Kansas Prof. Apologizes for E-Mail [referred to religious conservatives as "fundies" ....]

A University of Kansas religion professor apologized for an e-mail that referred to religious conservatives as "fundies" and said a course describing intelligent design as mythology would be a "nice slap in their big fat face."

In a written apology Monday, Paul Mirecki, chairman of the university's Religious Studies Department, said he would teach the planned class "as a serious academic subject and in an manner that respects all points of view."

The department faculty approved the course Monday but changed its title. The course, originally called "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationisms and other Religious Mythologies," will instead be called "Intelligent Design and Creationism."

The class was added to next spring's curriculum after the Kansas State Board of Education decided to include more criticism of evolution in its standards for science teaching. The vote was seen as a big win for proponents of intelligent design, who argue that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by a higher power.

Critics say intelligent design is merely creationism — a literal reading of the Bible's story of creation — camouflaged in scientific language.

Mirecki's e-mail was sent Nov. 19 to members of the Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics, a student organization for which he serves as faculty adviser.

"The fundies (fundamentalists) want it all taught in a science class, but this will be a nice slap in their big fat face by teaching it as a religious studies class under the category mythology."

Mirecki addressed the message to "my fellow damned" and signed off with: "Doing my part to (tick) off the religious right, Evil Dr. P."

But I find the work of its more intelligent proponents interesting and reasonably plausible.

Then IDer's can do the science, have it peer reviewed and subject their theories to the appropriate discipline(s), instead of electing school board members in order to force its inclusion in science texts.

My objection to Darwinism in the schools is mainly that Darwinists seem to want a complete and hermetically sealed monopoly on public school science..

To the contrary, my friend. "Darwinists" are not as in love with their theory as the IDer's are theirs. They know religion camouflaged as science when they see it and are making a stand against mixing science and religion in an inappropriate venue and circumstance.

I am not sure whether advocacy of religion in public schools would be a good idea, but a fair and free discussion of religion is certainly something children should be exposed to.

That statement begs the question regarding just what are you selling the "children" with "ID". Religion or science?

No single book has been more influential on our history, culture, and civilization than the Bible. Yet it is not allowed into our schools.

Yes it is. You're being provocatively dishonest. I don't know of any school district in the nation that bans a student from carrying their own personal Bible to school. What you mean is that you want the Bible taught. That opens up the schools to the Koran, the Hindu scriptures such as the Vedas, the Talmud and a hundred other religions. When would the kids have the chance to learn math, science and English?

What was regrettable is that it was always a legal battle, rather than an intellectual discussion [?], what should be taught in science courses.

That's because ID is based on religion, not on science. Furthermore, I find your description of ID vs science to a philosophical discussion as being a bit disingenuous, if not downright dishonest.

...and Darwinist True Believers,

I don't think that you will ever find any "Darwinist True Believers", only those who consider the theory of evolution to be the most plausible explanation, so far, for life on Earth. Evolution is not a religion, only a scientific theory. It no more belongs being taught in church, than ID belongs being taught in the laboratory.

However, I am beginning to think that ethics should be taught in Divinity schools and fundamentalist churches. It would seem that subterfuge is the Christian order of the day regarding this issue, rather than the "Power of the Word"!

"On the contrary, Darwinism posits as its underlying axiom that God never intervenes in any way in the universe and that divine providence plays no role in nature or history."

Completely false.

To take the issue out of context, take the parting of the Red Sea and Moses.

Fairly recently, it has been shown that given the right wind, right tide/position of the moon, right sea level/swell, and right time of year, the Red Sea will, in fact, part rather dramatically for a brief time.

Aha! The atheists exclaim, "All is explained by nature, not God!"

The luddite Christian replies, "You are discounting miracles! And hate God, to boot!"

The scientific Christian replies, "No, God created the world and the laws of nature, and set everything in motion just so that this natural tide occurs just as Moses shows up and ends just as Pharoh's armies close in. Natural and still a miracle!"

Evolution of man is much the same.

Pretty odd email statements coming from the chairman of the Religious Studies Department.

And sending e-mails to the athiest club. I'm not surprised.

Anyone who teaches about many different religions in an unbiased way would become an athiest, if he wasn't to begin with.

Once a person realizes that humans believe all kinds of whacky religions, all with zero evidence to back them up, then it becomes quickly apparent that no religion is true. The only true commonality is that humans can be convinced of almost anything. Even liberalism.

This is why IDers really don't want to "teach the controversy". Because if all beliefs are taught in a way to let the student decide, then the student will reject any prior faith they came into class with, and be much more skeptical about what they believe.

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