Very interesting clip – and very telling about the current …

Comment on LSU not different than secular universities according to LSU student by Sean Pitman, M.D..

Very interesting clip – and very telling about the current situation at LSU regarding “academic freedom” and the efforts of many LSU professors and leadership in general to free themselves from the restriction of supporting the very clearly stated SDA fundamental beliefs and ideals… on the Church’s dime.

Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com

Sean Pitman, M.D. Also Commented

LSU not different than secular universities according to LSU student

David Kendall, BMus, MA: I am not sure this is a fair equivalence. While diversity and religious/social tolerance are certainly hallmarks of the UCR student experience (as they are at LSU; the University Motto is “From Diversity, Community), I am allowed to advocate for religious concepts at LSU as an instructor while I am forbidden to do so at UCR in that context.

I think you mistake Roger’s main point. That is, one expects to get a certain philosophical perspective at an openly declared secular school – like UCR. One does not expect to get this same perspective at a self-declared “SDA” school – like LSU.

In fact, it is quite shocking when professors at an SDA school scoff at fundamental doctrines of the SDA Church, calling them the “lunatic fringe” and laugh at or belittle or otherwise intimidate students who present such views in class. This is a real shock to experience at an SDA school – yet this is exactly what is happening in many of the science classes at LSU.

This is the primary reason why Roger and I would not send our own children to such “SDA” schools – despite the fact that there may still be a few professors left at such schools who are not like this. Even one such professor who is openly deriding and countering the SDA perspective on fundamental issues in one of our schools is one too many since such a professor often carries with him/her a great deal of influence over the minds of the youth under his/her care. If I had knowledge of such a person in the employ of any of our schools, I would not send my own child to that school – period. I would rather send my son to a public university rather than have to explain the cognitive dissonance and frank schizophrenia taking place within a supposedly “SDA” school.

Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com


LSU not different than secular universities according to LSU student

David Kendall, BMus, MA: As a faculty member in the music department at LSU, I strongly object to the notion or suggestion that La Sierra is “not different than secular universities.”

I agree. Such generalizations are not helpful. If possible, it is always good to be as specific as possible if there are problems. Not everyone at LSU is of the same mindset as those in the science and even religion departments who are trying to promote and proselytize for the theistic evolutionary perspective. There are still those at LSU who do in fact support the doctrinal positions of the SDA Church as an organization and who do try to influence the students put into their charge in this direction…

Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com


LSU not different than secular universities according to LSU student

Roger Seheult: At the end of the day our decision as parents will be this: Why should I send my children to an SDA institution that is 5-10x more expensive to be taught evolution as truth when I can send my children to much cheaper schools, in most cases get a better science education and be able to tell my children that evolution is being taught to them because the public universities aren’t Christian nor beleive in the second coming of Christ or the Sabbath? It is going to be much harder to explain to my children why evolution is being taught as truth to them from an Adventist institution. I am not willing to pay for that problem. I am not alone.

You are definitely not alone on this one!

Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com


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I fail to see where you have convincingly supported your claim that the GC leadership contributed to the harm of anyone’s personal religious liberties? – given that the GC leadership does not and could not override personal religious liberties in this country, nor substantively change the outcome of those who lost their jobs over various vaccine mandates. That’s just not how it works here in this country. Religious liberties are personally derived. Again, they simply are not based on a corporate or church position, but rely solely upon individual convictions – regardless of what the church may or may not say or do.

Yet, you say, “Who cares if it is written into law”? You should care. Everyone should care. It’s a very important law in this country. The idea that the organized church could have changed vaccine mandates simply isn’t true – particularly given the nature of certain types of jobs dealing with the most vulnerable in society (such as health care workers for example).

Beyond this, the GC Leadership did, in fact, write in support of personal religious convictions on this topic – and there are GC lawyers who have and continue to write personal letters in support of personal religious convictions (even if these personal convictions are at odds with the position of the church on a given topic). Just because the GC leadership also supports the advances of modern medicine doesn’t mean that the GC leadership cannot support individual convictions at the same time. Both are possible. This is not an inconsistency.