# Will Professors try to turn me into an athiest in College **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 5, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419 "2004-04-05T19:50:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/81 "2004-04-08T02:32:25Z")
> [@Faucet](#): > > Female Student: I believe that God created everything. > > Teacher: That’s good but as the course goes on we will learn a lot of great science facts and we will go more into the scientific theories and build upon those rather than go in to many directions but that is a great point to make. > > Female Student: Can I do my reports with things I believe in. > > Teacher: Let’s not go there yet because as you learn your beliefs may change and thats what I’m here to do as a teacher enlighten you…but Thank You very good issues. > > Thats an almost 2 year old memory but mostly I remember him kind of saying in a “nice” way that her beliefs were not scientific and if she or any of the christians had any brains they’d believe the way he did. There’s a heck of a difference between that conversation, the way you described it at first (“throw…out the window”) and the way you describe it now (“had any brains”). As far as I can see, you’re being a bit harsh on the guy - I can’t see how he could have handled it any more politely. So, now we have you back here **Faucet** , do you feel safe that your beliefs won’t be threatened? As a matter of curiousity, do you adhere to “Young Earth” theory or similar literal interpretations of the Bible? If so, do you see this being a problem? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/82 "2004-04-08T02:36:16Z")
> [@Siege](#): > > (In fairness, such people usually aren’t sure what Episcopalians are, so we duck most of that fire.) > > CJ You can’t really blame them - we _Episcopalians_ usually can’t even agree what we are! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/83 "2004-04-08T03:34:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Typically this includes many groups who would prefer not to grouped with Protestants, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Latter Day Saints. OK, color me confused. If the “Other Christians” classification didn’t cover the denominations that don’t consider themselves to be Protestant (such as LDS and JW), then what did it cover? ---
**Author:** ![Thingol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Thingol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thingol)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/84 "2004-04-08T03:56:41Z")
For the poor and the hungry, all the lost souls left in the lurch, there’s just Reverend Jack and his Roamin’ Cadillac Church. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/85 "2004-04-08T04:05:18Z")
> [@sugaree](#): > > At any moment a student could complain that learning this stuff violates his or her religious convictions. Delicate verbal acrobatics are needed to avoid summoning the dread spector of hysterical parents to the principal’s office and the school board meeting. Tell me about it. I’ve thankfully only had to deal with this a few times. But whenever I run a planetarium show about the Hubble or something else dealing with cosmology, and a Christian school is in the audience, I spend nearly the entire time nervously practicing possible responses to tough questions that might be posed during the question-and-answer session after the show. Just in case someone questions the line about the Universe being 12-15 billion years old. And after all this practice, I’m still no good at staying coherent while trying to honestly answer the question and simultaneously not step on anyone’s beliefs. And unlike most teachers, the worst repercussion I ever face is a disapproving note on a teacher’s evaluation form. (Upon reading said note I wonder to myself whether the teacher who booked the show was aware who Edwin Hubble was or what HST’s _primary_ mission is…) It is very, very hard to walk that tightrope. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/86 "2004-04-08T05:17:29Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > OK, color me confused. If the “Other Christians” classification didn’t cover the denominations that don’t consider themselves to be Protestant (such as LDS and JW), then what did it cover? I just took part of a much larger quote. It’s a little confusing, but I think _Other_ includes LDS, JW, etc. It’s a pretty interesting [site](http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html) Another thing, after looking at the numbers **Abbie Carmichael** makes a good point that Protestants are not a \*small \* minority of Christians. I figured that with the Latin American countries and Italy, France, and Spain, that there would be a much bigger percentage of Roman Catholics. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/87 "2004-04-08T05:20:09Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > OK, color me confused. If the “Other Christians” classification didn’t cover the denominations that don’t consider themselves to be Protestant (such as LDS and JW), then what did it cover? It could be some of the eastern Christian churches that are neither Orthodox nor in communion with the Roman Catholic church - Copts, Syriacs, Chaldeean - not sure if I’ve got them right. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/88 "2004-04-08T05:32:56Z")
In summary, I think that college professors won’t try to convert you to atheism. But we citizens of the SDMB certainly will. ---
**Author:** ![Marlow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Marlow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlow)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/89 "2004-04-08T05:36:13Z")
Given your last reply, I’m pretty sure geology is not your bag. Even if you do go to Uni, stay out of res. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/90 "2004-04-08T06:14:54Z")
I have a BA in Religious Studies from a state university and I never heard even a religion prof express a personal religious belief in class, not even the one who was a Catholic priest. Science profs had no patience for patently stupid and unscientific beliefs like creationism or Noah’s flood and they would discuss evolution or the age of the earth as settled facts without bothering to qualify anything or apologize to the fundies and I know some of the fundies would get in a snit about it and accuse the profs or the school of being “anti-Christian” (as though Biblical literalism is synonomous with Christianity). I once took a seminar on Elie Wiesel. On the first day of class, this long-haired “Jesus Freak” type told the class that he believed the holocaust was God’s payback to the Jews for rejecting Christ. When the prof did not exactly leap with agreement over this pronouncement, the kid dropped the class and complained that the teacher “did not want to hear a Christian view.” I think a lot of what some people perceive as “anti-Christian” or “atheist” is just presentation of facts which doesn’t jibe with what they’ve been previously told is “true” and so they think the profs must be lying or trying to destroy their faith. ---
**Author:** ![Faucet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@Faucet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faucet)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/91 "2004-04-08T06:52:26Z")
> [@lambchops](#): > > There’s a heck of a difference between that conversation, the way you described it at first (“throw…out the window”) and the way you describe it now (“had any brains”). As far as I can see, you’re being a bit harsh on the guy - I can’t see how he could have handled it any more politely. > > So, now we have you back here **Faucet** , do you feel safe that your beliefs won’t be threatened? As a matter of curiousity, do you adhere to “Young Earth” theory or similar literal interpretations of the Bible? If so, do you see this being a problem? On a message board I cannot impersonate the teacher’s tone but that had a lot to do with it…if people don’t believe this, then so be it because this is a freakin’ message board but if you do believe me and think I was overreacting then you go somewhere and have someone matter of factly dismiss every thing you believe in. I actually don’t have a solid opinion either way about Young Earth or Old Earth I could go either way eventhough my teacher would have me believe the Earth is between 6 and 10’000 years old. I don’t think you need to believe that to believe God created the Earth. I have exclusively been looking at secular colleges because I have never been to a public school and would like to atleast experience it in College. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/92 "2004-04-08T07:30:14Z")
In my experience (B.S. in Molecular Biology, currently getting a Ph.D. in Molecular and Human Genetics): I never had any issues in the large state school I did my undergraduate degree in. I was conservative Jewish, and I stayed that way through college and through the first two years of post graduate training in medical school. There is too much to learn in science classes for professors to extemporaneously spout off on religion (usually). Graduate school has been a whole other cup o’ tea. Whether it was being surrounded by areligious people or whether it was the quest to make a self-consistent lifestyle for myself, I now am an atheist. We have religious people around, and their beliefs come up and get challenged pretty regularly. The ones who truly believe have no problem sticking to it (and in fact many get more religious), but I find those who have casual beliefs usually end up dropping a lot of religious pretense. At least around my neck of the woods. I have had dozens of conversations about religion – in my experience, it is something that scientists positively relish. I think this is because we are encouraged, as scientists, to critically examine every aspect of our work and the work of others. We are constantly asking if results support conclusions, devising experiments to provide correct data, etc. There is spill-over into one’s private life, and unless you put up a firm divide, you end up questioning personal beliefs right along with your scientific ones. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/93 "2019-09-02T00:10:55Z")
I was sent to Catholic schools from kindergarten through university. I became ex-Catholic somewhere between high school and going away to university. I remained ex-Catholic through the remainder of my Catholic university, which required 9 hours of theology courses and 9 hours of (mostly Catholic) philosophy to graduate. I took religious art and comparative religion courses for the theology credits and Indian philosophy. What does my experience mean for you? Absolutely nothing. I’m an individual on my own intellectual and spiritual course through life, you’re an individual on your own course. Generalizations mean nothing. It’s all what you, yourself, make of yourself. Going away to college means you get to pilot your own boat for the first time. Your hand’s on the tiller. Anchors aweigh, cap’n. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-professors-try-to-turn-me-into-an-athiest-in-college/238419/94 "2019-09-02T00:18:10Z")
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