If your child received a full scholarship to an Ivy League college that forced students so take courses?

Question

titled:

Evolution and the myth of creationism
Religion as a social control mechanism
God, Jesus, Zeus and other myths
The prayer delusion

Would you accept?

What if the courses were titled:

Only god can make a person
Uniting the world through the teachings of Jesus
The biblical way to morals and ethics
The power of prayer


Would you accept then?

Answer 1

I would accept neither because it would be the teacher trying to impose their own personal beliefs on the student and not the student learning belief themself through study and reading and introspection.

Answer 2

No for either one because Ivy League colleges only bring overpriced pretentiousness. Why do you have to pay Harvard or Yale ridiculous tuition and fee prices when they have endowments enough to pay the tuition of every last student for I don't know how many decades? Because you pay for being able to run around with the children of the snotty rich. Some guy like me can't afford weekend trips on a regular basis to Bermuda! My kids would be social outcasts there, ostracized for not being able to make pretentious expenditures. You want to send your kid into that sort of social situation?

THEN, if you read enough about Ivy League educations, you quickly figure out that the quality of undergraduate education is no better than a good state school! Once again, the only advantage comes from pretentiousness, which might help open a few doors of those taken in by such things, but won't help you keep a job any longer than anywhere else.

Now, if my kid wanted to go despite my misgivings and had a full-ride scholarship, then I suppose they can do what they want as an adult with funding, but don't expect me to set any cash aside for it!

Answer 3

Well, I am an atheist, and had I been offered a scholarship either way, I would have taken it.

Even, if it was the last set of courses.

Here's the deal. I can sit through those courses, and may even learn some things, but I can tolerate sitting through those classes in the name of free education at an ivy league school.

People need to learn to choose their battles. I believe what I believe, and sitting in classes as you stated will not change them. But, a degree from an ivy league school can translate to more opportunity down the road.

It's almost like when I get asked why I take the holidays off such as christmas, easter, and such. My theory is simple. They are paying me for a day that I don't have to actually do any work. They can make a holiday for the Zulu god of fertility for all I care. If they are willing to pay me for sleeping in and enjoying the day off, it works for me.

Answer 4

i probably would dislike my child signing up for any of the courses listed, as judging by their titles none of those classes seem like anything more than indoctrination to a specific point of view rather than objective education. more acceptable classes would be:

Evolution and the myth of creationism < an objective study of proofs for an against evolution and creationism

Religion as a social control mechanism < religion in a social context

God, Jesus, Zeus and other myths < comparative religious studies

The prayer delusion < the psychology of prayer

Only god can make a person < biology 101

Uniting the world through the teachings of Jesus < the life of jesus and its impact on the modern world

The biblical way to morals and ethics < biblical ethics and morals

The power of prayer < the psychology of prayer

yeah, my titles are a bit less biased.

Answer 5

You take the courses and give them the answers to get you pass the courses. You must do this if you want the degree from that particular school. Many highly committed people who love God have done this. Once they have the degrees they can just write a book about why the courses such as you describe are a hoax. Or they can give speeches in various forums such as the media.


Look, everyone is not going to go the local Christian College. We need dedicated people to the Lord to go into the general university population. Otherwise how would there be salt among the students?

Just make sure your child understands about the lies of evolution etc. He or She will be confronted with this and other issues such as Atheism. Make sure they understand such things as the absurdity of Atheism. Anyone who has studied logic knows that an absolute negative is indefensible.

Answer 6

I'm a Christian and when I went to college in the 70's they taught evolution, hailed Darwin as a hero, downplayed religion, mythology was taught was a part of world literature, and there was no school prayer. It didn't shake my faith but it did make me angry that the college courses were so one-sided.

What shook my confidence was some of my Christian friends suddenly believing the lies put out by some atheists - not the ones who just didn't believe in God but those who truly hated God and those who believed in Him.

I have no reason to believe that state colleges have changed.

I would take you up on your second offer because at that same college I went to there were bomb threats and drugs that, hopefully, would not be found at a Christian school.

Answer 7

As Judy so succintly stated, it isn't my choice what college my child chooses to attend. I hope that at that point in my life I will be able to pay for college should they choose to attend school, thus not requiring them to accept this scholarship if they didn't wish to.

The first one I would be more willing to "encourage" because if my child has faith, it doesn't matter what classes they have to take. Faith isn't about class, information, facts, etc.

The second class pushes religious teachings on people, which is different, so I wouldn't encourage them to accept.

Note: My opinion is obviously biased because I am agnostic-atheist, but I do believe that teaching that religion is B.S. is merely showing evidence and such, whereas teaching religion is teaching based on nothing but faith.

Answer 8

I got a full scholarship to a methodist college, and taking at least one christian class is part of the curriculum. I took the class, passed it with a 97 average, and then dismissed everything that I had learned. I guess it depends on whether or not you're prepared to pay for your child's education or not. Personally, I didn't mind taking one religious class in order to have the rest of my education paid for.

I make the same argument here that I make about evolution being taught in public school -- learn the material, ace the test, and then forget all about it if you want.

Answer 9

Children going to college are adults. It's up to them. I would hope by that point they would have the critical thinking skills to determine what the best way to manage such situations would be.

And besides, you won't find an Ivy League university requiring any such courses, although they may be offered as electives.


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Answer 10

Well if I had a child, and he/she was old enough, for the first lot I would say yes, even if the second lot wasn't included.

For the second lot I would only accept if the first lot was included.

Although if the child really really wanted to and they only had the second lot I'd probably allow it and ask him/her to remember to keep an open mind.