Comments on: The Assignment Wasn’t About Jesus http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/ by Hemant Mehta Sun, 27 May 2012 11:52:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Adrian http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-138416 Adrian Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:10:14 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-138416 <i>I also once aced a geology assignment I had failed to study for by adding in copious references to God and Christ. My teacher couldn’t in good conscience give me a bad grade. I actually got the paper back with “WOW!” and “AWESOME!” written all over it.</i> Disturbing. Really makes you think about just what these teachers are really teaching, though it is inspiring to know that kids are smart enough to pick up on cues and to exploit them. Maybe not learning about geology, but you'll take these life-lessons with you forever! I also once aced a geology assignment I had failed to study for by adding in copious references to God and Christ. My teacher couldn’t in good conscience give me a bad grade. I actually got the paper back with “WOW!” and “AWESOME!” written all over it.

Disturbing. Really makes you think about just what these teachers are really teaching, though it is inspiring to know that kids are smart enough to pick up on cues and to exploit them. Maybe not learning about geology, but you’ll take these life-lessons with you forever!

]]> By: Derek http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-138413 Derek Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:03:06 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-138413 <blockquote> I have yet to experience this perk of teaching in math class. Surely, there must be a way to work Jesus into the interior angles of a hexagon…</blockquote> In high school trig, our teacher asked us to write "devotional essays" every Monday in lieu of actual learning. One of the assignments was "Is your personal walk with Christ more like the sine function or a cosine function"? I said it was more like a hyperbolic arccotangent followed by some feel-good Christiany stuff that I probably earnestly meant at the time. I got an A. I also once aced a geology assignment I had failed to study for by adding in copious references to God and Christ. My teacher couldn't in good conscience give me a bad grade. I actually got the paper back with "WOW!" and "AWESOME!" written all over it.

I have yet to experience this perk of teaching in math class.

Surely, there must be a way to work Jesus into the interior angles of a hexagon…

In high school trig, our teacher asked us to write “devotional essays” every Monday in lieu of actual learning. One of the assignments was “Is your personal walk with Christ more like the sine function or a cosine function”?

I said it was more like a hyperbolic arccotangent followed by some feel-good Christiany stuff that I probably earnestly meant at the time. I got an A.

I also once aced a geology assignment I had failed to study for by adding in copious references to God and Christ. My teacher couldn’t in good conscience give me a bad grade. I actually got the paper back with “WOW!” and “AWESOME!” written all over it.

]]> By: Friendly Atheist » In Oklahoma, Religion Trumps a Real Education http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-138311 Friendly Atheist » In Oklahoma, Religion Trumps a Real Education Sun, 09 Mar 2008 06:54:47 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-138311 [...] Will they refuse to read a controversial English novel because of un-religious themes in the book? And if they do read it, will their essays all look like this? [...] [...] Will they refuse to read a controversial English novel because of un-religious themes in the book? And if they do read it, will their essays all look like this? [...]

]]> By: MAC http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134817 MAC Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:22:46 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134817 I linked her from The Uncredible Hallq's post about fundamentalism on campus. While this isn't really on-topic, I thought people might be interested in a video an acquaintence of mine took on our university campus recently: http://youtube.com/watch?v=SVIr2DHe8x0 I linked her from The Uncredible Hallq’s post about fundamentalism on campus. While this isn’t really on-topic, I thought people might be interested in a video an acquaintence of mine took on our university campus recently:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SVIr2DHe8x0

]]> By: Julie http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134601 Julie Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:06:58 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134601 I'm with Susan. The students don't understand what they read, so they're just writing b.s. Maybe they think they can curry favor with teachers by writing about Jesus, which means they might assume this professor is religious. Or maybe the students are just used to getting positive responses for even mentioning Jesus. Anyway, I doubt they're immersed in their theology. They probably were just surfing Youtube instead of reading those assignments. But really, I hope they were at least smoking pot and having sex with each other instead of reading those assignments. I’m with Susan. The students don’t understand what they read, so they’re just writing b.s. Maybe they think they can curry favor with teachers by writing about Jesus, which means they might assume this professor is religious. Or maybe the students are just used to getting positive responses for even mentioning Jesus.

Anyway, I doubt they’re immersed in their theology. They probably were just surfing Youtube instead of reading those assignments. But really, I hope they were at least smoking pot and having sex with each other instead of reading those assignments.

]]> By: Allison http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134562 Allison Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:46:54 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134562 I teach math and only very rarely get students working religion in. I had one who got cocky and said that he was going to mathematically prove God's existence. I wished him good luck on that but made sure to tell him that it wasn't darn likely he would succeed. More often I get students asking me to pray for them when a test starts..... I teach math and only very rarely get students working religion in. I had one who got cocky and said that he was going to mathematically prove God’s existence. I wished him good luck on that but made sure to tell him that it wasn’t darn likely he would succeed.

More often I get students asking me to pray for them when a test starts…..

]]> By: Milena http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134420 Milena Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:12:40 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134420 <blockquote>I can’t even count the number of poems that my classmates revealed to be about God.</blockquote> This reminds me of this one French class I had. We were analysing Jules Supervielle's <em>Prophetie</em> as practice for our final exam. The poem contained references to God, burning skies and oceans, flying fish, and the end of the world. Strangely enough, my atheist friends and I were the only ones who brought up the judeo-christian apocalypse as a possible interpretation.

I can’t even count the number of poems that my classmates revealed to be about God.

This reminds me of this one French class I had. We were analysing Jules Supervielle’s Prophetie as practice for our final exam. The poem contained references to God, burning skies and oceans, flying fish, and the end of the world. Strangely enough, my atheist friends and I were the only ones who brought up the judeo-christian apocalypse as a possible interpretation.

]]> By: J Sveda http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134390 J Sveda Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:03:12 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134390 Adrian said, For centuries, the church directly opposed the introduction of Indian/Arabic numerals because they contained zero ... This maybe dates back even to Zeno of Elea - he was afraid of implications of nothing (zero) being considered being something. Adrian said,

For centuries, the church directly opposed the introduction of Indian/Arabic numerals because they contained zero …

This maybe dates back even to Zeno of Elea – he was afraid of implications of nothing (zero) being considered being something.

]]> By: Seavee http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134385 Seavee Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:52:11 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134385 I would be interested to know what grades the students made. I don't think I could get away with teaching existentialism to my high school seniors. I would be interested to know what grades the students made.

I don’t think I could get away with teaching existentialism to my high school seniors.

]]> By: ss http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134360 ss Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:23:11 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/02/27/the-assignment-wasnt-about-jesus/#comment-134360 Blake talks of almost nothing except god and religion. True it's not conventional Christian theology, more of a deism, but he was certainly a very deep believer. It would be hard to avoid finding god in Blake's works. Blake talks of almost nothing except god and religion. True it’s not conventional Christian theology, more of a deism, but he was certainly a very deep believer. It would be hard to avoid finding god in Blake’s works.

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