# Oklahoma student invokes Christian beliefs in college essay, gets failing grade **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 6, 2025, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443 "2025-12-06T01:37:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/101 "2025-12-09T00:53:23Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Back in the day rigid word counts were kinda infeasible “Assume 5 letters per word, 10 words per line, 25 lines per page, making 250 words per page” were the instructions in the olden days of typewriting essays and theses. It’s still about what you get. And there is a difference in what is possible and expected in essays of different sizes. But the tight limits in this assignment seem, well, pettifogging. I’d go so far as to say ridiculously authoritarian. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/102 "2025-12-09T01:08:19Z")
You’re the college professor, not me. I bow to your superior expertise. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/103 "2025-12-09T01:10:04Z")
Realizing that this is my expertise has triggered an existential crisis. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/104 "2025-12-09T01:29:45Z")
And here I meant to be respectful. Sorry! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/105 "2025-12-09T01:37:09Z")
Straight A student and nobody ever critiqued her religious non-sites before? Bull. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/106 "2025-12-09T01:47:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Straight A student and nobody ever critiqued her religious non-sites before? Bull. Sure, but she says she _believes_ that, and also that she _read it somewhere._ ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/107 "2025-12-09T01:59:00Z")
Well, I believe she is a religious idiot. Case closed ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/108 "2025-12-09T02:00:58Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Prof. Valkai, who has relevant credentials longer than my arm… Also one of the grab-bag of host for _The Atheist Experience_. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/109 "2025-12-09T02:26:47Z")
Not your fault. Ultimately, we are each alone in an uncaring universe. Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/110 "2025-12-09T02:36:04Z")
Forrest Valkai is also one of the rotating hosts for **The Line,** a similar YT site to the **Atheist Experience**. It was founded by Matt Dillahunty after a dispute with AE. He teamed up with Jimmy Snow for technical expertise, and they now have a larger roster, more shows, and more variety than AE. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/111 "2025-12-09T02:38:32Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Forrest Valkai’s take on this situation is well worth the read (=viewing) It keeps cutting out. But I’ve got to say, I like the attempted interruption at about minute 19. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/112 "2025-12-09T06:30:22Z")
The chairman of the OK College Republicans says the essay deserved the grade it got. [![](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54972931086_324b511b11_z.jpg) ](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54972931086_324b511b11_z.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/113 "2025-12-09T09:49:54Z")
Never mind (post deleted). ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/114 "2025-12-09T10:56:43Z")
I appreciate Conner Tranquill’s take, but it’s a bit ironic saying “We are not the party of participation trophies” the week Trump was given the FIFA Peace Prize. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/115 "2025-12-09T12:30:22Z")
I’m in total support of the instructor in this. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/116 "2025-12-09T12:39:37Z")
Conner, whose take is at least grounded in reality, is a 21 year old kid with no real influence. I’m sure he’s already found out how much his own party cares about things that are grounded in reality. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/117 "2025-12-09T13:37:25Z")
Especially when the Bible is the source of a lot of OK conservatives’ “reality”. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/118 "2025-12-09T14:03:58Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I appreciate Conner Tranquill’s take, but it’s a bit ironic saying “We are not the party of participation trophies” the week Trump was given the FIFA Peace Prize. It was a very reasonable take, which led me to wonder if he might be a NeverTrunper. So I googled the guy and it turns out he has a website, which confirms that he’s 21 (so he was what, 10, the last time the Republicans were not run by Trump?) and also includes a photo of him holding a Trump sign. So, after review, I concurr with your assessment of the irony of the situation. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/119 "2025-12-12T09:39:48Z")
this video is really good covering it, in my opinion. Perhaps I missed it, but this one gave me a good understanding of what the article was about. What the student talks about in her essay doesn’t even demonstrate she read the study let alone understood it. The study’s conclusion is that middle school boys who don’t adhere to male gender stereotypes are more likely to be bullied. [Another Idiot MAGA College Student Takes the Spotlight - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwjT8UiUhRM) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443/120 "2025-12-13T16:13:36Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Especially when the Bible is the source of a lot of OK conservatives’ “reality”. Correction: When Bible fanfiction is the source of their reality. Most of them wouldn’t recognize the real thing if they saw it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-student-invokes-christian-beliefs-in-college-essay-gets-failing-grade/1025443.md?page=7)