A Kansas University professor was attacked and beaten and his career has
been ruined after planning to teach a course debunking “creationism”
and “intelligent design.” Prof. Mirecki proposed the course after the
Kansas Board of Education decided to allow “intelligent design” to be
taught in science classes while further attacking evolution.
The chronology of events in this outrage is telling of the emerging
theocracy in this country. Prof. Mirecki posted an email to a message
board encouraging students to take the course because it would debunk
Christian fundamentalist attacks on science. A self-described
“conservative resercher/activist” was spying on the message board, and
whipped up a frenzy among the right-wing over Mirecki’s email. The
course, “Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism
and other Religious Mythologies,” was cancelled. Prof. Mirecki was
attacked and beaten on 12/5 by two men who made references to his
course, and Mirecki had to go to the hospital for head injuries. The
police interrogated Mirecki for hours with the same questions, and
seized his computer and car as evidence. The university chancellor
publicly attacked Mirecki for his email. And now Prof. Mirecki has been
forced to resign as chairman of the religious studies department.
What does it say about the direction of society when a univeristy
professor is spied on, attacked, and his career ruined for daring to
defend science against moves toward theocracy? Does this sound too much
like the actions of the brown-shirts in Nazi Germany for you to
tolerate?
It is an outrage that standing up for science at a public
university is now the cause of attack. Prof. Mirecki should be
unequivically defended against these fascistic attacks.
“Your government is moving each day closer to a theocracy, where a narrow and hateful brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule.”
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