Home › Forums › Yeshiva / School / College / Education Issues › College Professor Mocking Yiddishkeit/ Torah
- This topic has 20 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 2 months ago by Chein.
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September 2, 2011 6:01 pm at 6:01 pm #599110mik5Participant
What should you do if a college professor mocks or scoffs at certain aspects of our faith, such as our belief in 6-day creationism or the notion that Hashem promised Eretz Yisroel to us as an eternal inheritance?
Yes, there are a few other Jewish kids in the class (besides me), but they seem to be liberals – one commented on how the theory of evolution can be “reconciled” with our belief in creationism.
I don’t want to embarass the professor since my grade IS in his hands, but at the same time I want him to stop pushing his agenda. In the future, we will talking about sodomites, whom he – of course – supports. Imagine how he will react if I tell him about a certain midrash that states that Noah’s Flood did not come until men started writing marriage contracts to other men.
What do you think I should do?
Thanks – and a very good Shabbos to all my fellow Yidden!!
September 2, 2011 6:14 pm at 6:14 pm #805167ObaminatorMemberThis is typical of professors.
This is another reason why the gedolim oppose going to college.
September 2, 2011 6:24 pm at 6:24 pm #805168mikehall12382MemberObaminator…I don’t think the issue is college…It’s more of where you go to college….You won’t here this talk at YU, Stern, etc.
September 2, 2011 6:25 pm at 6:25 pm #805169zahavasdadParticipantIf it bothers you so much, dont take classes where it could happen
take stuff like Mathmatics where philosophic ideas are never discussed and only the math is discussed
(I NEVER had a math professor talk about anything except MATH)
September 2, 2011 6:26 pm at 6:26 pm #805170ObaminatorMemberWho is the “etc.”? (Not that I am granting the two mentioned.)
September 2, 2011 6:28 pm at 6:28 pm #805171MiddlePathParticipantJust ignore it, focus on passing the course, and hope you don’t get that professor in a future course.
September 2, 2011 6:31 pm at 6:31 pm #805172gavra_at_workParticipantWhy are you taking that course? If the comments are incidental, ignore (put your head down to show protest, maybe?). If that is the subject matter of the class, perhaps you should be taking a different class.
September 2, 2011 6:35 pm at 6:35 pm #805173mikehall12382MemberObaminator…Touro, online courses,
September 2, 2011 6:43 pm at 6:43 pm #805175Queen BeeMemberSeptember 2, 2011 6:53 pm at 6:53 pm #805176apushatayidParticipantMik5. surely you have a couple of moslems or catholics in the class, how have they responded? The professor is likely not mocking yiddishkeit in particular, just religion in general.
September 2, 2011 6:58 pm at 6:58 pm #805177CheinMemberapy- And how is that any better?
September 2, 2011 7:00 pm at 7:00 pm #805178Sam2ParticipantIt is your responsibility to control what you think and what you believe, not what your professor believes. If you can ignore it and just deal with the other parts of the classwork, do that. Otherwise you may have to consider dropping the class. If it’s a requirement try and meet with a dean or someone, explain your concerns, and see what alternatives are possible.
September 2, 2011 7:00 pm at 7:00 pm #805179am yisrael chaiParticipantMany frum students research potential professors (like a shidduch!) before registering for exactly this reason. At least do this from now on, if possible.
For now, can you switch sections to another professor?
September 2, 2011 7:20 pm at 7:20 pm #805181ItcheSrulikMemberMy college has a lot of professors like that so I have plenty of experience.
It is probably well before the drop date at your school. Switch sections if possible. If not, put the course as a pass fail and be ready to appeal your grade if he flunks you. Then start researching so that you are actually prepared to argue instead of quoting midrashim which he won’t acknowledge anyway. Most likely you are taking an English class required of all students. (I can’t think of any other reason for someone offended by this kind of material to be in a course where it’s being taught.) The best thing to argue with him about is our connection to Eretz Yisrael because it plays straight into contemporary ideas about self-determination.
BTW, may I ask which school you’re in?
charlie: Since your a professor and I’m an annoying, opinionated undergrad (at least in my humanities classes) we’re going to be on opposite sides of this one.
A- There is a serious machlokes about how literally we take 6-day creationism and those of us who do not admit modern science to the discussion can count a lot more rishonim than those of us who do.
B- The Catholic Church can make infallible proclamations about their own theology by papal bull but not ours. (They couldn’t even do that till the late 19th century.)
September 2, 2011 7:37 pm at 7:37 pm #805182yid.periodMemberMikehall
You WILL hear this talk from some professors in YU, Stern (cant speak for etc), just fyi.
And to the OP
something tells me the professor doesn’t care about a certain midrash, whatever it says. And if college has taught me anything, it’s sometimes you just need to keep quiet, and let the monkey in charge think everybody agrees with him/her. It doesn’t hurt the professor when you don’t do well in the class, and there is always that subjective aspect of the grade.
September 2, 2011 7:41 pm at 7:41 pm #805183rosesharonParticipantOy I could have stories for you…… let me guess, your professor is Jewish, right? No prof has the right to make you feel inferior, and you have the right to the college education of your choosing.Ignore whatever the scum is saying. Do the work, get your grade, and you will never see the prof again. If you feel that you are being treated unfairly, go to the head of your department and make a complaint. They have a legal obligation to protect your religious freedom.
September 2, 2011 8:07 pm at 8:07 pm #805184mik5ParticipantThanks for all your thoughtful responses. No, the professor is a goy (apparently, Japanese).
It’s at Brooklyn College, which has many Jewish students B”H, and the course is required – but it’s not English. I am interested in philosophy, history, English, etc., not math or science, but unfortuantely, this kind of situation happens from time to time.
charliehall – So, when the Torah says that Hashem created the heavens and the earth in six days, it’s lying, right?
In response to those who said that I should ignore the professor’s remarks, it’s easy for you to say, but it’s actually quite difficult to do. (I had only one class with the professor so far, and we haven’t gotten to the toeiva thing yet, but when we do, it’s gonna be scary.)
Also, whenever a professor (who is supposed to be a person of authority) mocks something in our Torah, I feel my faith being undermined. Listening to this kind of schmutz has an adverse effect on a Yid’s neshama, you know?
As for whether the professor is mocking Yiddishkeit in particular or religion in general, Yiddishkeit is the TRUE religion, and Islam/ Christianity both deserve to be mocked (especially the former, but the latter as well for what it’s done to klal Yisrael).
Rose- Please share your stories, if you don’t mind. I would love to hear about specific situations of this nature.
As for putting my head down, it’s very disrepectful.
Any more advice/ comments?
September 2, 2011 8:35 pm at 8:35 pm #805186HaLeiViParticipantSay Parshas Haazinu every day. It is a Segula for Emuna. Also, as he says his garbage, wisper to Hashem your affirmation of your Emuna in Torah shel Bichsav and Torah shel Baal Peh.
September 2, 2011 8:38 pm at 8:38 pm #805187Sam2ParticipantIf he’s being disrespectful to your faith then there is no reason you can’t be disrespectful in turn. And it does kind of make a difference if he’s mocking Judaism or religion in general. If it’s just against Judaism then it’s much more of a personal attack on you than if he just dislikes religion in general.
September 2, 2011 9:10 pm at 9:10 pm #805189mik5ParticipantIslam should definitely be criticized and looked down upon, because it was invented by a genocidal pedophile who decapitated hundreds of innocent Yidden.
As for Christianity, I respect pious Christians – but you cannot erase 1800 years of humiliation, lies, and genocide perpetrated against klal Yisrael in the name of JC.
Thanks again, everybody!
September 2, 2011 9:21 pm at 9:21 pm #805190CheinMemberChristians are worse than Muslims as far as Jews are concerned, considering Christianity’s 2,000 years of attempted genocide against Jews.
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