Fundamentalists are to Christianity as the Black Panthers are to Civil Rights. Very few people would oppose an email deriding the Black Panthers for their militarism, while the world would obviously throw a fit over criticising civil rights in general. The situation is the same here. Mirecki's email singles out the fundamentalists in the state legislature. There are moderates, mind you - an overwhelming majority of Christians (including the entire Catholic church) see little or no tension between creationism and evolution. Those in our state legislature looking to change science until it is no longer science, however, are in that looney minority who believe things like the world is only a little over 4,000 years old and that Genesis is to be taken literally word for word.
A professor with his own personal beliefs? Say it ain't so! The world must surely be coming to an end. Woe is me.
Newsflash: everyone has their personal beliefs, including professors, and only a fool would try to deny them this ability. It is human nature to have differing opinions. The only thing that matters is that those beliefs do not impact his teaching. And as someone who has personally experienced Dr. Mirecki as a lecturer, as opposed to most who have been doing the whining, I see no reason to believe his personal beliefs have affected his teaching in any way. In fact I was quite surprised to discover he was the leader of SOMAA because of the way he delivered the lecture over the Old Testament - he would have been easier to mistake for a member of the clergy than an atheist. Mirecki's personal beliefs are relevant if and only if they impact his teaching, and there is zero evidence to suggest that is the case.
Nice try on guessing my major, but it seems the Kansas legislature is the only one with a collective degree in drama here: this is the second time in three years there have been threats to pull all state funding from the University because of the questioned actions of one faculty member. This is all quite ironic because one of the largest conservative magazines in the country recently listed KU as a top public school with one caveat: the legislature does not provide enough funding.
Now here's the truth from someone who is more than just an armchair op-ed writer: Paul Mirecki expressed the beliefs that many Kansans have been feeling since the last school board election. He has nothing more to applogize for than the faculty sponsor of University Christian Fellowship every time a reference is made to God or Jesus. Or would you prefer the state now get involved in dictating what personal beliefs individuals are allowed to hold? Make them members of the Party perhaps? I can see it now: in Nebraska you can always find a party, but in Kansas the Party finds you! You are making much ado about nothing. If this were a Christian at the focus of a witch hunt, you would be crying some more about how the poor Christians are so persecuted in this nation. And that argument would be as worthless as the one you advance here.
In essence, your post and point functions as one giant red herring. The only real question here is whether Mirecki would have taught the class fairly according to the standards it set: exploring the history of ID and Creationism as myth (refer to my previous correct definition). For all the whining and crying people have done, there has not yet been a shred of real evidence to indicate those standards would not have been met. This man has been chair of the Religious Studies department for 20 years. One complaint in 20 years. Sensationalized? You bet.
I have it on good word from more than one of his co-workers in Religious Studies that it really happened. Honestly there is no reason for him to fake the beating, it's not like it will gain him much sympathy from the crowd that he upset anyway.
And I most certainly agree it was a stupid thing to confront those guys. I grew up in Western Kansas (unfortunately), and anyone who has grown up in this area knows that two guys in a big truck means bad things. That being said, after being hounded by both the state legislature and every major and minor news organization imaginable, I don't think he was probably in the best state of mind at that time.
I will reiterate that his 'fundies' comment was in one paragraph of a rather long email. His outrage is also quite understandable. The state board of education, comprised of lay members of the community, has decided to impose a new definition of science upon those trained in it. Neither I, nor most other people, have an issue with Intelligent Design being discussed in schools. After all, if we talk about Greek mythology, we should include the academic study of other religious mythologies as well. But none of those mythologies belong anywhere near a science class. If the legislature does indeed implement those recommendations from the BoE, there will be serious ramifications for Kansas students. More than one prestigious public university has vowed to not allow students from Kansas high schools if evolution is replaced in favor of Intelligent Design. Not to mention our state becomes, once again, the mockery of that nation. Speaking of vanishing multimillion dollar business deals, it becomes increasingly difficult to attract business commerce to a state seen as backward.
On the hypothetical question of his usage of "Jews" or "Muslims", that question is not even worth addressing. Neither the Jews, nor the Muslims in this state are mounting a campaign to destroy science. It's not worth speculating about a situation that has little probability of occurring.
Finally, your labeling of the cancelled class as an "anti-ID" class is misleading. There is a serious difference between the academic term of 'myth' and the way 'myth' is used in everyday conversation. The American Heritage Dictionary defines myth as: "A traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society." The ID class would have explored the birth and evolution (no pun intended) of the Creationism and Intelligent Design myth systems. Because it traces a historical path, Dr. Mirecki is/was supremely qualified to teach it: his expertise lies in early Christian cultures and societies. The controversy that came with that class exposes the ID cronies and what they were really attempting: to repackage Christian myths in the most watered-down version in order to get a foot in the door of public schools. There is no outcry over the study of Greek religions and religious texts as mythology, nor is there any outcry against the same thing for American Indian religions.
As someone who is both interested in dismissing the conspiracy theories and was enrolled in the cancelled class, I think it is time to post some real information.
First, Paul Mirecki is a well-respected scholar in the field of Christianity. He is regularly chosen as the lecturer for the week that covers the Old Testament of the Bible in an Honors Western Civilization I course. Mirecki's personal beliefs regarding religion never came up in that lecture - he stuck to the facts. My experiences echo those of nearly every student who has taken a course taught by him. In his 20+ years as head of the Religious Studies department, Mirecki's scholarship and teaching have been praised by scholars and students alike.
Second, the email in question was sent via a Yahoo listserv to members of the KU Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics (SOMAA). While the group may be a part of KU, it is about as disconnected from the everyday processes of the University as can be. Student groups are funded through the KU Student Senate, which means the University's own democratic processes (which include plenty of Christians as voters) elected a body of individuals who sanctioned funding of SOMAA. The Christian individual who released the one paragraph of the email had no business doing so. The released text was taken out of any context (the vast majority of the message had nothing to do with the class in question). In addition, complaining about SOMAA being anti-Christian is akin to me joining the listserv for any of the multiple Christian student groups and then whining when they mention God or Jesus in their emails.
Third, the Kansas legislature has a history of trying to destroy the University of Kansas. Several years ago, a state legislator claimed a student came to her and accused the professor of a popular Human Sexuality course of promoting pedofilia among other things. After much hubub and threats from the state, it came out that the 'student' was actually an aide of the legislator in question, had been encouraged to falsify her claims, and an investigation by the University found zero evidence to back the claims. Keep in mind here folks that we have more than one legislator without so much as a high school diploma. A prominent representative from wealthy Johnson County has vocally voiced her opposition to the 19th Amendment and women's suffrage. The conservative majority in our state legislature is uneducated, inept, and scary - only our governer is keeping things from getting too out of control.
And finally, the beating is real. I notice one of the sources often cited for inconsitencies in stories is www.kansan.com . That is the online version of our student newspaper, and I would shudder to think that The Kansan would be used as a serious resource. The journalists on our newspaper staff have difficulties differentiating between their/there/they're, much less getting their facts straight on a criminal investigation. Please, if you're going to cite a Lawrence paper, at least go with something more reputable like the Journal World. After visiting with several faculty members of the Religious Studies department, they all gave similar accounts of Mirecki's injuries. Sorry to say, but I trust the accounts of professors with whom I have developed personal friendships over CNN journalists who probably did not even know where Lawrence was before this whole incident occurred.
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The answer to your argument is quite simple.
Fundamentalists are to Christianity as the Black Panthers are to Civil Rights. Very few people would oppose an email deriding the Black Panthers for their militarism, while the world would obviously throw a fit over criticising civil rights in general. The situation is the same here. Mirecki's email singles out the fundamentalists in the state legislature. There are moderates, mind you - an overwhelming majority of Christians (including the entire Catholic church) see little or no tension between creationism and evolution. Those in our state legislature looking to change science until it is no longer science, however, are in that looney minority who believe things like the world is only a little over 4,000 years old and that Genesis is to be taken literally word for word.
A professor with his own personal beliefs? Say it ain't so! The world must surely be coming to an end. Woe is me.
Newsflash: everyone has their personal beliefs, including professors, and only a fool would try to deny them this ability. It is human nature to have differing opinions. The only thing that matters is that those beliefs do not impact his teaching. And as someone who has personally experienced Dr. Mirecki as a lecturer, as opposed to most who have been doing the whining, I see no reason to believe his personal beliefs have affected his teaching in any way. In fact I was quite surprised to discover he was the leader of SOMAA because of the way he delivered the lecture over the Old Testament - he would have been easier to mistake for a member of the clergy than an atheist. Mirecki's personal beliefs are relevant if and only if they impact his teaching, and there is zero evidence to suggest that is the case.
Nice try on guessing my major, but it seems the Kansas legislature is the only one with a collective degree in drama here: this is the second time in three years there have been threats to pull all state funding from the University because of the questioned actions of one faculty member. This is all quite ironic because one of the largest conservative magazines in the country recently listed KU as a top public school with one caveat: the legislature does not provide enough funding.
Now here's the truth from someone who is more than just an armchair op-ed writer: Paul Mirecki expressed the beliefs that many Kansans have been feeling since the last school board election. He has nothing more to applogize for than the faculty sponsor of University Christian Fellowship every time a reference is made to God or Jesus. Or would you prefer the state now get involved in dictating what personal beliefs individuals are allowed to hold? Make them members of the Party perhaps? I can see it now: in Nebraska you can always find a party, but in Kansas the Party finds you! You are making much ado about nothing. If this were a Christian at the focus of a witch hunt, you would be crying some more about how the poor Christians are so persecuted in this nation. And that argument would be as worthless as the one you advance here.
In essence, your post and point functions as one giant red herring. The only real question here is whether Mirecki would have taught the class fairly according to the standards it set: exploring the history of ID and Creationism as myth (refer to my previous correct definition). For all the whining and crying people have done, there has not yet been a shred of real evidence to indicate those standards would not have been met. This man has been chair of the Religious Studies department for 20 years. One complaint in 20 years. Sensationalized? You bet.
I have it on good word from more than one of his co-workers in Religious Studies that it really happened. Honestly there is no reason for him to fake the beating, it's not like it will gain him much sympathy from the crowd that he upset anyway.
And I most certainly agree it was a stupid thing to confront those guys. I grew up in Western Kansas (unfortunately), and anyone who has grown up in this area knows that two guys in a big truck means bad things. That being said, after being hounded by both the state legislature and every major and minor news organization imaginable, I don't think he was probably in the best state of mind at that time.
I will reiterate that his 'fundies' comment was in one paragraph of a rather long email. His outrage is also quite understandable. The state board of education, comprised of lay members of the community, has decided to impose a new definition of science upon those trained in it. Neither I, nor most other people, have an issue with Intelligent Design being discussed in schools. After all, if we talk about Greek mythology, we should include the academic study of other religious mythologies as well. But none of those mythologies belong anywhere near a science class. If the legislature does indeed implement those recommendations from the BoE, there will be serious ramifications for Kansas students. More than one prestigious public university has vowed to not allow students from Kansas high schools if evolution is replaced in favor of Intelligent Design. Not to mention our state becomes, once again, the mockery of that nation. Speaking of vanishing multimillion dollar business deals, it becomes increasingly difficult to attract business commerce to a state seen as backward.
On the hypothetical question of his usage of "Jews" or "Muslims", that question is not even worth addressing. Neither the Jews, nor the Muslims in this state are mounting a campaign to destroy science. It's not worth speculating about a situation that has little probability of occurring.
Finally, your labeling of the cancelled class as an "anti-ID" class is misleading. There is a serious difference between the academic term of 'myth' and the way 'myth' is used in everyday conversation. The American Heritage Dictionary defines myth as: "A traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society." The ID class would have explored the birth and evolution (no pun intended) of the Creationism and Intelligent Design myth systems. Because it traces a historical path, Dr. Mirecki is/was supremely qualified to teach it: his expertise lies in early Christian cultures and societies. The controversy that came with that class exposes the ID cronies and what they were really attempting: to repackage Christian myths in the most watered-down version in order to get a foot in the door of public schools. There is no outcry over the study of Greek religions and religious texts as mythology, nor is there any outcry against the same thing for American Indian religions.
As someone who is both interested in dismissing the conspiracy theories and was enrolled in the cancelled class, I think it is time to post some real information.
First, Paul Mirecki is a well-respected scholar in the field of Christianity. He is regularly chosen as the lecturer for the week that covers the Old Testament of the Bible in an Honors Western Civilization I course. Mirecki's personal beliefs regarding religion never came up in that lecture - he stuck to the facts. My experiences echo those of nearly every student who has taken a course taught by him. In his 20+ years as head of the Religious Studies department, Mirecki's scholarship and teaching have been praised by scholars and students alike.
Second, the email in question was sent via a Yahoo listserv to members of the KU Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics (SOMAA). While the group may be a part of KU, it is about as disconnected from the everyday processes of the University as can be. Student groups are funded through the KU Student Senate, which means the University's own democratic processes (which include plenty of Christians as voters) elected a body of individuals who sanctioned funding of SOMAA. The Christian individual who released the one paragraph of the email had no business doing so. The released text was taken out of any context (the vast majority of the message had nothing to do with the class in question). In addition, complaining about SOMAA being anti-Christian is akin to me joining the listserv for any of the multiple Christian student groups and then whining when they mention God or Jesus in their emails.
Third, the Kansas legislature has a history of trying to destroy the University of Kansas. Several years ago, a state legislator claimed a student came to her and accused the professor of a popular Human Sexuality course of promoting pedofilia among other things. After much hubub and threats from the state, it came out that the 'student' was actually an aide of the legislator in question, had been encouraged to falsify her claims, and an investigation by the University found zero evidence to back the claims. Keep in mind here folks that we have more than one legislator without so much as a high school diploma. A prominent representative from wealthy Johnson County has vocally voiced her opposition to the 19th Amendment and women's suffrage. The conservative majority in our state legislature is uneducated, inept, and scary - only our governer is keeping things from getting too out of control.
And finally, the beating is real. I notice one of the sources often cited for inconsitencies in stories is www.kansan.com . That is the online version of our student newspaper, and I would shudder to think that The Kansan would be used as a serious resource. The journalists on our newspaper staff have difficulties differentiating between their/there/they're, much less getting their facts straight on a criminal investigation. Please, if you're going to cite a Lawrence paper, at least go with something more reputable like the Journal World. After visiting with several faculty members of the Religious Studies department, they all gave similar accounts of Mirecki's injuries. Sorry to say, but I trust the accounts of professors with whom I have developed personal friendships over CNN journalists who probably did not even know where Lawrence was before this whole incident occurred.