Course Debunking Intelligent Design Canceled

Thib writes "As widely reported everywhere, University of Kansas chairman of religious studies Paul Mirecki has withdrawn the "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and Other Religious Mythologies" course that he was preparing for the upcoming Spring semester. From the AP: "Mirecki recently sent an e-mail to members of a student organization in which he referred to religious conservatives as "fundies" and said a course depicting intelligent design as mythology would be a "nice slap in their big fat face." He later apologized, and did so again Thursday in a statement issued by the university." Mirecki was inspired to offer the course after the Kansas Board of Education moved to back intelligent design in state science standards in November."

Comments

Re:No double standard

[Apreche]

Why not? The fist amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;..." It doesn't say anything about disrespecting a religion. And in no way does this college course prohibit the free exercise of religion. If you want to interpret the word respect to have a meaning synonymous with "pertaining to" then you have to get rid of the laws giving tax breaks to religious groups.

Now, as far as the others are concerned. If someone were to make a class named "Jews: The Secret Rules of the World" or "Why blacks should be slaves again" I wouldn't like it very much. It would be pretty obvious that the professor was a racist bastard and should be fired under the policies of the university. But, as a supporter of the first amendment I have to accept and allow this sort of hate speech no matter how distasteful it might be.