Hey, where are all those guys who are always saying on the evolution threads that nobody in academia thinks or acts like this?
Thinks or acts like what? Poking fun at religious fundies? I know of no-one who thinks that rational people don't find that amusing.
He's a religious studies prof. I have no idea what motivates one to be such a thing, and he's certainly not a scientist.
I have no problem with the course. However, the prof. seems to be an immature a$$hole - I share his frustration with fundamentalists, but why would you act it out in such a manner on a listserv? In response to fundamentalist encroachments, I too taught a seminar course a couple of years back. It was called The chemical basis of evolution, and it was a serious science course, where students learned to do molecular cladistics and verify for themselves the common descent of organisms, as well as examine various theories of abiogenesis. Half the class dropped after the first meeting, when they found they'd actually have to learn some science.
In other words, I have no problem with teaching a course in response to current events, even a course with a strong point of view. I have no problem with the guy expressing his view of fundamentalists on an internet listserv. But I take my teaching way too seriously to brag about how my course was an effort, in effect, to 'stick it to the fundies'.
I'm right here. But no one claimed that "nobody" acts like this. All we claim is that if they do, they're not operating within the bounds of science. Science cannot operate in the world of faith, so no claims in favor or against faith can be considered "science"
But you should not that this guy was not a scientist, he's in the religious studies department. And those people can have any faith they want.