A Strange Pop Quiz Question

Lprdgecko

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I am studying to get my MBA. One of the classes I am currently taking deals with how technology affects business. The first day of class, my professor asked us to raise our hand if we have a god. Everybody raised their hand except for one or two atheists. He then told us how much he loves science and that, to him, the universe is god.

Today he gave us a pop quiz. One question was over the material from the day before, but the second question threw all of us off-guard. He asked, "Does God have ethics? Yes or No, and why?"

After everyone was finished clarifying whose god he meant (he said whichever god we choose), we only had about a minute to write an answer. So, I wound up writing something along the lines of, "Yes, to an extent. God defines ethics and what is right and wrong." That was all I had time to write.

What would you have answered in this situation? I have no idea why he asked us that. Perhaps for his own enjoyment?
 

Tigger45

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Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line[a] has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
 
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LilLamb219

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I like what you wrote. God always sets the standards. It's man who twists things :sorry:

I am studying to get my MBA. One of the classes I am currently taking deals with how technology affects business. The first day of class, my professor asked us to raise our hand if we have a god. Everybody raised their hand except for one or two atheists. He then told us how much he loves science and that, to him, the universe is god.

Today he gave us a pop quiz. One question was over the material from the day before, but the second question threw all of us off-guard. He asked, "Does God have ethics? Yes or No, and why?"

After everyone was finished clarifying whose god he meant (he said whichever god we choose), we only had about a minute to write an answer. So, I wound up writing something along the lines of, "Yes, to an extent. God defines ethics and what is right and wrong." That was all I had time to write.

What would you have answered in this situation? I have no idea why he asked us that. Perhaps for his own enjoyment?
 
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Resha Caner

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What would you have answered in this situation? I have no idea why he asked us that. Perhaps for his own enjoyment?

It sounds like he has an agenda. He'd better be careful, though, or there's going to be trouble. It might be an opportunity for you to witness.

I think your answer was a good one, so I'm not criticizing, but just answering your question. I've always liked how Bonhoeffer dealt with the issue of ethics. He says that the human pursuit of a system of ethics is a result of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As such, it wasn't really God's intent for us. When we start asking what is right and wrong, we take responsibility on ourselves based on something that was a sinful act in the first place (eating from the tree). So, we shouldn't be asking what is right, but what is God's will.
 
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Lprdgecko

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It sounds like he has an agenda. He'd better be careful, though, or there's going to be trouble. It might be an opportunity for you to witness.

I think your answer was a good one, so I'm not criticizing, but just answering your question. I've always liked how Bonhoeffer dealt with the issue of ethics. He says that the human pursuit of a system of ethics is a result of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As such, it wasn't really God's intent for us. When we start asking what is right and wrong, we take responsibility on ourselves based on something that was a sinful act in the first place (eating from the tree). So, we shouldn't be asking what is right, but what is God's will.

That's a really interesting stance on the matter. It makes a lot of sense.
 
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Tangible

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It's amazing the freedom given to college professors to go off topic and use their position to further their own religious agenda, usually one of atheism or materialism. When I was in college the only professor who was ever called to account for his comments during class regarding faith and religion was a Christian prof who ruffled too many feathers with his 'unorthodox' beliefs.
 
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Resha Caner

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It's amazing the freedom given to college professors to go off topic and use their position to further their own religious agenda, usually one of atheism or materialism. When I was in college the only professor who was ever called to account for his comments during class regarding faith and religion was a Christian prof who ruffled too many feathers with his 'unorthodox' beliefs.

Yeah, my alma mater made a big splash when an astronomy professor was denied tenure for expressing his Christian beliefs about the creation of the universe. Of course that wasn't the official line. It was something about overall evidence for future career promise in the field of astronomy. But, everyone knew what it meant.
 
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Daniel Stinson

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Ethics are the man-made device by which secular society avoids the morals of God himself. Ethics are also what most Christians would recognize as legalism without the Gospel. Ethier ethics rule our lives according to a corporate/government manual or morals rule our lives according to our conviction to faith. Ethics is a favorite term among psychologist and sociologist to maintain rationalism as the norm.

Pantheism is the religion practiced by your professor in case you weren't aware. Buddhism, Taoism, Gnosticism, alchemist, and agnostics are particularly fond of pantheism. Japanese Anime in particular promotes and glorifies the religion of pantheism.
 
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