More Chain-pulling for the Anti-Intellectualist Right

A free marketplace of ideas doesn't bode well for orthodox Christian beliefs. An article in the American Family Association Journal, "Colleges Turn Left, Students Think That's Right," concludes:
what students and parents don’t realize is that today’s campuses are functioning as an indoctrination into the realm of liberalism. As early as the 1790s, Yale college students were openly disavowing Christ. Despite periods of revival, the denial of Christian beliefs and the acceptance of secularism have persisted and gained strength through the years.
Surely not! Surely being in a place which encourages rational thinking and critical examination of evidence and truth values is good for Christianity, right? Apparently not:



J. Budziszewski wrote,
The trial everyone has heard about – but most people underrate – is the sheer spiritual disorientation of the modern campus...Methods of indoctrination are likely to include not only required courses, but also freshman orientation, speech codes, mandatory diversity training, dormitory policies, guidelines for registered student organizations and mental health counseling
My favorite take on how these things endanger and indoctrinate students in an anti-Christian way comes from PZ Myers:
Mental health counseling, though, I can see as dangerous to born-again Christians. It might make them sane.
All Budziszewski has done is spread more of the "Religious Liberty for Me, but not for Thee," approach. That is to say that since universities encourage students to tolerate the views of others, Christians benefit (they are tolerated and allowed to exercise religious freedom) but decry the benefit being given to the Muslim, Buddhist, atheist...etc.

Given the fact that universities are flooded with Christian campus groups and often are set in college towns which contain at least 1-10 Christian churches per thousand people ratio, I find it hard to believe that people like Budziszewski could be so dense as to cry that attending a university "indoctrinates" you. As if university students are isolated from family and friends, or are not allowed to attend as many worship services a week as they want, and pray as much as they want, and read their Bible as much as they want, etc.

In point of fact, this belies the weakness of the value system Budziszewski wants to protect: these students choose to lay aside the faith of their childhood to explore the world of ideas they discover. Some find the world too large for the narrow mind they brought with them to college, and grow out of it. Big surprise...

American students (esp those raised in Christian homes, which is who this article is about) are basically surrounded by Christianity and Christian culture from birth. The truth is that Budziszewski knows this, and he knows that the "disorientation" he declaims platitudes over is really "exposure to different thinking." Well, sorry, but that's the function and purpose of a university. The reason this exposure is so deleterious in the view of Budziszewski and Focus on the Family and others is the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of many of these selfsame Christian beliefs and values -- they are easily shown as such.

If you want your kiddies "safe" from the "dangerous" ideas, then you'd better not just homeschool them for high school, but "home college school" them too. There's no better way to ensure the survival of your religious views than to isolate your children from reality, such that the indoctrination of views you've exposed them to since birth is never challenged by competing worldviews. This article really underscores the saddest thing -- these people can't see that the fact that university education frequently leads to a deconversion, or change in views, is quite telling of their childrens' views in the first place. If your kids are brought up believing ignorant things, and you want them educated, then what in the hell do you expect?

If you don't want them to question the logic of basing their entire lives on the reliability of a dusty set of scrolls of unknown origins, you'd better not send them somewhere that encourages serious rational thinking. The college you pick had better not teach them modern chemistry, physics, biology, etc., or else they may start to be a bit incredulous about axe heads floating on water, global floods and bathtub arks, and people raising from the dead (just like in other myths they learn as myths). Perhaps Patriot University ("Dr." Dino's alma mater), or Pacific International University ("Dr." Baugh's alma mater)?

Another funny note is that the public universities suffered a reversal in this trend since the '80s, whereas Christian colleges cause more deconversions since the '80s.

(HT: PZ)
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7 comments:

Josh said...

There seems to be a contradiction here. If the exposure to liberalism at Universities is what is cause these Christians to deconvert (of which I am one), why are the percentages for Christian campuses so high?

Rereading your entry, it seems you are agreeing with that sentiment.

Another Quote:
Mental health counseling, though, I can see as dangerous to born-again Christians. It might make them sane.

Actually, I see this as just the opposite. I've had some experience with the mental health profession, from both sides "of the couch." One of the biggest problems is that many times you are told that your are not in control of your problems, and you need to turn them over to god so that he can take care of them. AA is a good example, but it's common, especially with long-term mental health institutions who are primarily christian.

My own deconversion came from exposure to science and the discovery of how badly Christianity represents theories like evolution, and even the way they hide their own history.

Those are great statistics, though. It's good to see positive things especially in today's age.

Aaron Kinney said...

Good news, guys:

So Long, Satire!

:)

JasonJ said...

Thanks for the posting. I have just recently come across your site and definately find it interesting. I wrote a similar story on my blog a while back concerning David "whore"owitz and his little anti-intellectual movement. If you can remember Students for Academic Freedom then perhaps you will remember this argument. It is my honest opinion that we need to stem the tide of religiosity invading our educational institutions

nsfl said...

There seems to be a contradiction here. If the exposure to liberalism at Universities is what is cause these Christians to deconvert (of which I am one), why are the percentages for Christian campuses so high?

Classical liberalism doesn't equal the modern political conception thereof. What the article writers meant by "left" surely doesn't equate to what you think in your own mind of finding on Christian college campuses, but, if you've never noticed, you probably attend a liberal arts college...

;)

Seriously, though, the authors took the time to point out that Yale in the 18th century was "liberal" for being a part of the Enlightenment. Use that definition for liberal [what Yale was like back then]and I doubt you'd have a hard time reconciling the seeming contradiction. What our retarded author here suggests is that thinking in a way that leads one to abandon Christianity = "librool".

Rereading your entry, it seems you are agreeing with that sentiment.

I clearly agree that exposure to the ideals of liberalism: leads one to

One of the biggest problems is that many times you are told that your are not in control of your problems, and you need to turn them over to god so that he can take care of them.

Good ol' Chrisian counseling, which tries to inject bankrupt theology into tried-and-proven methods of psychotherapy...a hybridized monster.

AA is a good example, but it's common, especially with long-term mental health institutions who are primarily christian.

Of course, any Christian institution will employ god-based therapy. I concur that AA is a sad joke of a program. For those people that it works for, more power to them. For those people who it does not work for (me), they may find (as I did) that the best way to change your habits is to expose your mind to new and bigger things.

My own deconversion came from exposure to science and the discovery of how badly Christianity represents theories like evolution, and even the way they hide their own history.

Ah, but don't you see, the dirty university probably played a part in that...?!?!?

Those are great statistics, though. It's good to see positive things especially in today's age.

Troubling that the public universities show a loss, but other than that, yeah.

nsfl said...

Sorry, I got cut off when I said --

I clearly agree that exposure to the ideals of liberalism: leads one to

I meant to define liberalism:

From Merriam-Webster --
Liberalism: 2 often capitalized : a movement in modern Protestantism emphasizing intellectual liberty and the spiritual and ethical content of Christianity b : a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition, the self-regulating market, and the gold standard c : a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties d capitalized : the principles and policies of a Liberal party

Liberal: 5 : BROAD-MINDED; especially : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms
6 a : of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism b capitalized : of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism; especially : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives


Wikipedia - Liberalism: Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value.[1] Liberalism has its roots in the Western Enlightenment, but the term now encompasses a diversity of political thought.

Broadly speaking, contemporary liberalism emphasizes individual rights as opposed to group rights. It seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, free public education, and progressive taxation, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of all citizens are protected. In modern society, liberals favor a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and an equal opportunity to succeed.

__

And from there point out that the modern university is founded on these ideals (as well as our country). This is "classical" liberalism, which is staunchly and diametrically opposed by neo-conservatism, as it is anti-intellectual, anti-egalitarian, etc. However, paleoconservatives, or those who share some qualities of fiscal or social conservative policies (smaller government, less spending, controlled immigration, etc) are not necessarily going to have problems passing legislation written supporting these liberal ideals.

My point was that exposure to this way of thinking, which is broad-mindedness exemplified, does indeed often lead to a loss of the narrow-minded and restricted thinking that students bring with them from their upbringing.

vjack said...

And those of us who teach at public universities are caught between reality and religious delusion. There is tremendous pressure to either ignore topics related to religion or present them in such a way that all religions are considered positive and equally so.

Anonymous said...

The author of the post makes it sound like all universities are committed to the pursuit of objective truth - my university experience was anything but that.

Universities are made up of professors who each have their own agenda and bias that slants everything from their lectures to the textbooks they choose for others to read.

The truth is, mankind in general will pursue every opportunity to suppress the truth of God in order to self-justify their own actions.

I have never experienced a non-christian teacher even come close to presenting the Bible or Christianity in an objective way - most only showed their complete ignorance on the topic and obvious bias. Maybe there are some that do, I just have never experienced it.