<p>The sarcasm here is just too much. It was a simple query, not a diatribe on the evils of this particular professor or his unusual choice of words. </p>
<p>I think it’s an odd way for a professor at a secular school to sign his emails. I don’t think there’s anything to be done. </p>
<p>I think it’s wrong, but I am not sure there is anything you can do about it. Contact the Freedom From Religion Foundation if you want to be sure.</p>
<p>Good grief.</p>
<p>Let us remember too, that “blessings” are not necessarily from a deity. A parent might give their blessing to a child that wants to re-take the SAT. To only interpret it as a religious closing is too little perspective.</p>
<p>I’m pretty fanatical about separation of church and state, but I’d let this one go with an internal eye roll. I do think it is odd, and that a more conventional salutation would be preferable. </p>
<p>If the professor started decorating the classroom with religious objects, writing a “bible verse of the day” on the board or something like that, or in other ways imposing his beliefs on others, then I would say he should be told to restrain himself.</p>
<p>I wonder what the reaction would be if he started signing his emails “in Allah’s name,” or whatever the Muslim equivalent is…</p>
<p>The professor has certain rights with respect to expressing his religion. Only the employer (university) would be in a position to stop him from writing In Him. Assuming the University wanted him to stop and he refused, most courts would weight the professor’s religious freedoms against the University’s right to control the messages disseminated by its employees. I would be surprised if the university asked the professor to stop. If the university did so, I doubt a court would uphold the university’s decision if that decision is contested by the professor. What the professor is doing is similar to Christian employees wearing crosses, jewish employees wearing yamaka, or muslim female employee wearing headdress. </p>
<p>I find it really annoying to see female muslims wearing headdress because I know it is really a symbol of men controlling women even though most muslim women are incapable of realizing this. I cannot image a court upholding a rule preventing muslim women from wearing headdress. </p>
<p>“The OP’s situation is professional correspondence from a government employee…and likely done on official public university email resources which could reasonably be viewed as the modern equivalent of official letterhead. This is problematic as it can lead the recipient to reasonably believe that the government institution condones his/her favoring or proselytizing his faith to others on government time.”</p>
<p>No, that’s not a “reasonable belief.” The signature wasn’t “In Him, and you’d better believe in Him too or else prepare for an F in this class.” If wearing a cross, yarmulke, etc isn’t proselytizing (which it isn’t), this isn’t proselytizing either. There is no evidence that this prof is trying to convert people or favors Christian students. Don’t declare someone guilty before a crime is committed. </p>
<p>Like Consolation, I’m pretty fanatical about separation of c-s myself, but this merits little more than an internal eye roll and move on. </p>
<p>What would happen if the Muslim signed “In Allah’s Name”–That would be evidence of diversity. Cool and interesting. Everyone would eagerly exhibit tolerance and willingness to coexist. </p>
<p>In that case, you should refuse to use any US currency that said “In God we Trust” and that is issued by the Federal Government. LOL.</p>
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<p>The inclusion of “In God We Trust” in currency first started on a 2 cent piece in the early 1860’s during the Civil War and paper money in 1957 during the height of the Cold War…both for highly political reasons.</p>
<p>Moreover, the 1860’s wasn’t exactly an enlightened period when it came to respecting folks of other religious faiths. One of the first establishment clause lawsuits against public education institutions was launched by a Catholic family who weren’t happy at the practice of teaching the Protestant faith and bible in their local public schools and teachers forcing it down their children’s proverbial throat. </p>
<p>Actually, I <em>do</em> object to the imposition of “In God we trust” as the supposed national slogan, and its presence on our money. It used to be E Pluribus Unum, and I think that was perfectly fine. I also object to the addition of “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. Not LOL: deadly serious.</p>
<p>As an academic family, I find it odd. Both my husband and I try to be scrupulous about not letting our political or religious views show to our students. I consider it something of a point of pride that I am asked to write letters of recommendations for students for jobs and scholarships from entities that are diametrically opposed to my personal views. So, I would never share personal views in a closing in a professional-related email. Just odd and unprofessional. </p>
<p>I think it’s time to pull up your big-girl/big-boy pants and accept that Western universities are a forum for all kinds of ideas, not just the ideas that don’t offend you.</p>
<p>I guarantee if the prof was Muslim and the phrase “Praise to Almighty Allah” was used, the student and parent would say nothing and think it is cool and diverse. </p>
<p>Yep, I have seen this before. </p>
<p>EDIT: Just saw read that @atomom beat me to the same example a few posts up. Did not mean to step on you @atomom, but we did think the exact same thing. </p>
<p>I do too, but to me that’s a separate issue from a prof’s right to sign a message “In Him.” In all these cases, I wish they wouldn’t, but these aren’t the battles worth dying for. </p>
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<p>It only takes a few students who express discomfort for public u admins, other Profs, and public u counsel to get wind of this Prof’s practice, realize potential legal liabilities which may result, and have a quiet talk with the Prof to remind him of what their status as a public U and his status as employee of it and its implications in this regard. Assuming, of course, they’re conscientious enough not to emulate the current Alabama Chief Justice.</p>
<p>And considering the level of outrage over a proposal by some Satanists to erect their Baphomet statue right beside the 10 Commandments monument at the Oklahoma Capitol, I’d doubt many Americans…including some commenters here would be accusing the OP of being “oversensitive” if he/she said the Prof signed “In Allah” or “In Baphomet”…</p>
<p>If a professor signed his correspondence with “Allahu Akbar!” I guarantee a contingent of students/parents would be outraged. And we would be hearing about it on Fox News.</p>
<p>Look, the issue is not whether this is a big or little thing (it’s obviously “little,” to most people). It’s that most of us know from experience that people who are that up front about their religious beliefs generally bring them into other situations as well. What about a dinner with the professor at which he asks everyone to hold hands and say grace? How about when he asks a student during office hours if she has found Jesus? When there is a power imbalance, and the student perceives there might be a right or wrong answer, it’s manipulative to bring religion into secular situations.</p>
<p>Another way of approaching it: if we say faculty have the right to sign off on correspondence however they want, how about when your daughter forwards you an email from a lecherous professor that says “Fondly, Professor X” or “Much love, Professor Y”? (Of course this is extreme but you get the idea.) Should we tell her she should just ignore it because it is his right to say what he wants?</p>
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<p>Part of this is contextual depending on time & place. </p>
<p>If this dinner in question was sponsored by the department/university or takes place on university grounds, then that’s problematic.</p>
<p>If this dinner is a private one taking place at the Prof’s house, then it is his right to do so as he’s no longer on public U/government time, dinner isn’t being sponsored by his employer, and it’s his house. Very different from OP’s situation. </p>
<p>And then there are those of us who have never seen that sign-off before and wouldn’t even know what it meant. If I received that email I would have thought it was some sort of auto-correct typo. Maybe I’m the only one?</p>
<p>Maybe it is out of line and maybe not depending on how you view these sorts of things. But do you want your child to be the one that “calls” him on it? Think that is just going to really irritate the guy and your child may suffer in the long run. Professors are human beings with their prejudices and failings. Maybe it sounds like a cop out, but when I was in college I attempted to stay on the good side of my profs. It just made my life easier.</p>