[Vision2020] Re: NSA student scores, Mr. Gier

[Tbertruss@aol.com]

Eric:

The U of I will accept any student of any religious faith.  The U of I will allow the discussion of all religious faiths and what they believe.  I took religious courses and earned a degree in Philosophy at the U of I, so I know from first hand experience what I am asserting.  For example, we studied Descartes' arguments for the existence of God.  Descartes is one of greatest philosophers of history, famous for the "I think, therefore I am" statement you hear over and over, even from people who don't know who made it famous.  He is one of the most brilliant Christian thinkers to have lived.

We could go round and round about how to define "neutral," and whether or not the U of I is religiously neutral.  From your view point, if someone allows the open minded discussion of all religions without demanding that one of those viewpoints triumph over all the others, as you insist, this is some sort of "religion" still being pushed.  You will not accept that this is a valued goal of academic learning to create an atmosphere of open minded inquiry where all view points are considered and argued without having to insist that one viewpoint triumph.  

This defines a "religion?"

Tell me, why is open minded inquiry regarding religion where all religious faiths can study each others religions in an academic setting without a dogmatic insistence that one of them must be the one and only true faith, the assertion of another religion?  People who believe in Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. all attend the U of I, study each others religions, and they do not abandon their faiths.  They do not feel that by attending the U of I they were forced to assume another "religion" as a requirement of graduation.  

Then how is the U of I demanding belief in or promoting this "religion" you claim they are?  Do you mean allowing people to have whatever faith they want, and allowing them to study each others religions in an academic setting where no one is forcing any one religion onto anyone, is pushing some sort of "stealth" religion?  

So the students of Islamic faith who graduate as Muslims don't know it, but they have been converted to a new stealth religion!  Oh please!  

The U of I follows principles of academic freedom and open minded inquiry, concepts it appears you are uncomfortable with.

Unless I missed it, you did not very directly address my point that by limiting the diversity of the students at NSA to only one major religious viewpoint, you are limiting the exposure of the students to other world views held by billions of people around the world, thus limiting the extent to which NSA can offer an education about the whole world as people really think and live.  Major universities seek diversity in the student body for the very reason that this offers more educational value for their schools, and assists in the exposure of students to differing cultures, religions and world views.

Of course NSA is free to offer an exclusive limited world view education.  And I am sure there are NSA students who are academically trained very well in some aspects.  But what is considered "higher education" by some is more than just brilliance in math, English or Latin, etc.  It involves exposing students to the realities of the whole world they live in, including the variety of religious faiths that exist, and in this respect NSA falls short.

Ted Moffett