If I recall correctly, one of the main characters is rewarded handsomely for reporting the whereabouts of a wanted criminal to the authorities.
I’ve no opinion on the professors situation. Just heard about it in a conversation and someone noted it was a Christian college and they were curious as to any Biblical background for this widespread practice some have of advocating the reporting of alleged wrongdoing.
I think that it was pure conjecture that the professor may have been terminated for whistle-blowing.
I’d bet the Bible or Koran or whatever “says” or “tells us” (interpreted by someone, somewhere) whatever we want it to.
What would you expect for violating the First Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me?”. That a Just God would say “Oh well, if you didn’t feel like keeping this one then go ahead, do as you like. And any of the others while you’re at it”?
There’s a big gap between “This person is doing something I told them not to, and i’m going to punish them for that.” and “This person is doing something I told them not to; kill them by stoning to set an example for others.”
“Just” doesn’t just mean that a crime gets a punishment. It needs to get an appropriate punishment. And I were told that the judge was good, just and loving, I would not expect a punishment so harsh as a very painful death.
I read in a family health magazine in the doctors waiting room that young kids develop their idea of "fairness’’ very early and quickly learn to report anything perceived as unfair to the authority such as parent or caregiver.
This writer thought our eagerness to report, inform, squeal, blow the whistle, is just some leftover childishness leaving me to infer that there is little or no moral or ethical need for this informing behavior.
Generally informing the authorities (or snitching or tattling or whatever) acquires a negative connotation among groups of people who believe the authorities treat them unfairly, such as African Americans, 19th century Southern Italians, children, drug users, etc.
There’s also an element of machismo to it. A real man doesn’t need to report the bully to the teacher, he can beat up the bully himself. And of course boys are usually the ones most desperate to prove that they are “real men.”