Protecting Gina's First Amendment Rights
Gina, a college student in Suffolk County, New York, contacted us regarding her professors unconstitutional decision to make passing a required philosophy course contingent upon her willingness to express agreement with philosophical critiques of the existence of God that conflict with her religious beliefs.
Gina maintains a 3.9 GPA and has had good relationships with her professors at the college. This semester, she is taking an Introduction to Philosophy course that is required by the college for graduation. Gina did very well on the first few class assignments, receiving a 4 out of 4 grade. However, the grades she received on class assignments dropped significantly once God and religion became prominent topics of class discussion and her refusal to compromise her Christian faith became apparent. This is because the course goes beyond merely requiring knowledge of prominent philosophers and their arguments or ways of thinking, which Gina does not object to. Rather, the professor believes that it is his job to get students to change their own personal viewpoints or state that they are unsure of whether their own personal beliefs are correct.
Ginas online class discussions with her professor and fellow students demonstrate her knowledge of the material and ability to provide a reasoned defense of her positions. She has participated in every discussion, read all assigned materials, and completed every assignment. Gina has studied and discussed various philosophical arguments on whether God exists and whether He possesses certain characteristics such as being all-knowing or all-present. However, Gina will not state that she personally believes that the idea of God is problematic or that she needs to reconsider her sincerely held religious beliefs.
On the courses online message board, the professor has called Gina closed-minded, uncritical, hurtful, and blinded by belief simply because she will not adopt his way of thinking. It is clear that Ginas stated unwillingness to reconsider or abandon her personal beliefs in favor of the professors preferred viewpoints has led to her receiving poor grades on class assignments.
We sent a demand letter to the colleges attorney regarding the denial of Ginas First Amendment rights. The letter explains that the First Amendment ensures that students may not be penalized for incorporating religious viewpoints in their class assignments. We will keep you posted as this situation develops.
