Situation:

A student submitted a response to the question “ would you transfer your mind to a machine, theoretically allowing you to live forever?” The student answered, “no, because there is an everlasting life with God the Father after death.” The Teacher of Record stated that that response was not acceptable because it’s religious.

Students have their beliefs. To stop that belief from being examined or situated is to inhibit a certain thought process, limiting the process of thought. Philosophy and religion have a deeper tie than what is first observed and complement each other more than the contrast.

The problem we are faced with is the idea that we have more answers than questions. This is a problem. Not because the answers are inherently bad, but because those that pose the question are a dying breed. When we limit thought, no matter the subject, we are instinctively looking for an answer that best suits us. That is not negative. But it is not that job of the teacher. It is not the job of the education system to dictate what is acceptable and what is not. Some may argue that the job is to sift through the responses and sort them.