Posted on 04/13/2008 6:13:13 AM PDT by kellynla
A community college in New York has been presented with a demand letter from the American Center for Law and Justice to halt a professor's classroom practices that allegedly have damaged at least one student so far.
The letter from the ACLJ targets Suffolk County Community College and will be the prelude to a federal lawsuit if the issue isn't resolved, the organization said.
At issue is a professor's demand that students "change their own personal viewpoints or state that they are unsure of whether their own personal beliefs are correct" on religious issues, according to the letter.
That is an expression of hostility to religion, the letter explains.
The ACLJ said it is representing Gina DeLuca, a student who has been punished with lower grades and has been labeled "closed-minded" by a professor, who remained unidentified in the letter, because he demands that students acknowledge the possibility that God does not exist in order to participate in his philosophy class, which is required for graduation.
"The ACLJ has sent a letter demanding that the school end its discriminatory actions against DeLuca or face a federal lawsuit," the organization's announcement said.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
Government schools of today are not the same schools they were in my pre-boomer generation in which the Christian bible was accepted as the authoritative gold standard on matters of morality and decency, and teachers were free to express their Christian beliefs. I well remember the brief morning ritual consisting of the reading of few bible verses followed by a short prayer conducted by my aunt who was principle of the rural elementary school I attended. Today she would not only be summarily fired, she would probably be prosecuted as well. AFAIK none of my 1950's era community college professors tried to indoctrinate or influence their students on religious matters, even though I am quite sure that the majority of them were either non-believers or nominal Christians.
I have read that a recent survey conducted by a Christian publication found that 70% of recent college graduates from traditional Christian homes reject the doctrine of divine inspiration of holy scripture, and that a large portion of those students have become either agnostics or atheists by the time they graduate from secular colleges and universities. IMHO any Christian parent who sends his/her child off to be singled out, humiliated, and brainwashed by aggressive, hostile anti-Christian professors in today's secular universities is making a major mistake with tragic eternal consequences.
A philosophy class is supposed to teach one to examine different philosophies, NOT impose the philosophy, nor religion (and atheism IS a religion) upon the students. I suggest that you read this part again:
because he demands that students acknowledge the possibility that God does not exist in order to participate in his philosophy class, which is required for graduation.
You don't have to acknowledge the possibility to study philosophy, any more than you have to acknowledge that pagan gods exist in order to study a pagan religion. Plain and simple, this is a power mad instructor (it's rare to find a real "professor" at a community college) who's trying to impose his or her will on the students.
Oh, and community colleges are NOT just for preparing people for work. You seem to be thinking of trade schools or "technical colleges." A community college can give out AA (2 year) degrees, as well as being a way to save up money for a 4 degree by spending less on the first 2 years. Many community colleges have agreements with the state universities to accept all the lower level course credits. It's quite common.
Mark
Many J.C's are "stepping-stones" to 4 yr. colleges...
Not to mention a less co$tly way to get the first 2 yrs out of the way...on the way to a B.S. / B.A.
The Professors, the 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America, David Horowitz, Regnery Publishing Inc., ISBN 978-1-59698-525-4, 2007.
Well, I know what side of the debate I am on, but to play devil's advocate, if a student's response to any philosophical discussion or debate is a quote from the bible, he/she deserves nothing better than a "D".
And yes, Dorothy, there are students like that.
Excellent remark!
If the professor announces at the very start, " I acknowledge, for purposes of this class, that God might exist. But also for purposes of this class, we will assume that He might not exist, and indeed does not. Is that clear?"
That could save a lot of wasted time arguing the unarguable.
Need to sue each and every time...
This prof. has no business being an educator. A college education is supposed to teach students to develop their own ideas based on available information, and how to utilize their own thought process. This guy says you either adopt my ideas or you fail ! He is being a dictator. Then he more or less says if you don’t like what I have to say you are closed minded and hurtful. This guy has some issues and he shouldn’t be a professor at a college. He is the one being closed minded and hurtful. The tolerance door swings 2 ways. He shouldn’t be teaching - he has the wrong attitude ! Give him the boot the tax payers and people paying tuition deserve better. I never had a teacher this bad at Wantagh High or in College.
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