My teacher mocked my beliefs

[wcknight]

Unless the class is in a parochial school or the course is on comparative religion, discusions and especially critical comments about religion are illegal. The teacher and the school can be sued if they persist.

I would bring a tape recorder and tape a few minutes of the class, then if it didn’t stop I would approach the head of the department or some administrator.

Folks who alter a grade because of someones religion are just classless jerks. Obviously honesty and integrity are not highly valued in whatever religion they are advocating.

wc

 

[Maranatha]

I’m not sure keeping silent is the correct thing to do. Yes, you may get a bad grade but will it ruin your life. Abortions are sort of permanently detrimental to the aborted.

Professors often respect students who respectfully disagree. Your grade might actually improve.

I lile the idea of writing the professor a letter and copy the dean. Ask that equal time be given to the opposing view. You might also consider wearing a pro-life t-shirt to the next class. Always be respectful.

 

[KittyKat]

I hope it works out for you! If you try and nothing works, you may have to keep your head down and try to get a grade and move on.

In my second english class the “teacher” was one who would fail you for disagreeing. I have a D on my transcript because I just couldn’t even make it seem like I agreed with her. She was going so far as to say that the Americans deserved 9/11 and that she was amazed that was all we got for not providing more money for those on welfare. She wasn’t even full time so we had no way to get in contact with her and she kept all of our papers. She didn’t get to keep teaching though since she got so many complaints.

You shouldn’t have to listen to his opinion spouting, I would talk to the dean with any other students that are upset about it.
Kat

 

[AlanFromWichita]

tom.wineman:

Intellectual elitism has been around for a long time.

I’m the teacher you are the student sitting at my feet ego trip

This is certainly true. In practically every other business, employees have to park in the back so the customers can have the best parking places.

At a university, the students have to walk sometimes upwards of 1/2 mile to class from the remote parking lots (using Wichita State as an example) while the employees – faculty and staff, have reserved places up close.

I guess at a university we all bow to the faculty because we are paying for the privilege of being rated by them. The fact that their jobs depend on our money doesn’t matter.

Alan

 

[annemjones96]

AlanFromWichita:

This is certainly true. In practically every other business, employees have to park in the back so the customers can have the best parking places.

At a university, the students have to walk sometimes upwards of 1/2 mile to class from the remote parking lots (using Wichita State as an example) while the employees – faculty and staff, have reserved places up close.

I guess at a university we all bow to the faculty because we are paying for the privilege of being rated by them. The fact that their jobs depend on our money doesn’t matter.

Alan

And they certainly don’t like to be reminded of that fact. I brought that up once with a Proffesor during a debate. It was in semi private. There were three other students present. It did not go over well.

 

[mark_a]

DarkestHour1980:

I’m a nursing student and we have this new teacher that really sucks. I have many problems with him but what he did today really drove me over the edge. He was going over the reproductive system in class and he decides to spend about 20 minutes giving us his personal opinions about abortion and how abortion is the only logical solution in certain cases, mainly cases in which the child would most likely end up seriously disabled. He said that those lives have no purpose and those who choose to bring a life like that into the would because of their beliefs are the ones who will be punished by God.

Personally, I don’t care about what this guy believes in, but as a student of his, I shouldn’t have to listen to this. I go to school to learn the material, not to listen to his opinion. I am pssed off at him but I’m more pssed off at myself for not saying anything. I just saw there like a coward. I feel like have sinned. I hate not taking a stand for what I believe in. I’m starting to hate this guy and I don’t like having hateful feelings for anyone. Today was also the nine year anniversary of my return to the Church but I don’t feel like much of a Catholic after this. I just hope that God will forgive me.

I agree you should not have to listen to his personal views on the subject, but you didn’t really tell us how he mocked you. Could you give a little more detail?

By the way, many play the “abort the disabled card” to justify any and all abortion.

 

[jmv]

I would talk with the dean to let him know about your feelings.

Also, the ‘abort the lives that aren’t worthy’ mentality is is the same concept held by the Nazis, though perhaps not quite yet the same degree. They decided the government was best able to the value of a life which involved, among other things, forced sterilization and so on.

Life has value in and of itself, not because of what it can provide to the rest of the world.

 

[Island_Oak]

**And here it is: **

A little story I read someplace(could have been here, if so, forgive me): A doctor delivered 2 babies the same day. The first was a healthy baby boy. The second was a little girl who was Down’s Syndrome.
He told this story years later to a class of medical students. He asked them which baby they thought had the greater value. They all said the boy. That the Downs baby was “worthless”.
He told them, the girl’s father died young, & her mother had health problems. The girl cared for her mom every day till the mom died. The little boy? His name was Adolf Hitler.

No offense to the point you are trying to make, but human life is inherently valuable because it is a gift from God–NOT because of how it is employed. If anything your point still suggests that one life (Hitler’s) was less valuable than another’s (downs’ child) because of the conduct of each individual. That rationale can be turned on its head and used to justify all sorts of killing. Even though many would argue that the evil Hitler undertook would justify saying it would have been better had he never been born, the fact is it took hundreds if not thousands of collaborators to facilitate his plans. Man will always entertain and engage in evil deeds. There will always be humans born less than fully competent. Neither alone ever justifies snuffing out the divine gift of human life.

 

[Island_Oak]

The_Angelus:

There’s always one professor who really has a chip on his shoulder… I once raised my hand in class and politely asked if he would mind explaining thus-and-such again instead of telling us about religion…Of course, he immediately saw me as a target.

All too common…had similar experiences in law school…it’s unavoidable.

However, one thing that would concern me is that as a nurse, you will encounter, treat and attempt to educate patients with all manner or views, morals, etc. I think your professor does you a disservice by being so vocal about his own that he risks offending and alienating not only students, but serves as a poor example of compassionate nursing. Raising this point to him may make you “the target” (not a good idea) but it is an education in itself how your words can offend and alienate you from the very people you are trying to teach and/or treat.

 

[Lisa4Catholics]

Island Oak:

No offense to the point you are trying to make, but human life is inherently valuable because it is a gift from God–NOT because of how it is employed. If anything your point still suggests that one life (Hitler’s) was less valuable than another’s (downs’ child) because of the conduct of each individual. That rationale can be turned on its head and used to justify all sorts of killing. Even though many would argue that the evil Hitler undertook would justify saying it would have been better had he never been born, the fact is it took hundreds if not thousands of collaborators to facilitate his plans. Man will always entertain and engage in evil deeds. There will always be humans born less than fully competent. Neither alone ever justifies snuffing out the divine gift of human life.

I have a feeling that to make the point to the teacher this route may have to be taken to get the point across,momofone knows where the dignaty comes from,but the secular usually reject it.

 

[Andrew_11]

It is horrible that a figure with authority would say such a thing. I enjoyed the story about the girl with down’s syndrom who was Hitler’s sister. It made me wonder, have their been any saints that had a mental disability like down’s syndrom?

 

[jmv]

I think the point of the 2 babies being born story is that even if you don’t believe that a human life is sacred just because it exists, that we are totally inept at judging the “value” of a human life. This shows a case where if we had tried to make this judgement we would have failed.

 

[Island_Oak]

jmv:

I think the point of the 2 babies being born story is that even if you don’t believe that a human life is sacred just because it exists, that we are totally inept at judging the “value” of a human life. This shows a case where if we had tried to make this judgement we would have failed.

Well put…not everyone does accept this as a truth or valid assumption for every stage in life.

 

[The_Barrister]

DarkestHour1980:

Because I’m so scrupulous, I’m very worried that I’ve committed a mortal sin. Because I think about death so much, feeling as if death could come within the next five minutes, I’m worried that I might not get another chance to make this up to God.

I agree that you are not in a state of mortal sin for not speaking up.

Look at this, however, as an evangelical opportunity. Compose a well-written letter written from a pro-life point of view. Hit the high points. Tell him why he was wrong, gently, and in a spirit of charity. Send it to him, anonymously if necessary. Let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

Responding in this way may plant a seed of hope in his soul. More importantly for you, it will be invaluable in your growth in the Lord and will help you the next time this topic comes up, in this or any area of your life. Start small, finish in Heaven.

 

[Mom_of_one]

jmv:

I think the point of the 2 babies being born story is that even if you don’t believe that a human life is sacred just because it exists, that we are totally inept at judging the “value” of a human life. This shows a case where if we had tried to make this judgement we would have failed.

My point exactly.

And this is not my story. I found it somewhere on this forum. But I used it to make this point.