 12:18 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by slevesque
03-15-2010 11:59 AM


The url for the video
slevesque
I can't figure out how to get them in a bigger screen other then downloading them, but the dowloaded files show no image, just sound
Try this link (for the first video).
I am using firefox with noscript. The video is blocked by "noscript", but you can right click on it and copy the link. Once you allow scripts for that site, you lose the ability to right click and get the link.

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Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


Message 8 of 44 (550408)
03-15-2010 12:57 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Meldinoor
03-14-2010 3:56 PM


The video basically claims that college professors often ridicule and disriminate against students who have a religious (at least, Christian) background. How teachers often digress to talk about how stupid Christians are and how atheism is the way to go. How colleges preach liberal propaganda and immorality, etc.
That does actually happen on occasion, not only with evolution or Christianity, but any number of social topics. There are a lot of shitty professors out there who inject their personal values and bias on any given class, when I think teachers should take a clinically neutral approach as much as possible.
Is it as pervasive Focus on the Family insinuates? Probably not, but lets not forget that they are preaching their own dogma.
Now, as a college student myself, I think this is all a load of bull crap. Or, possibly true from the perspective of an insecure student who thinks that teaching facts is tantamount to oppressing Christians.
I've been in classes with vitriolic teachers who get on a soapbox about different subjects. But all in all, most understand that it is necessary to keep things civil, especially if the soapbox has nothing to do with the course material.
Obviously if you are taking a course specifically on biochemical evolution as a chemistry major, one is not expected to introduce ID in to the equation for the sake of "fairness." The whole "Teach the Controversy" is not going to happen until if and when it can credibly support itself.

"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." -- Charlton Heston

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PaulK
Member
Posts: 17822
Joined: 01-10-2003
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 9 of 44 (550413)
03-15-2010 1:11 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Meldinoor
03-14-2010 3:56 PM


Having a little browse it seems to be more anti-education than anything.
Professors teach things contrary to fundamentalist Christianity !
According to some survey a lot of them don't believe in the Bible !
Students have a social life !

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slevesque
Member (Idle past 4640 days)
Posts: 1456
Joined: 05-14-2009


Message 10 of 44 (550418)
03-15-2010 1:38 PM
Reply to: Message 7 by nwr
03-15-2010 12:18 PM


Re: The url for the video
Ok thanks, but now the sound doesn't come at the same time as the image lol ...
I suck so bad on a computer ...

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nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 11 of 44 (550420)
03-15-2010 1:44 PM
Reply to: Message 10 by slevesque
03-15-2010 1:38 PM


Re: The url for the video
slevesque writes:
I suck so bad on a computer ...
More correctly, the video sucks.

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PaulK
Member
Posts: 17822
Joined: 01-10-2003
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 12 of 44 (550424)
03-15-2010 1:50 PM
Reply to: Message 11 by nwr
03-15-2010 1:44 PM


Re: The url for the video
Funniest line so far "actual footage of a reenactment..."

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slevesque
Member (Idle past 4640 days)
Posts: 1456
Joined: 05-14-2009


Message 13 of 44 (550425)
03-15-2010 1:52 PM
Reply to: Message 12 by PaulK
03-15-2010 1:50 PM


Re: The url for the video
I think that was on purpose though

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Meldinoor
Member (Idle past 4808 days)
Posts: 400
From: Colorado, USA
Joined: 02-16-2009


Message 14 of 44 (550434)
03-15-2010 2:51 PM
Reply to: Message 12 by PaulK
03-15-2010 1:50 PM


Re: The url for the video
Yeah, I decided to post a link to the video in the humor thread after I heard that line in the vid. I am not sure if it's supposed to be funny or if they actually think gullible viewers will pick up only the "actual footage" part and somehow believe what they're seeing is real.
What about the creos here? You're supposed to be the targets of this alleged intellectualist plot to undermine faith, do you perceive this to be a problem to the extent that the video alleges?
Respectfully,
-Meldinoor

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slevesque
Member (Idle past 4640 days)
Posts: 1456
Joined: 05-14-2009


Message 15 of 44 (550435)
03-15-2010 3:11 PM
Reply to: Message 14 by Meldinoor
03-15-2010 2:51 PM


Re: The url for the video
I didn't watch the video, and I don't live in the US.

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