Pepperdine, Baylor, Hope- these are highly credible universities with reputations that go beyond their own faith communities. That is not the case with Liberty. Since when is religion taboo as a topic at work? The companies I have worked for do not allow someone to proselytize in the office or to use their job as an excuse to discriminate against people who do not share their beliefs.
But people discuss religion all the time. Should we install space for Muslim employees to pray during Ramadan and if so- where is the most logical and most sensitive spot? (Facilities management had an empty room which could have been converted but it was near a cafeteria which many of us thought was insensitive during a fast period). Do we cancel a campus recruiting trip which got scheduled before someone realized that it was Yom Kippur and we’d be missing out on students-- not to mention some of our interviewers? What message should we give employees when allowing them to decide to work from home during the Pope’s recent visit- which communicated both respect for those who wanted to attend/watch on TV the Mass and other events, as well as concede that we had concerns about commutes, safety, etc.
Not taboo at all and most adults enjoy a thoughtful discussion of someone else’s practices and beliefs. But they don’t want someone insisting that anyone who believes in a woman’s right to choose is going to hell, or asking them if they’d like to be saved during lunch hour.
For nursing (BSN) LU had a higher pass rate than UVa on the national licensing exam. My wife who is undergoing regular treatment for a major illness has met many and prefers them to those she had at a leading Seattle hospital where she also worked https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/nursing/nursing_edprogs.htm
There are really two separate issues when Liberty comes up:
What is the impact of the school’s religious orientation on potential future jobs? I think it depends on what your field is, and where you want to live. For many of the more vocational type fields, this probably won’t matter much directly. In the sciences, it might matter a lot.
How good is the education you get at Liberty? When you look at the qualifications of the student body and the faculty, it’s about like a lower-tier state directional university. Perfectly fine for many people, and the right level of challenge for many. It might be a good deal because it’s not very expensive. I think it’s generally improved over the years, but it isn’t (and probably never will be) a real competitor for someplace like Virginia Tech.
“I can count the number of times we discussed creation etc at work (finance) on exactly 0 fingers. Actually in most workplaces religion is taboo as a topic at work. And most science does fine without ever looking at it. And many LU students dont buy all of it either.”
It doesn’t matter whether it’s discussed at work or not. The fact that someone would willingly go off to a school which denies basic scientific thinking is problematic.
How big a problem? In my view it is a very small problem in most lives if any problem at all as long as they leave it at church. They still teach Marx at most colleges. Most US economists would finds that theory discredited. Would you hire a Marxist? I’d find that far more problematic in a business workplace. For business LU is much like any regional state U–say Radford or Longwood. None will get you hired on Wall Street. But you can make a living.
BTW they guy that teaches the creation science stuff actually has first-rate credentials in mainstream science
Barrons- the point is that a kid who picks Swarthmore (a Quaker institution) or Brandeis (a secular but Jewish institution) or Georgetown (a Catholic institution) does not need to leave their critical thinking at the door re: the scientific method.
“Most US economists would finds that theory discredited.”
Most US economists would find an economist who wasn’t familiar with Marx to be an ignoramus. It’s not a matter of whether a theory is currently hot; it’s a matter of whether a theory had enormous historical importance to the world economy with echoes today.
Creationism plays no such role in modern biology or geology. It’s important to social history and political science, not to biology or geology. You could be a fabulous scientist from some non-Western culture with no exposure to the Bible.
Of course creationism study is an important part of Liberty. It’s a REQUIRED course. For all undergrads. That’s important to know.
CRST 290 - History of Life (D)
“An interdisciplinary study of the origin and history of life in the universe. Faculty of the Center for Creation Studies will draw from science, religion, history, and philosophy in presenting the evidence and arguments for creation and evolution. This course is required for all Liberty students”.
Sweet Briar still open. LU from the brink of bankruptcy to net assets over a Billion. BTW LU dos teach evolution Hanna. They just accept a religion based POV. Not my POV but 100% legal in this country. I was interviewed by an LU student concerning my beliefs and I said I did not agree with the LU POV. BUT I also never met a nicer person who is kinder and more generous than I’ll ever be. That’s how I judge people–how they act in this world. LU kids are better in that regard than lots of kids at more mainstream schools. They do real missions to help in parts of the world I would not go. They even train students to fly planes so they can do such missions. Is it really that important if they have some beliefs you dont? Not to me.
Plenty of nice, kind people believe in unscientific things. That doesn’t take away from their kind nature but it doesn’t make their refusal of science correct. No one has argued a private university couldn’t teach what it wants, so that’s a straw man.
The OP’s question has to do with Liberty’s academic reputation in business- not its constitutional right to teach that the world was created in six days and on the 7th, the Lord rested.
OP if you are still here- assume that the discussion you are reading is going to approximate what will happen to you in your business career when someone discovers you graduated from Liberty. Why that college? Didn’t you have better options? Can you check your religious beliefs at the door when you go to work every day? Do you engage in fact-based logical reasoning?
Etc.
Barrons- the fact that they do missions (as do thousands of kids from BYU, Baylor, etc.) has nothing to do with the OP’s question.
I don’t know much about LU, so can’t speak to the OP’s question here, but the anti-Christian tone in several posts on this thread is really disappointing.
“That’s how I judge people–how they act in this world.”
Go right ahead. I’m happy to judge churches by how they inspire goodness in people. I judge universities by how they cultivate critical thinking and knowledge. Some of the kindest, most loving people I’ve ever met are intellectually disabled. That doesn’t make their school a good university.
OP, I agree with many of the other posters. I have been a Christian for many years and take my commitment to follow Jesus very seriously. However, I would NEVER send my child to Liberty U or Bob Jones U (is that still around?). Even if we assume the education is top notch at Liberty, and even if their stance on evolution is just fine with you, why would you want to get a degree that most people won’t respect?