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FIRE News: Philosophy Professor Punished for Expressing Religious Beliefs
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education ^ | 2/5/04 | Alan Charles Kors

Posted on 02/06/2004 2:39:55 AM PST by Huber

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Huber,

FIRE has come to the defense of a philosophy professor who has been stripped of his classes for refusing to veil his religious identity from students. Dr. James Tuttle, a Catholic philosopher at Lakeland Community College, near Cleveland, Ohio, was told that he might "be happier in a sectarian classroom" and was threatened with dismissal for making statements on his syllabi and in class that disclosed his religious faith and its effect on his views of ethics and philosophy.

Dr. Tuttle has endured persecution for months, and now faces losing his job. FIRE has begun its advocacy efforts on behalf of his academic, legal, and moral rights.

Sincerely,

Alan

Alan Charles Kors Chairman Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) 210 West Washington Square, #303 Philadelphia, PA 19106 www.thefire.org www.thefireguides.org www.speechcodes.org mailto:ack@thefire.org

Philosophy Professor Punished for Expressing Religious Beliefs

KIRTLAND, OH -- Lakeland Community College near Cleveland, Ohio, has removed a professor of moral philosophy from his classes as punishment for refusing to hide his religious identity from students. The college threatened Dr. James Tuttle, who espouses traditional Catholic beliefs, with dismissal because he made statements on his syllabi and in class that disclosed his religious faith and how that shaped his personal philosophy.

"Asking a philosophy professor to divorce his deepest philosophic views from his teaching is both outrageous and absurd," said Greg Lukianoff, director of legal and public advocacy for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). "To say that a philosophy professor cannot discuss religious ideas is to render him incapable of meaningful discussion of some of the greatest minds in the history of his field. Feminists are not forced to veil their feminism, and Catholic philosophers should be free to be Catholic philosophers."

Dr. Tuttle's problems began in March 2003 when he received a copy of a student complaint forwarded to him by Dean James L. Brown of the Arts and Humanities Division at Lakeland. The student complained that Dr. Tuttle mentioned his Catholic beliefs too often for the student's taste and suggested that he be given "counseling for tolerance."

In an effort to address this issue, Dr. Tuttle decided to add "disclaimers" to the syllabi of two of his classes informing students that the professor was "a committed Catholic Christian philosopher and theologian," so that students would know in advance about his perspective. The statement also encouraged any students who felt uncomfortable with Dr. Tuttle's views or methods to feel free to talk to him outside of class.

On April 21, 2003, Dr. Tuttle received a letter from Dean Brown saying that he was "more bothered by [Tuttle's] disclaimer than by anything I read in [the student]'s complaint." Dean Brown went on to suggest that Dr. Tuttle "would be happier in a sectarian classroom." In punishing Dr. Tuttle for including the disclaimer, Dean Brown stated that he would reduce Dr. Tuttle's course load for the next semester to only one class (thereby reducing his pay) and would subject him to classroom monitoring by a fellow professor before reaching a final decision on whether to actually fire him.

Dr. Tuttle contacted FIRE for help, and in December FIRE wrote to Lakeland Community College President Morris W. Beverage to protest the college's punishment of Dr. Tuttle. FIRE reminded Lakeland that Dr. Tuttle's disclosure and discussion of his religious beliefs in a philosophy class were directly relevant to the topic of the class and that "such candor from an instructor should be welcomed rather than condemned."

FIRE also pointed out that Lakeland's demand that Dr. Tuttle avoid commenting on his own religious beliefs ignores the pervasive historic, intellectual, and cultural ties between the worlds of religion and philosophy. Reminding President Beverage that philosophers including Plato, Lao Tzu, Maimonides, and Thomas Aquinas espoused theories that regarded religion and philosophy as integrated parts of one whole, FIRE asked, "Which of these thinkers would Dean Brown punish for intellectual honesty at Lakeland Community College?"

Lakeland failed to respond to FIRE's request that the college cease its unfair persecution of Dr. Tuttle and that it restore him to his full class load. Instead, Dr. Tuttle was informed in December that he was being given the last pick of classes -- with a selection of courses that administrators knew he did not wish to teach -- despite the fact that Lakeland's traditional seniority system should have given him preference over six other instructors. Dr. Tuttle refused to accept the loss of his seniority and declined to accept Lakeland's shameful offer.

FIRE is calling for Lakeland Community College to reinstate Dr. Tuttle as a philosophy instructor and will put information about Dr. Tuttle's situation in the hands of the media, the public, and local and national advocacy groups. FIRE also appeals to lovers of liberty of all religious and non-religious views to write or call President Beverage to express their opinions about Lakeland's treatment of Dr. Tuttle. Stay tuned for further developments in this case.

FIRE is a nonprofit educational foundation that unites civil rights and civil liberties leaders, civic leaders, scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals across the political and ideological spectrum on behalf of individual rights, freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and due process on our nation's campuses. Please visit www.thefire.org to read more.

CONTACT:

Greg Lukianoff, Director of Legal and Public Advocacy, FIRE: 215-717-3473; greg@thefire.org

Morris W. Beverage, President, Lakeland Community College: 440-525-7000; mbeverage@lakelandcc.edu

James L. Brown, Dean, Arts and Sciences Division, Lakeland Community College: 440.525.7091; jbrown@lakelandcc.edu

FIRE's work is made possible by the generosity of our individual supporters. Please make your tax-deductible contribution here: http:// www.thefire.org/support


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Philosophy; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: academia; alankors; anticatholicbigotry; catholic; censorship; education; fire; freespeech; jamestuttle; kors; lakeland; ohio; politicalcorrectness; tuttle
Free religious speech is under attack in Cleveland, Ohio!
1 posted on 02/06/2004 2:39:56 AM PST by Huber
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To: Huber
I remember hearing a prof at UVA tell the students, on the very first day of class, that he was a Marxist.

Mentioning one's religion may be politically incorrect, butI guess being a commie is just fine.
2 posted on 02/06/2004 4:56:16 AM PST by Sam Cree (Democrats are herd animals)
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To: Hobsonphile
Hob,

Ping.

3 posted on 02/06/2004 5:10:53 AM PST by magslinger ("...shall not be infringed" means shall not be infringed.)
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To: Sam Cree
I remember hearing a prof at UVA tell the students, on the very first day of class, that he was a Marxist.

Mentioning one's religion may be politically incorrect, butI guess being a commie is just fine.

But Marxism IS a religion.

4 posted on 02/06/2004 5:13:10 AM PST by magslinger ("...shall not be infringed" means shall not be infringed.)
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To: magslinger
I think of it more as a sort of "anti religion."
5 posted on 02/06/2004 2:04:04 PM PST by Sam Cree (Democrats are herd animals)
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To: Huber
Wrong title.
MAN FIRED FOR EXPRESSING CHRISTIAN BELIEFS

I see Buddhism/Hinduism expressed in classrooms and other public organizations constantly.
6 posted on 02/06/2004 5:09:53 PM PST by mlmr (Taxation with greedy representation is not a good thing)
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To: Huber
Would a philosophical argument as to why it might be best for a professor to be able to express Christian and other religious beliefs receive the least bit of consideration from the administration? Of course not.

Western philosophy, as well as Western religion, is most dangerous to the socialist agenda. Not only are Christian beliefs de facto prohibited on most campuses, but Western philosophy too is already down in the basement of utter irrelevancy.
7 posted on 02/06/2004 5:26:29 PM PST by Unknowing (Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.)
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To: Unknowing
I meant to say "irrelevance."
8 posted on 02/06/2004 5:29:11 PM PST by Unknowing (Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.)
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To: Sam Cree
Let's see, Marxism can't be proven, has to be taken on faith, a believer can have no other religion, and The Holy Capitol as scripture. It's a false religion.
9 posted on 02/06/2004 6:50:25 PM PST by magslinger ("...shall not be infringed" means shall not be infringed.)
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To: Sam Cree
Mentioning one's religion may be politically incorrect, butI guess being a commie is just fine.

I had to deal with this sort of garbage from grade school onwards (right up until my undergraduate diploma, when I despiared of the entire system and departed). As the resident Conservative in a classroom full of pinko leftists, I learnt the art of political debate pretty early.

What scares me is that the pinko lefties never seem to grow up. Any casual glance at DU or at the other sites I go to (for reasons other than politics) which are populated by this kind of non-thinker, just prove my point.
10 posted on 02/06/2004 6:55:31 PM PST by KangarooJacqui (Deliver us from evil... vote Conservative.)
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To: magslinger
Religion: "belief in a divine or superhuman power to be obeyed and worshipped."

Hmm...maybe you are right.
Well, I really don't agree, though I can't argue that there are some common characteristics between Marxism and religion.

BTW, your homepage kind of resonates with me...are your watercolors online anywhere?
11 posted on 02/06/2004 7:12:34 PM PST by Sam Cree (Democrats are herd animals)
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To: Sam Cree
If it looks and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.:)

None of my watercolors are on-line as yet, but that Corsair II on my page was my canvas a bunch of years ago. We weren't given a lot of creative control, though.

12 posted on 02/06/2004 7:39:38 PM PST by magslinger ("...shall not be infringed" means shall not be infringed.)
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To: magslinger
Hell of a canvas!

I do some painting and drawing also.
13 posted on 02/06/2004 7:47:31 PM PST by Sam Cree (Democrats are herd animals)
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To: Sam Cree
I don't recommend aluminum as a support, corrosion and touch up makes it rather high maintenance, which is why the Navy had us there, constantly repainting them.

Is your work on-line? If that painting on your page is your work, I'd say you do more than "some" painting.

14 posted on 02/06/2004 8:01:03 PM PST by magslinger ("...shall not be infringed" means shall not be infringed.)
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To: magslinger
That painting is by John Howe...I'm proud of mine, but don't figure it's as cool as Howe's work.

I keep saying I'll get it online, since I keep finding Freepers that like to do art, and want to share with 'em.
Haven't done it yet though, better get moving.
15 posted on 02/06/2004 8:07:58 PM PST by Sam Cree
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To: Sam Cree; magslinger
Well, I really don't agree, though I can't argue that there are some common characteristics between Marxism and religion.

From the Unabomber Manifesto:

218. Various thinkers have pointed out that leftism is a kind of religion. Leftism is not a religion in the strict sense because leftist doctrine does not postulate the existence of any supernatural being. But, for the leftist, leftism plays a psychological role much like that which religion plays for some people. The leftist NEEDS to believe in leftism; it plays a vital role in his psychological economy. His beliefs are not easily modified by logic or facts. He has a deep conviction that leftism is morally Right with a capital R, and that he has not only a right but a duty to impose leftist morality on everyone. (However, many of the people we are referring to as "leftists" do not think of themselves as leftists and would not describe their system of beliefs as leftism. We use the term "leftism" because we don't know of any better words to designate the spectrum of related creeds that includes the feminist, gay rights, political correctness, etc., movements, and because these movements have a strong affinity with the old left. See paragraphs 227-230.)

16 posted on 02/07/2004 11:36:28 AM PST by MegaSilver
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To: MegaSilver
I pretty much agree with the essay, leftism, or Marxism, supplants religion, and has many similarities and parallels, but is not, strictly speaking, a religion.
17 posted on 02/07/2004 11:43:25 AM PST by Sam Cree (Democrats are herd animals)
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To: MegaSilver
You're right! Indeed, leftism is not a religion. But leftism holds a morally relativistic worldview which is consistent with the belief system of secular humanism. Now, secular humanism has been declared a religion by the U.S. Supreme Court. Really and truly, a religion is a belief system by which one can transcend onself. But how does one transcend onself if he or she doesn't subscribe to values/morals which are universal and transcendent? Secular humanism only leads to self-fulfillment, or self-satisfaction. So, how can it really be a religion? It seems to me the Supreme Court decision is somewhat short-sighted, but it will suffice for this time in history so that we can say to secularists, "Don't impose your religion onto me!"
18 posted on 02/07/2004 4:41:37 PM PST by dsat4life (The Lord Reigns!!!)
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