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

Yahoo ^

[Sub-Driver]

Kansas Prof. Apologizes for E-Mail

11 minutes ago

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."

[aNYCguy]

We can observe, for example, that 2 parts hydrogen and 1 part oxygen produce water. But we have no idea whether this happens because God made it that way or because it just simply "happens". To argue that science must assume the latter and exclude the former is simply bias, not the product of "freethinking" or any scientific process.

This can be restated as "The scientific method is not scientific."

See, science is defined as a process of looking at the natural world and discovering natural causes. There are other fields which include the supernatural in their scope: theology is one. You seem to want to redefine science to overlap part of theology, but I wouldn't recommend it. Careful division of label between disciplines is a good thing.

[editor-surveyor]

Drugs kill, real food heals. It's that simple

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"A while back there was a freeper called JaneS or something like that, promoting hormones that would make you live forever."

Well that one is true. I am now Immortal. :)

[editor-surveyor]

" But telling people with serious diseases like MS that they just have to eat calcium for "proper pH of 7.0" and pass on spaghetti is a little ridiculous and insulting, no?"

Is this what you would call an honest response? What is your problem? Is the above question in any way related to what I posted? No!

[furball4paws]

Amazing. I bet Bolen is one of the Creo crowd here:

"Nazi, outnumbered 100,000 to 1" and many more we've heard right here in River City.

[js1138]

Drugs kill, real food heals. It's that simple

And to think, God had all that space in the Bible and didn't get around to mentioning it.

As I recall, Jesus had something to say about about what we eat, but I don't recall it matching what you are saying.

You must be MUCH smarter than God and Jesus.

[furball4paws]

"Well that one is true. I am now Immortal."

But in Hell.

[aNYCguy]

So, the Darwinists concede that God could exist, and could have created the universe? But nevertheless that human life must be merely a product of random mutation over millions of years?

Firstly, Darwinists is a strange term and generally not an appreciated term. Mainstream physicists aren't called Newtonians or Einsteinists and computer scientists aren't called Knuthists. :-)

Anyways, yes, an adherent to mainstream biology could believe that a supernatural force created the universe, set the rules of matter-energy interaction into motion, watched as evolution unfolded to produce humans precisely according to divine plan, and since then has taken a personal interest in every human being. There is certainly no shortage of people with this belief.

[furball4paws]

I've decided to change my tag line because of this nonsense.

[editor-surveyor]

"In case you hadn't noticed, Quackwatch is still there."

And so are you. In case you hadn't noticed, out of more than 60 cases that they have been involved in, their side has only prevailed in three, (that will soon be re-tried) and they have been sanctioned in court in most of the cases. 'They' are basically a de-licensed physician, Stephen Barrett, and his sidekick, unemployed Dr. Robert Baratz, and their 'office' is the basement of Barrett's house in Alentown Pa.

[balrog666]

What a blithering idiot. I hope he never has children to subject this idiocy on.

Oh, wait, should I be polite and ping him while I disparage his intelligence, education, and open-mindedness?

[furball4paws]

I used to complain about the use of "Darwinism" and its variants. It is not an incorrect word from an English point of view, but "Evolution" is more acceptable.

However, like the Propaganda machine of the USSR, Creos think by using "Darwinism" or "Darwinist" they can demonize a man instead of a science, a more simplistic thing to do. They can't seem to understand that even if Darwin had the traits of a zit combined with PMS, his theory stand or sinks without him. Once promulgated it has become an independent scientific endeavor and that trying to smear the science by smearing its inventor is meaningless.

[editor-surveyor]

You obviously need to read your Bible (if you have one) a bit more carefully. For a comparison similar to the discussion here, go to 2Chron 16: 22-end of ch.

For the Lord's clear statement on turning to the 'wisdom' of men you could try Jer 17:5-8

The Bible has over twenty mentions of healing, and in each case, it is the Lord that does the healing, and where physicians are mentioned, it is for taking the people's money and not providing any result.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"'They' are basically a de-licensed physician, Stephen Barrett,"

That's a lie. He retired. He never had his license revoked.
Bolen is a fraud and a liar.

[aNYCguy]

Is this what you would call an honest response? What is your problem? Is the above question in any way related to what I posted? No!

Okay, I agree. My post was more-or-less "come on, let's be reasonable here."

Here's something of more substance: You can't change your nominal cellular pH by diet, or indeed any part of your body's pH besides your urine. Yes, cancer and other unhealthy cells can't live in an alkali environment, but neither can your healthy cells. This last is moot, of course, because as I've said your pH is just not modifiable by eating ground coral; our pH is well-buffered by a system of CO2 retention or release.

Here's something written by an actual doctor:

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/coral2.html

Feel free to rebut with scientific studies indicating that blood and cellular pH fluctuate with diet. I've already adressed your misformation regarding Stephen Barrett, M.D. and Quackwatch.

[aNYCguy]

...a de-licensed physician, Stephen Barrett,

Please see my post 426 again. Stephen Barrett is not de-licensed, but retired. A bit different, don't you think?

Tim Bolen has been sued for the defamatory lies you're repeating.

[Coyoteman]

Have you tried Calamus root (Acorus calamus L.)?

Fix you up in no time!

[editor-surveyor]

"but to say vitamins cure disease and drugs don't help anything is wrong. Way wrong."

Strawman.

I said that proper nutrition cures disease. That means eating real food, like greens that are grown organically, and meat that was grass fed, and not given synthetic hormones, and raw whole dairy products that still contain the natural organisms and enzymes to digest them. Vitamin pills are an emergency stop-gap, not the whole solution, and there are more than vitamins involved. At this point there are more than 300 known bioflavinoids that are missing from junk food.

[P-Marlowe]

What a blithering idiot. I hope he never has children to subject this idiocy on. Oh, wait, should I be polite and ping him while I disparage his intelligence, education, and open-mindedness?

That would be the courteous thing to do. But intentional rudeness seems to be the order of the day on this thread.

Carry on.

[editor-surveyor]

Yes, he definately had his license revoked after failing an examination given by a disciplinary board.