floridadynamo Let’s get something straight, I will be talking about college/university science courses and not philosophy, English, history, political science or sociology etc. courses. With that in mind, the answer to the question “Should God Be In a University Science Classroom? is relatively easy to answer. Except for pointing out the differences between science and religion (especially revelatory religion and without the need for going into the dogma of specific religions and the question of biblical inerrancy) in the introductory courses, there is absolutely no need for god to be introduced into any science class.
Periodically articles or books appear that, based on surveys, purport to show that scientists are not all godless individuals and that some have deep religious convictions. My response to that is: So what? I would agree that such information is interesting and valuable from a sociological perspective. However, it should be remembered that long before a person becomes a scientist, it, in its formative years, depending on its parents, is subject to a variety of cultural influences, amongst which could be exposure to religious beliefs and rituals, irrespective of what the religion is, what the rituals are and the demands the religion makes on its credulity. Thus, it is not the least surprising that there are scientists who are “believers” and who, to a varying extent, are practitioners of a given religious faith. It is not surprising that, as a group, scientists demonstrate a range of religiosity from fundamentalism to atheism. What a scientist believes is strictly between that scientist and its conscience. Scientists, like all other human beings living in a free, democratic society are entitled and permitted to believe whatever they want to believe. And, like all people, they will believe whatever they want to believe irrespective of the lack of evidence or even in the face of evidence to the contrary. Such is the world of belief. There is no code of behavior, vis a vis religion, that scientists have to adhere to in order to be a scientist. Be all that as it may, religious beliefs are private and do not belong in a science class.
In some church affiliated institutions of higher education there are codes of behavior that demand that all faculty adhere to the tenets of the given faith to which the institution is affiliated. Such church affiliated institutions have a right to make such demands as conditions of employment.  Faculty may be required to sign statements to that effect. In such cases, the mind control limits a faculty member’s academic freedom. Such mind control and religious dogma may also interfere with the teaching of science, especially those sciences that are concerned with evolution and the age of the Earth – with special emphasis on anthropology, astronomy, biology, geology and paleontology.  Scientists, or other academics, within or without that faith, who can not live under such faith-based mandates need not and probably would not apply for jobs at such institutions.
In non faith-based colleges/universities, students pay tuition which covers the cost for each of the courses they take. There is an unwritten contract between the student and the institution (also the instructor who the institution hired to teach the course) that the student will receive instruction in that course according to the description in the published catalog. Bringing religion into the classroom is not just an infringement of students’ rights to the education guaranteed them but also a cause of their wasting time and money. No institution or science instructor should be subjecting students in a classroom setting to doctrinal religious discussions or disputations. Aside from the illegality and immorality involved, let us not forget the classes undoubtedly consist of students from a variety of religions whose beliefs and practices are at odds with each other and who may not want to be bothered by religious discussions for which they did not pay. Questions of academic freedom and freedom of speech are inappropriate since they do not pertain in such situations.
If students wish to pursue religious issues with an instructor and if the instructor is so inclined, they could do so outside of class under circumstances where the other students of that class are free to attend or not with complete impunity.
God has no place in a science course.
