patcleaver

Reputable Universities should not teach or have departments of theology for exactly the same reason that they should not teach or have departments of astrology or alchemy or racial bigotry. Christian theology is lies, misinformation, ignorant superstition. Why should it be taught as truth in a reputable University?

Christian theology is not anymore respectable or educational than voodoo theology. Any primitive native in the Amazon of Congo rain forest knows just as much about theology as a Doctorate from Harvard because Christian nonsense is no more valid then the religious beliefs of cannibals.

Theology is just ignorant superstition and most theologians are just quacks who think they know something, but everything they believe about theology is lies.

Religion is intolerance and prejudice why should we support departments of religious bigotry in Universities?

It is not just that the teachers are biased - they are teaching religious bigotry to the students. It is outrageous.

We do not allow guaranteed student loans to educate other scam artists in their trade. The government don't subsidize grifters to go to college and learn how to con people out of money. Why should we subsidize or respect people who participate in religion which is essentially an extortion scheme based on ignorance and delusions and fear of horrible violence.

storytime

Ok.. Christianity is based on faith. People go to a school of theology to obtain a degree in faith. A biased degree in faith. Yes, I suppose that makes sense.

ApostateAbe

Be careful what you wish for. If respectable universities disband their departments of theology, well, then you can be sure the disrespectable schools will keep chugging out their apologists, and the critics and skeptics of religion would be intellectually castrated. Some of the greatest minds on the side of scriptural criticism hold positions in religious studies at respected universities. Religion is a huge part of our culture, and it seems a bad idea to leave ideas of religion up to the religious.

Joan of Bark

I'm with Abe on this one. If a devout Catholic enters into the scholarly field of theological studies, I don't see how he/she could possibly be unbiased, since part of being a Catholic involves the unquestioning acceptance of certain doctrines. The same is true of Muslims, orthodox Jews, etc.

GakuseiDon

Isn't it one of the rigors of academia -- via peer review, for example -- to remove bias as much as possible?

When we talk about bias in academia with regards to theology, is there a consensus position that is obviously biased? If so, can someone show what that is? If not, then can we say that bias in academia doesn't noticeably affect theology studies, at least as far as we can tell?

dog-on

As long as the theologian does not base his findings on faith, I don't see an issue.

Some who claim to be theologians, it would appear, do in fact base their findings on faith. These theologians may indeed be biased, but bias is not a necessary requirement for one to be considered a theologian.

patcleaver

I do not think it would help reduce superstition by establishing a department of astrology in Harvard or a department of alchemy at Purdue.

I do not think that liberal Christians help suppress the dangerous fundamentalists. I think that liberal Christians give the fundamentalists cover. The explosion of Evangelical Christianity has already marginalized liberal theology.

ApostateAbe

My argument is not about liberal Christians. In fact, professors of religion in respected universities very often stand on the opposing side of religion. My favorite religious scholar is Bart Ehrman, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And he is an agnostic. One of his books, Misquoting Jesus, was sold in supermarkets, and the introduction tells of his personal abandonment of the Christian faith. The departments of religion in respected universities do nothing but hurt religion. You said that a department of astrology at Purdue would do nothing to reduce superstition. I think you are right. But it would be entirely different if it is an omnipresent part of society and 100% of politicians endorsed the idea that the position of Venus in relation to Jupiter decides the benefit of declaring war. Would I support a department of astrology at Purdue then? Oh hell yes! A friend of mine is a firm believer of astrology and has an elaborate book on the subject. I have no material to give her to strike the idea down. I would fear for humanity if everyone else embraced it and the critics had no intellectual base of attack.

Doug Shaver

Uh huh. And nobody in his right mind could think otherwise?

patcleaver

I never said that "nobody in his right mind could think otherwise", but if they think otherwise because the Virgin Mary ascended into heaven or that Voodoo really can bring the dead to life, then they are not in their right mind.

Apparently, You can believe believe anything if you're indoctrinated as a child to believe crazy stuff.

Bart Ehrman has made a positive contribution to religious discourse, but he is an anomaly. Are their any more agnostics in charge of the theology departments of our thousands of major Colleges and Universities. Was he a known agnostic when he was appointed, and do you expect the next Chair at Chapel Hill to be an agnostic?

I think the total effect of having Departments of Theology is to legitimize the morally and intellectually illegitimate. I do not believe that there is a place for teaching and encouraging irrationality in Universities. We do not have departments of Nazi studies or departments of Communist studies because they are irrational systems of belief. Why should we have departments of religion (Christianity) which is nothing but irrational systems of belief.