Oppression in College Classrooms

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,-MeldinoorThe 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 marksEdited by Meldinoor, : No reason given.Edited by Meldinoor, : No reason given.

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

A few years ago I would have scoffed at this statement. Now I suspect you're right. As a Christian I'm appalled by what seems to be going on behind the curtains of evangelical ministry. At least in this country, evangelical Christianity seems (from my point of view) so tied up with anti-intellectualism and a fear of secularism that no lie seems too big to further the cause. In my opinion, no matter how good the ends or how pure the intentions, they never justify the means. Especially if that means duping millions of people to close their eyes to facts and stubbornly cling to a piece of doctrine that they apparently believe Christianity could not survive without.
Maybe I should start calling myself a "Jesusian" to dis-associate myself from the mainstream evangelicals who seem more concerned about maintaining status quo than truth. But I digress. Even that might be too much time wasted on creationism in a science class. Were I a biology teacher (and I'm not, with precious little experience of teaching at all) I would simply tell the student that he/she could ask me after class and any other students who would be interested in why Creationism is not taught as science. Then I would patiently outline the definition of "science" and have them figure out for themselves whether creationism/ID fits into that definition. I'm sure some would. But it is not a science teacher's place to remark upon religion during class. Between classes, perhaps, but a science class should stay off the topic of religion, neither promoting it, nor denigrating it, just like science does not deal with the existence of the "supernatural". Any remark about religion in a science class will foster misconceptions about what science can and can not talk about. (Unless the class happens to be neuropsychology, or anything else that could potentially be linked to "religious experiences") That is indeed what the video implies. I don't believe that this holds true for Christians in general, but to some extent the video promotes these exact traits. Basically what it's saying is: "The professors are out to get you, don't listen to anything that goes against your beliefs, colleges are festering cess-pools of atheism".Anyway, that's just my two cents, for what it's worth.Respectfully,-Meldinoor

You don't need to see the video to get a general idea of what it talks about.And it'd be interesting to see how this applies to your college experience irregardless of in what country you're a student. I'm sure this problem (if indeed there is one) is not necessarily restricted to the US.Respectfully,-Meldinoor

Which again is another example of Creationist foot-shooting. Who indoctrinates these biology undergrads to think that death and suffering are incompatible with God's creation, thereby undermining their faith? The very same Creationists who claim the intellectuals are promoting atheism! It's ironic really that creationism becomes the cause of its own undoing, and foments the same evil that they accuse others of committing.
Is it too much to hope for that Focus' leadership might receive divine revelation and jump off the ID train before it crashes taking much of the evangelical faith with it into the rubble?Respectfully,-Meldinoor

I agree. Ideals rarely mesh perfectly with how the real world works. But teachers should be held up to standards restricting what is permissible to talk about in a science class. Just like Creationism certainly can not be taught, or any religious belief promoted within the context of a science lesson, ridicule or denigration of specific faiths (or faith in general) should be avoided. Of course the science should be correctly taught whether it offends students or not. But if a student challenges evolution on a religious basis the teacher must remain non-commital.
Something like: "You're entitled to your personal belief, but in this class we must restrict ourself to the treatment of science. I can't speak about faith and Creationism during class time. Sorry."Of course, I hardly think this approach will appease Creationists who, after all, want religion in the science classroom, but it will be the most honest and correct approach. Still, there's always gonna be opinionated teachers who enjoy going off on a tangent to discuss their own personal opinions rather than the science. So when a student complains that his beliefs are being unduly ridiculed in a science class, the university should look into it. If the teacher is indeed found to be expressing opinion at the cost of proffesionality, the school can say, "yes, we're sorry, Mr So-and-so truly did not meet up to our standards".I still think the problem is vastly inflated in the video, but there's always room for improvement.Respectfully,-Meldinoor

I can attest to this. Since I've already sort of betrayed my youth by admitting that I'm a college freshman anyway, I might as well point out that not too many years ago, I was a creationist as well. This because I was raised to believe evolution was just another "belief" about origins, one that conflicted with my faith. Then, roughly two years ago, I picked up "The Ancestor's Tale" by the esteemed Richard Dawkins and was blown away by what I learned. I'm still reeling from that discovery today, studying anything I can get my hands on and (obviously) participating in this forum with the intent of learning more on the topic.The resulting backlash sent me on a spiral that's circled through skepticism, into agnosticism, and then back to being a highly skeptical Christian. The result being that I'm wary of statements by church figures or organizations like Focus (Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me), and it has lead me to a more independent and personal search for truth than I might have otherwise embarked on. While in the end I think the outcome's been quite positive, I could have avoided the whole suckerpunch of reality by being more prepared during my upbringing.I can see how this "culture shock" might weaken and destroy the faith of other young Christians during their formative years. It is truly a shame when this is a result of a more protective "Christian upbringing". Respectfully,-Meldinoor