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On Pearls and Swine

Various folk from Pharygula have been making their way here to display the fact that not a few atheists suffer from some sort of personality disorder that bars them from the normal intuitive empathy that ordinary human beings have. They protest that they want to have a serious conversation, and then immediately proceed to try to justify Myers' attack on all we hold most sacred. That is the behavior of an emotional defective.

A *normal* person would, in a serious conversation, begin by saying something like, "I'd sincerely like to distance myself from the appallingly crude and stupid behavior of PZ Myers. I can see that what he has done was deeply hurtful to Catholics and, though I don't share your faith, there are some things I'd like to try to understand." This is called "elementary courtesy". The Pharyngulans have, as is customary for that crowd, shown none, so it is manifest that they are insincere.

Therefore, since they have no real interest in a conversation or in finding something out, but merely in playing games of the "Ah Ha! So you'd save a human being from a burning building before the Eucharist!" variety, I shall not bother with them and readers should be forewarned that their posts will vanish. When they demonstrate some elementary common courtesy, their questions will be treated with some respect.

To my normal readers: The basic attempt at obfuscation being made is simple.

1. Let the few idiots who responded to Myers with threats stand for all Christians everywhere.

2. Posit an either/or false dilemma like "So you are saying the Eucharist is more important than Myer's life?"

3. Ignore the fact that both Catholic teaching and everybody on this blog condemns the threats made against Myers' person.

4. Waste everybody's time with dumb attempts to justify the theft and vandalism of the Host as a free speech issue and not as theft, vandalism and incitement.

Our Lord was quite plain with such wilful refusal to acknowledge the obvious: do not give what is holy to dogs. These people haven't the slightest interest in treating either Christ or you with respect. They have lost the good of the intellect. Jesus' counsel is to not waste time with people who have rendered themselve incapable of a discussion in good faith.

Seems to me that a person who so antagonistic to anything religious is a PERFECT employee at any government university. While most professor are not as profane or egregious as this one, they mostly all have the same contempt for religion and work more subtly to destroy whatever religious foundation a young person may bring with him to the “institute of higher learning”.

Parents must nurture their kids in the fear and admonition of the Lord. The world is against the Christian - and his family.

"the University of Minnesota Code of Conduct, which holds that faculty members "must be committed to the highest ethical standards of conduct" (II:2) and that "Ethical conduct is a fundamental expectation for every community member. In practicing and modeling ethical conduct, community members are expected to: act according to the highest ethical and professional standards of conduct [and] be personally accountable for individual actions" (III:1). It also stresses that faculty members must "Be Fair and Respectful to Others. The University is committed to tolerance, diversity, and respect for differences. When dealing with others, community members are expected to: be respectful, fair, and civil . . . avoid all forms of harassment . . . [and] threats . . . [and] promote conflict resolution."

Leaving aside the question of Christian and Catholic beliefs, the code of ethical conduct might be a more interesting issue. To be "respectful, fair and civil," etc. It is unlawful to treat students prejudicially based on gender,race, religion, or sexual orientation.

But it is also just common sense for someone not to wander way beyond the subject matter of their discipline for hateful and vitriolic comments.