John McClane wrote:Yes, I have been asked to do a neutral research paper. However, all I am doing is stating the view of theistic claims held by atheists. I think it's certainly possible for me to do so and I also think that the true test of a writer is being able to write an objective paper on something you feel strongly about. As such, I'm more definitely going to be continuing with my topic unless I am unable to find enough information to fill 5-7 pages.
I think the concern we all have is not with your writing skills -- about which, after all, we don't know enough to comment on. Rather, the problem is the judgment call of picking a topic that your teacher has already said she does not want you to pick. Bear in mind that the teacher is not only your adviser, but also the person responsible for giving you your grade. I think it's safe to say that if your teacher asks you not to pick a topic, she is indicating that you will not get a good grade if you do pick that topic.
It's sort of like if your teacher asked you to do a report on Thomas Jefferson, and you responded by doing a report on the history of Venezuela. Even if it was a really excellent report on the history of Venezuela, one of the best reports she ever saw in the history of teaching high school, it still wouldn't have anything to do with the assignment. If she gave you an F, you would have absolutely no grounds for complaint because you deliberately chose to report on something that wasn't what she asked.
The other problem I see with the topic is that it is inherently subjective. This has nothing to do with your writing skills. First of all, your use of the word "vibrant". Tell me, can you measure vibrancy? How vibrant would atheism have to be to meet your claim? How much vibrancy would another subject lack in order to provide a contrast with atheism? You see what I mean? "Vibrant" isn't an objective word. It's like saying that atheism is "good". You might convince someone that you were right, but it's still an opinion. Second, your topic seeks to validate atheism as a "way to view at the world." Almost by definition, a way to view the world is not objective. I'm not even sure I would expect your teacher to accept a paper claiming that "science is an objective way to view the world." Facts are objective. Ways of viewing the world are not objective; they are interpretations. Even science.
Those are my concerns. You're free to take it or leave it, but please don't come back and bad-mouth your teacher if you go through with your intentions and then do badly on the assignment.
There are plenty of ways you could tackle this subject that do match your teacher's standards. Reporting on a person is one reasonable suggestion. Here's another one. Pick one subject that is deep and factual, but controversial because of theistic beliefs. Two topics that spring readily to mind are evolution, and separation of church and state as laid out in the constitution.
Report accurately on your topic, then discuss the misleading efforts by religious people to suggest that there is a "controversy" around these subjects. That way, you can both get your rant on about theists, while still providing an objective exposition about a serious topic that will be more likely to satisfy the assignment.
