Was this an unethical decision by my professor, in your opinion?

Question

In college I took an accelerated english class, and I loved it, and I loved my professor,

BUT

one day, she passed out an essay with the intent that we critique the style, not the content. The problem is, the essay was by a catholic feminist about how "Lillith" was the first woman in the garden of eden, and that the church had removed her from the Bible.

Now, I was not a Christian at this point, and I didn't know very much about the Bible. I believed what was written in this article was true, because it was presented to me as fact, and my teacher did not make any disclaimers or comments about it.

Now, fast forward into the future and I have become a Christian and gotten a thorough education in the Bible. I know now that no credible scholar accepts the idea that there was ever a mention of Lillith in the Garden of Eden, and that Lillith is nothing more than a rabbinic legend regarded highly skeptically from right back to the time it originated.

Answer 1

A little bit- you are in college, but she could've said SOMEthing letting you know the background.

Answer 2

NO YOU ARE OVER REACTING.

Answer 3

I do not believe that it was unethical at all.  If you were critiquing the style, and not the content, then the content should be irrelevant...now, as well as then.  Would you have been as offended if the teacher had presented an essay on the trials and tribulations of a mushroom farmer?  

   Also, as a college student, you should be responsible for discerning which "facts" that you choose to accept.  The only time where this could be considered unethical would be in the case of 4th graders, who tend to accept everything they are told.  Teachers regularly try to indoctrinate kids into specific political views...particularly when school bond issues arise.  This is unethical...and wide spread.

Answer 4

In college,  most are adults, so I doubt you could prove it unethical.

Wise? Probably not.  For one thing, to be able to properly evaluate the content, which is part of the style, ultimately, you would need religious background knowledge.  

On the other hand, she might have been trying to either (1) convince you of the truth of Lillith OR (2) the foolishness, in her opinion, of religion in particular.  Who knows?  But either would be improper unless it were a class on religious beliefs or  mythology.

At any rate, I did not get from your words that you were putting down Jewish beliefs.  I'm Christian too, and I respect Jewish beliefs and history, but I don't give credence to all the Kaballah (spelling?) beliefs, some of which are a bit bizarre!

Interesting question.

Answer 5

No.

She was asking you to critique the style, not question the content.

All opinions are subjective, if you really investigate them deeply enough.

Answer 6

no - you aren't in high school any more, you are in college. Maybe your teacher was trying to teach you to think for yourself, in which case, you would have questioned the validity of the article.

Answer 7

So are you saying that all of the beliefs of the Jewish people are wrong? There is credibility to it, do more research, less complaining.