How to Avoid the Professor's Ploy

[@weirdwilliam8500]

"At Stand to Reason, we help Christians have the courage and the grace to share their worldview with others." And here is a tactic to ask people questions from an obviously Christian perspective, then when they ask you questions about Christianity, avoid answering by saying you never made any claims about Christianity. Really nailing that mission statement, Greg!

[@war13death]

I've seen "the professor's ploy" tried many times. Derailing the conversation is also a common tactic used.

[@mallninja9805]

Are you suggesting the bible isn't a book of fables? How'd you come to that conclusion?

[@ChokeArtist411]

Hey hey whoa now, if you think I’m always ready to give a defense for my beliefs, you got another thing comin pal

[@weirdwilliam8500]

@@ChokeArtist411 Right! Peter 3:15 is....out of context! Because...context mumble mumble!

[@ksw501]

If one asks “how did you come to that conclusion?” and the response is, that’s common knowledge, or I read a book or took a class 30 years ago… Seems to me like they don’t know what they’re talking about and it’s time to end the conversation

[@Thundawich]

The professor sounds entirely reasonable in this situation. I mean them saying what they said initially is most likely a bad thing to do in an economics class, but whatever. You asked him why he thinks the bible is a bunch of fables and he answered you. You followed up with whatever, doesn't matter, and he (should have have confirmed) correctly suspected you disagreed and so asked you to present something that explains why you disagree. What exactly is wrong with their behaviour in that situation? What should they have done differently? If the professor tried to put the burden onto the student prior to explaining why they think what they think we would be having a different conversation, but they played it straight from what I can tell.

[@cafeeineaddicted8123]

Based on this video, I wonder if Greg’s modus operandi is to see how skeptical students respond to preaching teachers, then create a story where the roles are switched and call it a video.

[@aubreyleonae4108]

Watch out for those professors

[@ploppysonofploppy6066]

Wrong. If you make a claim you have a burden of proof. This "professor" if he exists does too.

[@HearGodsWord]

Wrong on what way?

[@ploppysonofploppy6066]

@@HearGodsWord In the way I just said.

[@HearGodsWord]

@@ploppysonofploppy6066 the STR position is that the burden of proof is on the person making the claim. Your comment said the same thing, but you say they're wrong.

[@ploppysonofploppy6066]

@@HearGodsWord I meant the person saying there is no burden of proof on the claimant is wrong. My apologies if I have confused.

[@HearGodsWord]

@@ploppysonofploppy6066 thank you for clarifying 👍

[@knutthompson7879]

"Professor's ploy"? "Bent on destroying your convictions"? "Going after Christianity as often as they can"? Come one, you know good and well this has literally never happened. No professor has ever done this and in fact it would probably lead to disciplinary action if they did. I was in academics for years and never, ever saw anything like this. You are bearing false witness, Greg. I am disappointed.

[@moracehann5857]

Good morning Dr. Thompson. It has happened to me or I have seen the ploy numerous times in my student years and my teaching years. I did not know how to respond though.

[@knutthompson7879]

@@moracehann5857 I don't believe you. Sorry. Not for a second. Unless perhaps if it were a religious studies class, there is literally no conceivable reason a professor would bring up religion. Like in a math class? Or chemistry lab? Nope. And they could be reprimanded if they did. And even religious studies (I have taken religious studies classes) approach it as a field of knowledge, not as doctrine.

[@war13death]

​@@knutthompson7879The "GOD'S NOT DEAD" movies are based on (inspired by might be more accurate) court cases of just what the video described. We do know it does happen from the court records alone, and there are also those in the comment section testifying that it happens. It happens whether you accept it or not.

[@fepeerreview3150]

Unless the class is specifically in religious studies or philosophy, the subject of God's existence and other issues directly related to religious beliefs have no place in the classroom, from either a theistic or atheistic perspective. That said, I am not a professor, but I spent enough time in universities to get a Bachelor's and 2 Master's degrees, in non-religion topics, and not a single one of my professors at my very Liberal secular university _ever_ brought up religious topics. I suspect that if any of them had, they would have been reported to the university administration and there would have been consequences. I think this idea of the professor out to twist young minds towards atheism is much more of a trope than a reality. If the subject of the class is not religion then religion needs to be kept out of the class, whether it comes from the teacher or the students, and whether it's from a theist or an atheist perspective.

[@geraldharrison5787]

I think that is quite right, though I would say that they do not belong in religious studies either - just philosophy. One can study a religion without having to take any stand on its metaphysical underpinnings. And it is philosophers and philosophers alone who are experts on such matters (they're not experts on the contents of this or that religion, but they are experts on metaphysics). However, I think it is false that academics in other disciplines make no mention of these ideas and other metaphysical issues. Many of those in other disciplines make wild, highly controversial - and in some cases demonstrably false - claims about, say, the nature of morality and knowledge. Students in other disciplines are often told that knowledge is constructed or that morality is a social construct and such like - claims that are both absurd and squarely philosophical. And note as well how often scientists write popular books on philosophical issues they have no expertise in whatsoever - knowing full well that the public have no idea where their expertise ends and so will accord their views an intellectual authority they lack. Dawkins is not a philosopher. Yet he thinks nothing of writing on philosophical issues. A biologist called Sapolsky has just written a book - a terrible, ignorant, book - on free will. Is that studied in biology? No. And he is clearly ignorant of the extensive debate over free will as he just defines free will in a way that makes it incompatible with determinism - yet whether those two are compatible is an issue that most of the free will debate is over! (And it hasn't been resolved). And so on. Not that I am in favour of policing any of this - I just think people need to do a bit more due diligence and make sure they know where an expert's expertise begins and ends.

[@kregorovillupo3625]

How many strawmans can you cram in 5 minutes? This video tries to answer that, meanwhile achieving a number of those testing the thesis. Greg, you're a dishonest interlocutor.

[@weirdwilliam8500]

What on earth? Can you name a single professor that has ever acted like this? What kind of bizarre "God's Not Dead" fanfiction is this? If you have to lie about people who disagree with you to feel correct about your views, what does that say about your views?

[@andrewmcewan8081]

if your avoiding the brudn of proof u can't honestly ask someone else to explain there's . the student is being dishonest and so is greg here as the strategy is to never make claims and if ur playing that game then someone can honestly surmise what ur doing and pull u up for it . evangelicals always pushing there version of reality on others , its sad really

[@hughsalter7769]

oh okay need to get your book almost everyone knows professors have more authority than pastors

[@ricksonora6656]

Maybe you should listen to the video. “Professor” just illustrates an abusive atheist tactic that’s also common among fundamentalist atheist teachers. You’re half right. Professors have more authority in their classrooms, but pastors have more authority in churches. Although, pastors can’t take away your scholarship or ruin your career by giving you a bad grade for not accepting their ideology.

[@AVRGWIBWTHACN]

@@ricksonora6656 there are no fundamentalist atheist, there's just atheists

[@pleaseenteraname1103]

I encounter this tactic from new atheists all the time it’s a classic move among these people.

[@rwt2320]

It's not a tactic, it's basic reasoning. If you follow the video, all you're doing is refusing to reveal whether or not you're a christian, which is fine, but all it is is withdrawing from the debate. If you actually want to defend your faith, you have to make the claim either implicitly or explicitly that God exists (cause that's what your faith is), in which case the burden of proof is on you.