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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: "Read, James C" <K0434995 AT kingston.ac.uk>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Doctorates or not
  • Date: Mon, 05 Sep 2005 13:10:47 +0100

On 04/09/2005 11:38, Read, James C wrote:

I studied hebrew at St. Andrews Uni and got a perfect score in both hebrew modules. However, I did not graduate from the university because in order to pass all the prescribed modules I would have had to compromise my relationship with Yah. The choice was simple.

1) Tell the truth and not graduate
2) Lie and graduate

I am proud to say that my integrity is still in tact. I would have loved to have done a Ph. D in b-hebrew but I am not willing to call Yah a liar in order to achieve it.


James, I am really surprised that you got into this position at a state supported university in the UK. (Private universities in the USA are different - some won't let you graduate unless you can sign their statement of faith.)

I can understand that you might have had to study texts and listen to lecturers' opinions which disagreed with your beliefs. Well, you seem to be prepared to read material on this list which you don't agree with - and come up with good and strong arguments against that material and for your own position. Similarly, at UK universities, you would have the opportunity to present, in your essays and exams, arguments against the opinions which you reject. Of course such arguments would have to be proper ones based on accepted "scholarly" criteria, not faith-based ones like "I don't believe this", or "Jesus said Moses wrote this, so that is the end of the argument" - but for the kinds of positions which you have in mind there are reasonable "scholarly" arguments. And it might require harder work to find and set out the arguments against a position rather than summarise the text book's or lecturer's arguments in favour of it. But a clever student like yourself should have been able to take such courses, and come up with arguments for the positions which you hold which would convince even examiners who don't share your position that you are a good student. For the criteria for acceptable work are supposed to be not the conclusions you come to but the arguments which you present for those conclusions.

I know of many people who have got through whole theology degree courses at UK universities in this way without compromising their faith. I'm sure you could have done it with a few modules which are not strictly linguistic.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/



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