My prof on child sacrifice: "Who are you to judge?"

[BlindSheep]

I’m returning to college this fall, after an 8 year absence. Today in my “Bible, Mythology, & Folklore” honors class, the topic of Aztec human sacrifice came up. It was being discussed as if it only involved voluntary, adult sacrifice; this bothered me, and I mentioned having heard about the bodies of children that had been sacrificed also having been found. The consensus of the class, including the professor, was that since child sacrifice was part of the culture, we shouldn’t call it immoral; in his words, “who are we to judge their culture?”. He than said that, “just to upset [me]”, we would watch a video of a human sacrifice (from Africa, I believe) made before “western culture imposed its morality on these people”.
Incidentally, one of my classmates called me a bitch after class, and the prof. told me to be “more objective”. I have a feeling this won’t be a fun semester.

 

[mlchance]

I’ve provided some knee-jerk responses:

“who are we to judge their culture?”

“Well, I don’t know about the you all part of ‘we,’ but the I part is able to judge because I have a brain and I’m not afraid to use it.”

"Incidentally, one of my classmates called me a bitch after class

“Talk to me like that again, and I’ll settle your hash with a chop to the throat.”

BlindSheep:

and the prof. told me to be “more objective”.

“Apparently you’re confused about what ‘objective’ means. It doesn’t mean ‘surrender one’s critical faculties to win the valueless approval of smug pseudo-intellectuals.’ Rather, ‘objective’ means looking at the facts as they are and judging accordingly. Hence, anyone who is ‘objective’ can plainly see that human sacrifice just ain’t right.”



– Mark L. Chance.

 

[Mom_of_one]

If he is having you watch the video “just to upset you”, can’t that be considered harassment?

Maybe you could bring a tape recorder to class and get some recordings of his “teaching”.

Is there a higher up you can talk to about this?

 

[Mom_of_one]

mlchance:

I’ve provided some knee-jerk responses:

“Well, I don’t know about the you all part of ‘we,’ but the I part is able to judge because I have a brain and I’m not afraid to use it.”

“Talk to me like that again, and I’ll settle your hash with a chop to the throat.”

“Apparently you’re confused about what ‘objective’ means. It doesn’t mean ‘surrender one’s critical faculties to win the valueless approval of smug pseudo-intellectuals.’ Rather, ‘objective’ means looking at the facts as they are and judging accordingly. Hence, anyone who is ‘objective’ can plainly see that human sacrifice just ain’t right.”



– Mark L. Chance.

Ouch! I wouldn’t want to be on your bad side!!! But these are good!:bowdown:

 

[Timidity]

“Talk to me like that again, and I’ll settle your hash with a chop to the throat.”

Not big on the whole “turn the other cheek” thing, eh?

 

[mlchance]

Timidity:

Not big on the whole “turn the other cheek” thing, eh?

“Turn the other cheek” refers to not seeking revenge. I’m not into revenge. In fact, warning someone there about to get their hash settled could be viewed as an act of charity. After all, if there’s nothing wrong with killing children, then there’s nothing wrong with anything at all.



– Mark L. Chance.

 

[Timidity]

mlchance:

In fact, warning someone there about to get their hash settled could be viewed as an act of charity.

Actually, the legal term is “assault.” And answering insult with criminal assault is definately not an act of charity, nor is it consistant with the Church’s position of obeying the law.

 

[mlchance]

Timidity:

Actually, the legal term is “assault.” And answering insult with criminal assault is definately not an act of charity, nor is it consistant with the Church’s position of obeying the law.

http://home.houston.rr.com/mchance3/rolleyes.gif

Get a grip. My own initial post noted that these were knee-jerk responses. I figured that folks would be able to tell the difference between such responses and genuine advice, especially with the inclusion of relevant emoticons to indicate a lack of seriousness.

But, by all means, continue to condemn and criticize positions that I don’t actually hold.

– Mark L. Chance.

 

[deb1]

BlindSheep:

I’m returning to college this fall, after an 8 year absence. Today in my “Bible, Mythology, & Folklore” honors class, the topic of Aztec human sacrifice came up. It was being discussed as if it only involved voluntary, adult sacrifice; this bothered me, and I mentioned having heard about the bodies of children that had been sacrificed also having been found. The consensus of the class, including the professor, was that since child sacrifice was part of the culture, we shouldn’t call it immoral; in his words, “who are we to judge their culture?”. He than said that, “just to upset [me]”, we would watch a video of a human sacrifice (from Africa, I believe) made before “western culture imposed its morality on these people”.
Incidentally, one of my classmates called me a bitch after class, and the prof. told me to be “more objective”. I have a feeling this won’t be a fun semester.

What was the woman’s reasoning for calling you a Bitch? Had you disagreed with her in class? Not that I think that there is any justification for name calling, I am shocked that she would call a stranger a name.

Did you know that there are a large number of college students who refuse to say that the Holocaust is wrong? A few years ago there was a professor who asked his students if they thought that the Nazi’s attempts at eradicating an entire race was evil. Sadly, many of the college students refused to judge the Nazi’s.

 

[Lisa4Catholics]

mlchance:

http://home.houston.rr.com/mchance3/rolleyes.gif

Get a grip. My own initial post noted that these were knee-jerk responses. I figured that folks would be able to tell the difference between such responses and genuine advice, especially with the inclusion of relevant emoticons to indicate a lack of seriousness.

But, by all means, continue to condemn and criticize positions that I don’t actually hold.

– Mark L. Chance.

Timidity also didn’t feel that using live puppies and kittens for shark bait was wrong BTW I knew what you were saying, and I guarantee if I was called a bitch for stating my beliefs I wouldn’t hit them but they would get a good telling off and guilt trip, I would not give them a cookie.:nope:

 

[JKirkLVNV]

This tired old “who are we to judge a culture” sob story! I’ve never bought it at all. The missionaries of the Church brought the light of the Gospel to these shores and stopped the supposedly “voluntary” human sacrifices. When the Temple of the Sun in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) was “consecrated,” the blood supposedly covered the whole temple and ran down into the streets of the city. The officiating priests were slipping and falling in it. If objectively I’m not supposed to judge this as a bad thing and the coming of the mission priests as good, then I’ll never get my “objective” merit badge.

As for being called a bitch, think on this: dogs are sometimes a lot more loyal and faithful than people. They call the Holy Father a Rottweiler and German Shepherd. God will remember your fidelity.

 

[bones_IV]

The professor is an example of what I would call a pragmatic. It’s like Pontius Pilate said, “Truth! What is truth?” It seems to me that our age kind of has this narcisstic- atheist belief. I remember in one Scripture class back in College, a professor was commenting on one of St. Paul’s letters and he said “By our standards this would be anti-semitic.” I was taken back by that one. I proclaimed my fidelity to the church’s teachings and was called a “traditional.” It’s amazing how nasty people can get. And these same folks call themselves Catholics? They are not really catholic execpt legally. Here’s another one, another professor was talking about different countries and attacked Catholic missions and said “I wish they would just leave them alone.” Then another time he called priestly celebacy a joke. I was so angry at that point that I was about ready to tear his head off! Everybody knew of my conservative beliefs and when I denounced affirmative action, many of them distanced themselves from me. This was at a Catholic College! Sorry to go off like that. Blindsheep, I understand totally were you come from. I experienced a lot anti-catholic prejudice in college. I certainly pray for them. We had these same things going on in Germany before WWII, look what happened afterwards! I’m not to suggest anything.

 

[ProudArmyWife]

I see you are from Rochester. May I ask, out of curiousity, what college you are talking about? My husband went to school up there.

I was in grad school for a degree in Counseling from LIU and the profs did the same thing. Sometimes it was just to get you to think - others, they honestly believed it. It was actually funny that the more I had these professors, the more I found myself deeper in faith formation.

A good question for your prof is: If the majority of society accepts a belief, does it make it right/wrong? In the US (or certain states at least) it was morally acceptable to have slaves at one point - have women not to vote - people of color sit on the back of the bus - majority opinion does not make it a correct opinion.

I really don’t know what is up with your new friend. Perhaps she was late for a party and wanted class to end early. As for the movie, most likely the prof was going to show it anyway and just used you as an introduction to it.

 

[Crow]

Maybe it would be helpful if you differentiated between ‘judgement’ and ‘condeming’.

As part of their culture, and thus doing what they believed was right, I would hesitate to charge those performing the sacrifices as murderers, for instance. Simply because they did not know any bette. The CCC does mention that ‘inconquerable ignorance’ and ‘ignorance that is not one’s own fault’ greatly dimishes the culpibility of individuals. Since this pratice was part of their culture, and probably for generation on top of generations, I think the ‘ignorance’ clause apply.

Yet I do judge, though I would not necessarily condem. And since I judge, I judge that human sacrifice is wrong. And this is not due to ‘my culture’, this is due to the truth that I know. Truth cannot be ‘fabricated’ from culture, nor decided upon a popular vote, it is either ‘revealed’ to us by God, or it is discovered.

A note is that after the missionaries revealed the truth to these people, the practice ended. Was it because a group of missionaries forced them to end thier pratice, or because the people who once performed the hujman sacrifices came to understand the wrong of their ways and agreed to change?

 

[Ani_Ibi]

Since child sacrifice is the cultural norm of American society *, and presumably your professor is American, then the films he should be showing are practices involving his own children, so as to avoid questions of cultural bias or condescension. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. You can toss in an oblique reference to Paolo Freire and participatory action. That should set your prof back on his heels right quick.

If your prof agrees then call the Child Protection Agency, the Police Youth Bureau, and the press. Likely he will be turfed. We have turfed some profs up here in Canada.*

 

[Strider]

How many “isms” of our culture are on display, here?
I see relativism, utilitarianism, secular humanism, nihilism and, on the part of your fellow student, (I’m gonna get in troube for this one), blind, arrogant libralism.
You’re right, it’s going to be a tough semester, but illigitimi non carborundum.
The First Ammendment applies to you as well as to them.
Hang in and good luck

 

[Ursastar]

Judge judge condemn SIN . A Catholics DUTY. Go to confession and condemn ours too. The PILL ABORTS honest. Learn NFP Teach NFP Promote NFP and chastity this will bring love to marriage families the world and make sex sacred. life sacred . but wont help my typing

 

[fix]

It is called moral relativism and if such a culture thinks child sacrifice is licit, one cannot say the Nazis were wrong as another example. Relativism leads to tyranny and rigidity.

BTW, the CCC says that some sins are known to all by the natural moral law. I cannot see how murder would be a case of invincible ignorance.

 

[Maranatha]

I suggest you check this book out of the library ASAP.

A Refutation of Moral Relativism: Interviews With an Absolutist
by Peter Kreeft

 

[siamesecat]

BlindSheep:

I’m returning to college this fall, after an 8 year absence. Today in my “Bible, Mythology, & Folklore” honors class, the topic of Aztec human sacrifice came up. It was being discussed as if it only involved voluntary, adult sacrifice; this bothered me, and I mentioned having heard about the bodies of children that had been sacrificed also having been found. The consensus of the class, including the professor, was that since child sacrifice was part of the culture, we shouldn’t call it immoral; in his words, “who are we to judge their culture?”. He than said that, “just to upset [me]”, we would watch a video of a human sacrifice (from Africa, I believe) made before “western culture imposed its morality on these people”.
Incidentally, one of my classmates called me a bitch after class, and the prof. told me to be “more objective”. I have a feeling this won’t be a fun semester.

While I find it crazy that anyone could thing you were a bitch for going against child sacrifice, was your professor more trying to get you to think “outside the box” and realize that cultures are different. Maybe he wasnt being serious to say child sacrifice isnt wrong just because its another culture doing it , but more to make the point that different cultures have moral beliefs and you’d be surprised to find out how much different cultures can differ on morality? Maybe making a point that morality is shaped by the morals we are taught by those around us? If he really was mad at you for saying child sacrifice was wrong that’s ridiculous. But maybe he was just trying to get you to see his point on what he was trying to teach? My history teacher would ask us, “if you were a nazi and were asked to kill a Jewish family would you do it if your life depended on it?” and of course when everyone would say no, he’d say “even if you would be killed and they would be anyways by someone else? You’d leave behind your family rather than kill the Jews?” He wasnt advocating the murder of Jews, but rather making a point of why Nazis did such a thing.