This semester I signed up for a 300 level philosophy course called "Science & Religion." The class basically focuses on the battle between science and religion, and whether or not they can coexist. Or it's supposed to be. It's a 3 hour class once a week, and my professor, a tenured and well recognized professor who has published books and papers, spends the entire class arguing how stupid religion is, and how the world desperately needs to be cleansed of it. He's the most hardcore atheist I've ever met. These are some of his actual quotes that I wrote down (paraphrasing some): "Professors at every college should be required to teach their students that all religions are false." "Religion is the most dangerous thing in the world." "Religion is a cancer." "If you believe God created humans, you're brainwashed or you're an idiot." "Raising your child to follow any specific religion is child abuse." "This University should not give any religious holidays off, including Christmas." Now, I attend a top state school in NY. Not the best school in the country, but definitely not one where you would expect to hear such controversial claims. However, as an atheist myself, I love every minute of it. The 3 hour class flies by because I agree with almost all of what he says, and I learn a lot as well. I would never argue as harshly as he does, but all of his arguments are logical based on science. I just wonder how the religious kids in my class feel. I haven't talked to any of them really, because I don't want to ask them about their personal beliefs when I really don't know them. But I'm curious. As a religious person, would you be offended by this? He immediately dismisses any argument students try to make in favor of religion. Is it ok for him to force his beliefs on students like that?
I'm not even an atheist (agnostic) and I agree with everything you quoted, pretty much. I'm surprised he has a job, though, if he is that confrontational. I think it's mis-characterizing it to call what he is doing "forcing his beliefs on students." I assume the class is not mandatory, and the reason I'm surprised he has a job is because I'd expect 90% of his students to drop after the first night or two, which would cost the school tuition money. Are you sure that's really how he is, and not maybe some ploy he uses to weed out the scared ninnies who can't hold onto ideas they don't agree with long enough to give them proper examination? ps. Nice sig, one of my favorite quotes.
Yea, a professor like that will polarize his students - which in turn will stop him from getting any input from the ones that don't agree with him. Though, that is funny he's so adamant about it.
i think that approach does more harm then good- the only ones who will listen are those who already have a sympathetic lean towards what he says and the others will probably ignore everything and focus on just passing the class. sounds like a fun teacher though
your professor is awesome. religion IS fucking curse on this whole entire god dam planet. religion should be abolished entirely. if i was in that class i'd enjoy the hell out of it.but if i were a christian i would be pretty pissed though so he should probably tone it down a bit.
If religion wasnt taught as fact instead of an idea then it wouldnt be as dangerous. Humans are dangerous.
Uh, no. He sounds like a guy who wants people to stop deluding themselves. We need more people like him in this world. Geniuses who tell retards like it is so they stop being retarded. I just don't understand how in this day and age with all of our technological advances and all of our scientific discoveries, there are still people who honestly believe that a giant invisible man in the sky created the universe. And that idea is based on what? Absolutely nothing. "God did it" is the answer you give when you don't know the answer, and you don't want other people to know that you don't know the answer.
So it makes you a genius to deny a possiblity but you're an idiot if you want to have faith. Mainly in hopes that you'll see your loved ones again. Gotcha.
Erase all religion from the history books (preserve it in a vault somewhere), remove it from the public consciousness. Put a password on the vault door, being any of the normal names of god as we know it. Wait 100 years. If anyone can open the vault door after growing up in a world that doesn't train them in religion, the world deserves religion. I'd bet that no one is getting into that vault, because what the religious call faith is really just training.
I can agree with pretty much all of what he said, but the above statement shows the professor's own short-comings IMO. It seems as if he's claiming to know how existence came to be (or he knows for sure how it did not), and I don't think anyone can possibly know that (at least at this point in time). Therefore, a person calling another person brainwashed or an idiot over a matter which is beyond the realm of present human knowledge is, in and of itself, idiotic. IMO at least.
I took it as him referencing the creationism versus evolution "debate." We do know where humans came from.
I don't believe anything. I either know things or I don't know them. Period. Have you ever noticed that the word "belief" usually applies to things that don't actually exist? "I believe in Santa Claus." "I believe in the Boogieman." "I believe in God." You can't say shit like, "I believe in elephants." That just makes you sound stupid. Elephants exist. You don't have to believe in them.