http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-09-28-theologians_N.htm
This article looks at how Catholics deal with issues that come up in their theologian's theology. When it comes down to it, the Catholic Church has the final say on what is right and not in their religion, and thus they can suppress ideas when they do not agree. Some theologians worry that intellectual freedom will be lost in the catholic church because of this.
What then is our job as librarians/information professionals in the realm of religion?
Can we even intervene in an issue like this? My thoughts keep drifting back to separation of Church and State (something that religions manage to love and hate). As a public librarian, does religion have any say as to what is on our shelves?
I feel like the answer to that is obvious for most of us (if not all). But lets say, you are desperate for a job. You take one at a catholic university, for the sake of this argument, lets say Notre Dame. Do you fight for books that the university says "no" to on religious grounds. The book written in the above article is under review because it is seemingly too accepting of other religions.
So I guess the overarching question is, does religion's seeming need for intellectual slavery interfere with our goal of intellectual freedom, and how? How can we overcome it?
These are things I ponder often. Please note I don't think religion is outside the realm of intellect or anything. I just feel that I see many stories or hear many stories from people about a certain religion protesting a book/movie/something because they don't like what it has to say.
Final question: How do religion and intellectual freedom co-exist? If they even do...
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This is probably why I consider myself to be spiritual and not religious. As hard as your questions are for US to address, imagine being a catholic librarian, or even a librarian who is catholic. I imagine people of other faiths face the same issues. I would think to work at a religious institution, one would have to agree to certain conditions. Like working for Pepsi and not drinking Coke. Someone wrote somewhere else that once they get a librarian position, they'd check out the collection development policy. I think it would be better to ask about it before being hired, that way if there's something in it that would cause the librarian to go against something that they have strong feelings about, it may be better to not even take the job. Our job as librarians isn't to "save" the world but to guide them along their information gathering journey.
ReplyDeleteI liked the analogy of the theologians as the R&D department of the Church in this piece. An organization set up like the Catholic church is eventually going to have to tell some theologians, "this is not the direction we want to go in." I think where the heads of the Church get in trouble is when they jump in and stifle the debate too soon. I also think that most Catholic universities like Georgetown and Notre Dame do a good job of welcoming these debates. Hopefully the professors and theologians there have a sense of being protected and can truly question some teachings in an effort to strengthen their faith.
ReplyDeleteFull disclosure, I was raised Catholic, but would consider myself agnostic on my best days.
Well...I'm going to be in the minority here, but I look at it this way: If you're shopping for shoes, you can go to a shoe store or a general department style store. You'll find shoes either way (unless you're a size 5 like I am!), but you're not likely to find pants at the shoe store. So, if you need both pants and shoes, you either head to both a pants store and a shoe store or just head to the general department store where they have both.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it's the same with this kind of situation. You'll find Wicca, Catholicism, and probably even Satanism at the public library, but I wouldn't even blink an eye at not finding Wiccan selections at Notre Dame. Truthfully, this makes sense to me and doesn't bother me a bit.
Of course, my rambling example probably doesn't make sense to anyone else...=)
I agree with Tonya. Most religiously-affiliated schools (university or lower) have a section in their mission statement about upholding the beliefs of that religion. Since they are private institutions, not government-funded, they have that right. Anyone considering a position, either as a librarian, instructor, or support staff at such institutions, knows this in advance. By accepting the position, they accept the inherent restrictions that go with it, or risk losing the job later on. I have a friend who teaches at a Christian college who nearly lost his job at the mere rumor--without proof--that he might not be Christian. When I worked at a Christian-based residential treatment facility, I kept my faith hidden, and had to bite my tongue many times when misconceptions about my religion came up. One day I realized I couldn't keep biting my tongue and stay true to myself and my faith so I turned in my resignation before it got me in trouble.
ReplyDeleteReligion and intellectual freedom can only co-exist if the religion allows it--and plenty of religions and denominations do. The number of faiths that are so conservative that they limit the intellectual freedom of members (and that members allow themselves to be so governed) are actually relatively few.
~Lynn
I suppose it really depends on the context. When dealing with something that may be breaking a social law, the state should be the final word on that. However, in the case you describe here, since the school is clearly a Catholic school... then, perhaps they should be able to taylor the collection to their desires; especially if it is a private institution (IS Notre Dame a private institution?). I somehow don't feel right saying that, but it's sort of like dealing with a subject specific library or a special collection: there are certain things that just don't belong in that collection.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tough call, and I'm probably not the one to make the final call, but that's my take on it... for now.
I am in the process of applying for a position at a Catholic University, I had some reservations about working at a Catholic institution in part, because I disagree with many of their beliefs and policies. I was married for many years to a Catholic I did not convert because of my opposition to their policies. Before making the decision to apply I did a search in their OPAC using the subjects abortion and pro-choice, just to see what the results would be, since this issue is so important to Catholics. I did find several books on the topic. If by some chance, I would get the position, I would make my collection development decisions based on what was needed in the collection not whether or not it fit within the accepted beliefs of the church. I probably would also make sure what the library's expectations are of librarians, who may not share the beliefs of Catholicism.
ReplyDeleteIn the '60s, leaders of Catholic universities met in Wisconsin and drafted a document that was sort of a declaration of independence from the Church hierarchy. Presumably, they worried about how future SLIS students would debate the role intellectual freedom played in their institutions' goals and missions.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to the statement they came up with:
http://archives.nd.edu/episodes/visitors/lol/idea.htm
In answer to your question as to whether or not religion and intellectual freedom can coexist I believe they can. However, it depends upon the religion and/or the person practicing. Many people try to force their own opinions on others with disastrous results. Others are at least willing to have a conversation about it. I find this to be true when I’ve had discussions with those who are trying to find a religion that they will subscribe to. I actually touched on a similar point in my blog posting for this week. (http://jameswallace-infamousjw2.blogspot.com/2010/06/while-looking-for-article-related-to.html#links)
ReplyDeleteIn response to your hypothetical regarding Notre Dame I’m sure their collection development policy and/or mission statement has something in it defending their right to select material favorable to the Catholic faith. They know what their patrons want and they intend to give it to them. It’s no surprise to me that they would exclude certain material.
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ReplyDeleteNotre Dame's collection development policy doesn't actually mention anything about selecting materials based on Catholic values or beliefs. Here it is:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.library.nd.edu/colldev/policy/general_policy.shtml