Originally Published by The Mill Institute at UATX:
“Christianity, just as much as Islam, teaches children that unquestioned faith is a virtue. You don’t have to make the case for what you believe.”
– Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion
Richard Dawkins would not be very impressed to hear about the school where I teach. As a private Christian school of the evangelical Protestant variety, the Bible and its teachings permeate every aspect of what we believe and do. We hold to a statement of faith that affirms historic Christian doctrines like the existence of God, the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the truthfulness of the Bible. We endorse traditional beliefs about marriage, gender, and sexuality. Though in the minority, schools like mine are quite common in the United States. Thousands of similar schools (and hundreds of thousands of homeschooling families) seek to pass on to students these same beliefs.
Is there any place for open inquiry and viewpoint diversity at a devoutly religious school? If Dawkins is right, and if such schools teach their students “that unquestioned faith is a virtue,” the answer is definitely no. Why examine other views if you already know you are right? Why teach critical thinking if it might undermine your beliefs? Dawkins’ assertion is not without some merit, as it describes a real attitude that can be found in some Christian circles. But must it always be the case? Can a conservative Christian school maintain firm convictions while also encouraging students to ask questions and seek out diverse viewpoints? Furthermore, could open inquiry actually facilitate the mission of such a school?
I would argue that the answer is yes and that John Stuart Mill is one of the best thinkers to help us see why. In his book On Liberty he makes a formidable argument for why seriously considering (rather than suppressing) other perspectives is so valuable. In this article, I want to explore the ways two of his arguments can be applied for significant benefit at conservative religious schools of the Christian tradition…