Teacher fails student for not denouncing Christianity

[wondrousgnat]

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...enounce Christian faith and morality</strong>

 

[Sword of the Lord]

Can't wait to hear about how the student was wrong.

I would say that everyone should recognize that the teacher is the expert here and we should let him do what he thinks is best for the students, which includes forcing his views on them.

 

[LoAmmi]

Sounds like a horrible teacher.

 

[classicalhero]

Clearly Christians aren't being discriminated against, move along.

 

[dzheremi]

Another professor who has confused critical thinking with ingesting only his own views. Sad. Whether the specifics of this case prove the student right or not, the real story here is that so many who take his class will be tricked into believing that this is what critical thinking consists of: someone of authority setting the terms of a debate and penalizing any who do not come to the almost forgone conclusions set up by the terms that they themselves have set."Didn't follow directions" is a very easy defense against claims that the prompt was unprofessionally written and obviously leading, but having read it myself, that seems to be a fair description.

That said, I had professor like this in college (who would mock Christianity endlessly, even though it was supposed to be a class on linguistics...hmmm), and very nearly escaped failing the course due to the same stubbornness that the student, and for that matter the instructor, appear to be exhibiting. There is a time for taking a stand, and a time for recognizing when it would better to simply slog through whatever the assignment is...and I thank God that He placed enough people around me who were more level-headed than I was at that age, who were able to convince me to just shut up and do the work as assigned. Getting a failing grade doesn't make you a hero or a martyr. It just means you wasted a lot of money and time by being inflexible, which is just as lousy a trait to nurture in oneself as this professor's farcical pantomime of "free thought".

 

[Sword of the Lord]

Another professor who has confused critical thinking with ingesting only his own views. Sad. Whether the specifics of this case prove the student right or not, the real story here is that so many who take his class will be tricked into believing that this is what critical thinking consists of: someone of authority setting the terms of a debate and penalizing any who do not come to the almost forgone conclusions set up by the terms that they themselves have set."Didn't follow directions" is a very easy defense against claims that the prompt was unprofessionally written and obviously leading, but having read it myself, that seems to be a fair description.

That said, I had professor like this in college (who would mock Christianity endlessly, even though it was supposed to be a class on linguistics...hmmm), and very nearly escaped failing the course due to the same stubbornness that the student, and for that matter the instructor, appear to be exhibiting. There is a time for taking a stand, and a time for recognizing when it would better to simply slog through whatever the assignment is...and I thank God that He placed enough people around me who were more level-headed than I was at that age, who were able to convince me to just shut up and do the work as assigned. Getting a failing grade doesn't make you a hero or a martyr. It just means you wasted a lot of money and time by being inflexible, which is just as lousy a trait to nurture in oneself as this professor's farcical pantomime of "free thought".

I had an eighth grade teacher that bashed Christianity and the Republican party. This was in 2004 when Obama was freshly on the scene. At the time I didn't know anything about him or politics in general. She would praise him and call Republicans idiots and morons and engage in debates with some of the other kids that apparently did know a little about politics, and by others she would receive praise. Most of us would sit there puzzled. I wasn't a Christian at the time, either. She would talk about how evil and oppressive Christianity was. By 2006 I was a hardcore militant atheist and most of my arguments and opinions came from listening to her. In 2007 I decided that politics was interesting and identified as a Democrat because she had always talked about how idiotic Republicans were. I then learned that Democrats were for abortion and gay marriage much more so than the Republican party, so it was a great fit. Naturally I took a loving to Obama and would often think about how she had praised him a few years earlier, so he was my guy too.

She was definitely instrumental in my former militant atheism and my political viewpoints. That's the trick, too, isn't it? Get them when they're young and impressionable. By the time you get to high school and college you should be a liberal, pro abortion and gay marriage, democratic atheist because you're too smart and progressive for religious beliefs.

Needless to say I was called by Christ in a dream in 2012, shown the truth, and told that all I had to do was ask for the free gift of Jesus Christ and it would be granted to me. I woke up sweating and in tears, my heart full or sorrow and regret, and immediately repented and turned my life over to Christ. Within just a few months I dropped by liberal views and my allegiance to the Democratic party as I read through scripture and let God transform me. He didn't make me a Republican. I made that decision on my own because I couldn't find anything good in the Democratic party, but was still into politics. No matter how messed up you are, I'd vote for you over someone that is accepting of what God calls an abomination and someone who finds it perfectly acceptable to murder God's innocent children in the safest place they should have on this side of heaven - the womb.

Anyways, I've gotten off path. Point being, regardless of what some want to pretend doesn't exist, our teachers are pushing their liberal beliefs off on kids and indoctrinating them. They are bashing Christianity in many cases. And it does have an impact on who the kids become and the beliefs they hold. I'm proof. Thank God for his intervention. I continue to hold that I'm a terrible person. I don't know why he came to me, I don't know why I experience the supernatural/miracles, and I don't know why I am so blessed despite my failures. But I do know him now and I'm forever grateful.

 

[ebia]

From:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friend...cused-of-failing-student-for-being-christian/

(Not a good source, but there seems to be a lack of good sources on the topic, and note that he starts of very critical of the teacher)

update:
1) The student took the class online and the 4 assignments were part of 15 overall.
2) Other professors looked at the student&#8217;s assignments and agreed she did not do what was required. In other words, they felt the 0% grades were justified.
3) The school justifies Russum&#8217;s rhetoric by saying he was clear that he would be challenging students&#8217; beliefs.
4) The school doesn&#8217;t give a damn about his Facebook page, as well they shouldn&#8217;t.
5) The student self-plagiarized parts of her assignment, taking something she wrote one week and using it the next.
6) Most importantly, the school provides correspondence between Russum and the student. They show a much more empathetic portrait of the professor than Liberty Counsel suggested. He explains to the student what she&#8217;s doing wrong and why it&#8217;s wrong. It&#8217;s a bit dismissive of the student, alleging that she&#8217;s in no position to challenge these scholars she&#8217;s writing about, but it makes very clear that she will not be punished for her beliefs. She simply has to address the ideas discussed in class and in the text, and she&#8217;s not doing any of that.

 

[wondrousgnat]

Mikhael found Christ in a dream. I find it interesting the different ways in which people find Christ. Such a variety.
Me? Well it was kind of gradual actually. A slow process. It sort of evolved. In a sense I came to Christ through a process of evolution. Well, no, it wasn't THAT evolution which led me to Jesus.

 

[MikeK]

From:
In Real-Life Version of God&#8217;s Not Dead, Atheist Professor Accused of Failing Student for Being Christian

(Not a good source, but there seems to be a lack of good sources on the topic, and note that he starts of very critical of the teacher)

update:
1) The student took the class online and the 4 assignments were part of 15 overall.
2) Other professors looked at the student’s assignments and agreed she did not do what was required. In other words, they felt the 0% grades were justified.
3) The school justifies Russum’s rhetoric by saying he was clear that he would be challenging students’ beliefs.
4) The school doesn’t give a damn about his Facebook page, as well they shouldn’t.
5) The student self-plagiarized parts of her assignment, taking something she wrote one week and using it the next.
6) Most importantly, the school provides correspondence between Russum and the student. They show a much more empathetic portrait of the professor than Liberty Counsel suggested. He explains to the student what she’s doing wrong and why it’s wrong. It’s a bit dismissive of the student, alleging that she’s in no position to challenge these scholars she’s writing about, but it makes very clear that she will not be punished for her beliefs. She simply has to address the ideas discussed in class and in the text, and she’s not doing any of that.

Thank you for the additional information. I have found LifeSiteNews to be a den of lies, unfortunately. Their slant on what they radishes to publish is not surprising. Here's hoping all educators will come to challenge our children and encourage them to think critically while still respecting their beliefs.