Education is about helping students know more about a subject after they take a class than before. Activism is about convincing others of something, or, failing

Education is about helping students know more about a subject after they take a class than before. Activism is about convincing others of something, or, failing that, to punish them. Is it proper for an atheist to be able to earn an "A" in a religion course? Yes. The professor should say at the beginning of class, "You do not have to be a believer. I will not judge you or grade you on your beliefs or lack thereof. All you need to do is learn and accurately show that you know what it is that people who do believe would say." Is it proper for a creationist to be able to earn an "A" in an evolutionary biology course? Yes. The professor should say to such a student, "You do not have to change your beliefs about creation or evolution. I will not judge you or grade you on your beliefs or lack thereof. All you need to do is learn and accurately show that you know how biologists calculate and reason about evolution." It is certainly true that opinions and beliefs can change as a result of education. But if that goal becomes the primary purpose of a university (as opposed to a possibly-beneficial side effect) then that university has corrupted the ideal of higher education.