Professor's Stance on Religion Enrages Some

Fox News ^ | June 1, 2005

[stm]

NEW YORK — A Brooklyn College (search) professor has ignited a firestorm of controversy over comments he made about organized religion.

[stm]

[Dallas59]

Didn't Stalin do the same thing?

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Timothy Shortell (search), who was recently elected as the chairman of the sociology department, wrote in an online posting that "religious adherents" are "an ugly, violent lot" and "in the name of their faith these moral retards are running around pointing fingers and doing real harm to others."

... he said, pointing a finger at others.

[Loyal Buckeye]

No, I think it was Howard Dean.

[stm]

[ahayes]

Dangit! Why didn't someone tell me I was supposed to be ugly and violent!

[Talking_Mouse]

At least the students are not taking this laying down:

After the essay became public, students at Brooklyn College — part of the City University of New York (search) system — began protesting his election as a department head.

"He was fair in the class for sure, there is no question about that — but as a department head you are basically a spokesman for the school," said graduating senior Ruvin Levavi.

[Hacksaw]

Sounds like some of the people on this board.

[SkyPilot]

"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God.'"

Pslam 53:1

[LS]

"Ugly, violent lot." Well, he qualifies for the first himself.

[browardchad]

"religious adherents" are "an ugly, violent lot" and "in the name of their faith these moral retards are running around pointing fingers and doing real harm to others."

Well, if he was talking about Islam, he'd be correct, but since independent thought abandoned academia long ago, it's a fairly safe bet he was referring to Christians and Jews.

[ReadyNow]

As an activist on behalf of retards, I say this man's remarks are offensive to retards.

[mewzilla]

I do believe that this is a link to the actual essay that Shortell wrote.

Some additional quotes from the link:

...All the ritual and the fellowship associated with religious practice is just a means of continually emphasizing group boundaries and hostility...

...For this reason, religion without fanaticism is a logical impossibility. Anyone whose mind is trapped inside such a mental prison will be susceptible to extreme forms of hatred and violence...

It is no wonder, then, that those who are religious are incapable of moral action, just as children are...

Sigh.

[KStorm]

"Shortell refused to talk with FOX News but wrote in an online posting that "we should be able to debate the issue in the public sphere without fear of retribution."
__________________________________________________________

Could be construed as "I'm taking my potshots behind the keyboard and I'm too chicken to stand up and defend what I say".

[mewzilla]

Shortell needs a remedial American History course. He obviously doesn't understand the meaning of the First Amendment.

[Mark was here]

"Shortell refused to talk with FOX News but wrote in an online posting that "we should be able to debate the issue in the public sphere without fear of retribution."

He is right that no one has a right to physically harm him or steal his property, that is fail to recognize his basic rights. He in turn must recognize the rights of others to express themselves, and that expression may well be directed at those who happen to employ him.

[Jewelsetter]

Separated at birth.

[inquest]

It's alright. As long as he's not promoting religion, the ACLU should have no problem with him.

[raccoonradio]

>>"these moral retards are running around pointing fingers and doing real harm to others."

Well, a few religious folks do harm to others. The ones who
hijack planes in the name of Allah and crash them into
buildings to kill as many Americans as possible.

Those, of course, are _extremists_, but the majority of religious folks are NOT doing harm and in fact are helpful.

[raccoonradio]

I do hope he practices what he preaches and refuses to accept money in payment for his services. After all it does say "In God We Trust" on it, and he'd be a hypocrite to have anything to do with anything that mentions the Creator, right?