Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

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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