Christian Academics Cite Hostility On Campus

[Kind of Blue]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128959747

"When Elaine Howard Ecklund began asking top scientists whether they believe in God, she got a surprise. Ecklund, an assistant professor at Rice University and author of the book Science Vs. Religion, polled 1,700 scientists at elite universities. Contrary to the stereotype that most scientists are atheists, she says, nearly half of them say they are religious. But when she did follow up interviews, she found they practice a 'closeted faith.'

And it appears that climate may extend beyond science departments. A poll of 1,200 academics by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research found that more than half said they have unfavorable feelings toward evangelical Christians.

What do you think??? As much as I've disliked the prejudice and judgments of evangelicals, and sometimes the person - okay, many times, I'm surprised that this disturbs me and doesn't fill me with outright glee.

[Sanity Claws]

1. What does "closeted faith" mean?

I think these folks are just keeping their religious practices private. Nothing wrong with that. The author chose to use the word closeted rather than private in order to cast the matter in a negative light.

[Kind of Blue]

5. Yeah, I see your point but it was the 50 percent

of academics polled having negative views about evangelicals that struck me, and how those feelings might translate into negative actions in the workplace.

I was surprised too by the number of scientists who say they are religious and wonder if spirituality is being lumped in with religion here.

[get the red out]

11. I agree with "spiritual" being lumped in with religious

It often is, or the opposite from the religious end, with spiritual being lumped in with agnostic.

When I saw the 50% having negative feelings toward Evangelicals I was disappointed that it was only 50%. I don't see why 100% of any group of thinking human beings wouldn't have very negative feelings toward this group of hate-mongers. Respecting them and their nasty views has given them the freedom to just about ruin this country and try to run everyone's lives. When they are given and inch they take a mile. I don't care what they believe but they must be called on their power-hunger and deserve a backlash.

[Kind of Blue]

12. Hear! Hear! GTRO. I hear ya.

I think my mind jumped immediately to the vicious cycle, as IHAD mentioned below. But yes, I'm with you all the way about calling the hate-monger out and the backlash is expected. Just hope we won't do to them exactly what they've done to others, so we can stop any kind of impending cycle of intolerance, except for hate.

[I Have A Dream]

2. Maybe you empathize since we here in ASAH...

are often treated the same way by certain groups of people here at DU.

People should be able to have the beliefs that they have as long as they allow the same consideration for other people.

[BanzaiBonnie]

3. I've always found it hard to understand

why we just don't live and let live. Why must people step on others beliefs? As long as they're not hurting anyone...

But I have a new lens to view this from. And I've been really working on it. Cruelty - words - do hurt. And when someone is in direct relationship with another, by injuring another, we have diminished their light. We have stolen energy from them to feed ourselves.

Mark Dunn explained at the beginning of the seminar that that everything is a motivation for power, from rape, to murder, to stalking, as well as even the small things we do that wring the power out of people we love is a search to feed ourselves. We are starving and don't know how to get what we need in clean ways. We've made all our structures complex and duplicitous.

The human frequency, in duality will not be denied. Until we learn to feed without acting out the patterns of power, we walk this planet like zombies in a search for blood. Acting without being conscious.

OK, those are my words for it. But I think the zombie analogy is accurate. AFAIK zombies are unconscious creatures with no will of their own. They are following a program.

[I Have A Dream]

4. I think that what you say is very true, Bonnie.

Oh please let us find a way out of this vicious cycle.

:(

[BanzaiBonnie]

7. We can't change this while we are IN the system

Only by working toward being conscious for longer and longer periods of time will we begin to find solutions. It's all internal.

This pushes me further and further into a deep realization that we are spiritual beings. We are rooted in the spiritual; each unique being. And we are projected onto the physical to have the experience. It's a path of self discovery.

[Kind of Blue]

6. I think you're absolutely right, especially today

reading Cleita's post that wasn't even about belief, just simple curiosity followed by some nastiness. Well, like my mom used to say, people who can't express themselves without resorting to slurs have no home training :rofl:

[NJCher]

8. academia frowns on anything that's not scientific

"Scientific theory" and numbers is what it's all about. The academic world just loves numbers. Even in the humanities they try to reduce to a number. You should see the way we do evaluations of student writing: by the numbers. We have a matrix and a number is chosen to rate the student's performance. Same thing goes for speeches.

It's not so much prejudice against any one religion as it is against anything that can't be reduced to a number.

Christians shouldn't take offense. I would be treated the same way at my university if they found out I was intrigued by UFOs.


Cher

[BanzaiBonnie]

9. Reduce everything to its base

And when you reduce and reduce and reduce, you will still never reach the center. Infinity...

When science admits that it cannot measure everything and religion admits there is more than one way and the forms of the two can unite, then and only then will we make progress toward knowing who we are.

But we'll be ahead of them all. We'll know we are GOD.

[NJCher]

10. mechanistic worldview

It's part of an old worldview that is going out the window.

I heard a program a few weeks ago about that worldview and how it is changing. It was on WBAI after Amy Goodman's show. I wanted to get the name of the author but failed to follow up and now it's prob'ly too late.


Cher

[Kind of Blue]

14. Have you seen this one, NJCher?

Churchill ordered UFO cover-up, National Archives show http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4492484

I haven't read the whole link but there are photos in the OP.

[BanzaiBonnie]

15. Because it would shatter people's religious views

And it's my understanding that upon taking office, President Jimmy Carter was briefed about UFO contact. When he was told that the Bible was basically a work of fiction, he wept. And he couldn't bring himself to destroy the belief in Christianity that is held by so many.

[Kind of Blue]

16. Hmm, I'm going to have to find this on Pres. Carter.

I had no idea. I'm wondering what it was about UFOs and Bible/Christianity that made him weep. I'm thinking of the belief that our human evolution and a lot of Genesis were from Sumerian text about extraterrestrial manipulations and visitations.

2012 - Book of Enoch Fallen Angeles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6BlvgOgb5Y&feature=player_embedded

[NJCher]

18. reinterpretation?

I think it's more reinterpretation than it is that it's not true. For example, reinterpret a "God" or "angel" as a being with a more highly developed mastery over the forces of the universe (extraterrestrial). That being might glow as it manifests from one dimension to another.

View Jesus as an incarnation of an advanced soul. The soul who manifested as Jesus might also have manifested in other beings for purposes of teaching. I see Enoch mentioned here on this thread, for example, and also Jesus, said Cayce, was the father of the founder of Zoroastrianism.

"Life ever after" does indeed exist, but one's place in that afterlife does not depend on how many Hail Marys one does. It has more to do with the individual's own mental place at the time of crossing over.

Last night I was watching a television show that maintained that the Bible is actually historically accurate. It cited a number of proofs but I would be hardpressed to repeat them right now. I also don't know how consistent that proof is across all parts of the Bible. At least we can say that in some cases it is historically accurate: the 500-mile march of the Israelites, for example, and the ability of the Israelites to record their own history while in captivity.

I often think of my mother as being sort of fundamentalist (although it's a mainstream Christian religion) in her approach to religion but she is amazingly openminded to reinterpreting the Bible taking UFOs and extraterrestrials into account.

So to sum up, perhaps humans have subverted the basics over the course of history. Priests from most religions may have manipulated the basics for purposes of giving themselves power. The fundamental principles of religion (life after death, for example) are true but it may not be structured as religions would have us believe.


Cher

p.s. yes! I did see that thread, Kind of Blue. The illustrations at the link were terrific.

[Fire Walk With Me]

13. Evangelical...there is a fine line between attracting others through example,

and simply driving them away. I suppose that each person must decide their own faith and most importantly, how they wish to act it. Including those who are quiet about it.

[Kind of Blue]

19. +1. Well said.

This is all about behavior.

[rosesaylavee]

17. I think the problem I have with any person foisting their beliefs

on me is the arrogance it takes to do so. Whether they are evangelical christians, jews, hindus, muslims or atheists... it really rubs me the wrong way when the message is given that I am wrong in my spiritual beliefs because I don't share someone elses. I think as we run into far more evangelical christians with this attitude, they get the broad brush treatment but it can really be anyone arrogant enough to bully someone about what really should be a private and personal decision.

We have come far along upon the road away from bigotry and prejudice in this country and in my lifetime but we need to really see it beyond the realm of ethnicity and 'race'... it's a core belief that some people are just unworthy and not part of the 'correct' group.

[I Have A Dream]

20. I agree.

I think that it tends to be worse with some Evangelical Christians only because they are told that they are expected to proselytize. Therefore, even if the person would prefer to not do it, there is pressure to do it. (Especially since the issue to them is saving someone's soul.) I know, because I was in that situation when I was an Evangelical Christian. Ugh. It was one of the most unpleasant things that I've ever had to do. My soul railed against it. :(