From The Sun Herald 8/13/05

School should not be a battleground for doctrines

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/editorial/12373334.htm

The last one includes one whopper of a tall tale, BTW. Variations of the deathbed story have been promulgated by preachers & regurgitated without question for many years. It is by not means a proven historical fact & both camps (agnotics & serious Christian researchers) seem to be in agreement that there is no evidence demonstrating that the "Lady Hope story" actually occurred.

Here's another. And if you prefer your conclusions to come from a "Christian" source, here's a third article and a fourth (scroll down the page for the Darwin deathbed tale).

Still not satisfied, then try this book review (which is likely a review of the very book our esteemed letter-writer-of-the-day thinks he cited).

And that, dear friends, is our Sunday School lesson this week: One can write any misconception, half-truth, distortion, or outright lie one wishes in a letter-to-the-editor & as long as it's less than 250 words & isn't libelous, it may very well get printed in the Hattiesburg Americans!

Invictus wrote:

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As usual, Activeboard ate my homework... The first link in my last post ("Here's another") obviously should have been preceded by the intended first link. This is it. Sorry...

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Thanks Invictus.  I wonder how long this letter writing campaign will continue.

For those (like  me) that don't completely understand the issues involved in this debate, there was a good article in this week's Newsweek by Jonathan Alter about the ID debate. 

happy trails

Has anyone mentioned the piece in the 8/8 Time by Krauthammer? He closes it with:
"Faith can and should be proclaimed from every mountaintop and city square. But it has no place in science class. To impose it on the teaching of evolution is not just to invite ridicule but to earn it."

Joker wrote:

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Godless Liberal wrote: This is my all time favorite link on this and related topcis: http://landoverbaptist.org/ Would think it funny, Godless Liberal, if I told you I was reading the link below when you posted? http://home.inu.net/skeptic/slavery.html  No Joke!

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I know-very depressing. Either we laugh about the absurdity of it all, or we'll sink into despair. Bookmark http://landoverbaptist.org/ and surf around at your leisure to celebrate each new "I don't come from no monkey" letter in the HA.

There are many fine historical accounts of the Scopes trial--one, in fact, appeared in the Smithsonian magazine recently. Being reminded of the events in Dayton tells us that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  

Regular Person wrote:

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Godless Liberal wrote: This is my all time favorite link on this and related topcis: http://landoverbaptist.org/ A person who made fun of or disparaged certain other religious groupsm ethic groups, or the handicapped, would probably come pretty close to losing their job if it occurred during working hours and at the workplace. No need to wonder why we're not on the community's list of favorites.

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Dear Censor:

I am not at the work place. And this board is not the work place. And I didn't write the site. So what's your point? If you don't like it, don't read it. You may find this site offensive. I find it a biting satire on a small but loud minority of religious extremists, some of whom are in the local "community." I heard a Muslim comic on NPR today who had some pretty good licks that would probably offend a Taliban. I like Lenny Bruce, JD Salinger, Frank Zappa, Lou Reed, Seinfeld, William Burroughs, and the old SNL. All can be offensive. If that makes me not on the community's lists of favorites, so be it. You can worry about it if you want.        

Godless Liberal wrote:

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You may find this site offensive. I find it a biting satire on a small but loud minority of religious extremists, some of whom are in the local "community." . If that makes me not on the community's lists of favorites, so be it.       

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I hope your attitude about minorities with whom to disagree does not spill over into the workplace.  I don't agree with the specific views of that paticular religious minority either. Making fun of them on an AAUP message board is not appropriate. You are not a Lenny Bruce. This is not television.

Godless Liberal wrote:

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Regular Person wrote:
Godless Liberal wrote: This is my all time favorite link on this and related topcis: http://landoverbaptist.org/ A person who made fun of or disparaged certain other religious groupsm ethic groups, or the handicapped, would probably come pretty close to losing their job if it occurred during working hours and at the workplace. No need to wonder why we're not on the community's list of favorites.

Dear Censor:
I am not at the work place. And this board is not the work place. And I didn't write the site. So what's your point? If you don't like it, don't read it. You may find this site offensive. I find it a biting satire on a small but loud minority of religious extremists, some of whom are in the local "community." I heard a Muslim comic on NPR today who had some pretty good licks that would probably offend a Taliban. I like Lenny Bruce, JD Salinger, Frank Zappa, Lou Reed, Seinfeld, William Burroughs, and the old SNL. All can be offensive. If that makes me not on the community's lists of favorites, so be it. You can worry about it if you want.        

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Biting humor is always OK as long as it doesn't offend someone in the squeaky wheel group. If I were to teach that African Americans, Hispanics, Homosexuals, Women, or some other protected class was an ignorant group, you'd better bet that I'd get fired quick-like. Some of you would probably lead the charge to have me removed.

One day, the world will turn and the liberal agenda that is now losing this argument will be vanquished. On that day, you hate-spewing types may be in the outcast position you desire for Christian America.

HAVE you Seen & HAVE you StuNned On The wayS? wrote:

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On that day, you hate-spewing types may be in the outcast position you desire for Christian America.

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In functional, rather than theological terms, would you explain the difference between your postulated Christian Republic of America & the Islamic Republic of Iran? I could see many functional similarities. And very few of them are pretty.

"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government." -- Thomas Jefferson

Invictus wrote:

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fair weather friend - not wrote: I know him. I do not share the views he has written about the faculty, but I like him very much as a person. You would too. He could engage most any of us in a conversation as well as most any usm faculty member I've met. Thanks for the info. It is good that he has friends like you who stand up for him.

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You're reading too much into what I wrote. He was only a passing ship in the night and is not an Archie Bunker or an Al Bundy. His views are not my views or your views, but I like him and think you would too.....

Scientist wrote:

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 I wonder how long this letter writing campaign will continue.

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Why is this much attention being paid to those letters which said nothing about USM or its faculty? Newspapers are full of opinions and they are full of errors. If I tried to correct every error I saw in newspapers I wouldn't have time to do anything else.

Whether you like it or not, the United States of America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. It was clearly the intent of the founding fathers that these principles be preserved and protected. Based on the reasons that settlers had for fleeing England (and other European countries), I would think this should be clear.

Those who point to separation of church and state had best remember that it's not really separation of CHURCH and state, but a prohibition of Congress making a law that recognizes a RELIGION. Atheism and agnosticism both qualify as "modes of religious beliefs" and, by banning Christian practices, government is supporting these movements. Note also that it says "Congress" and not "the President" or "the Supreme Court."

While Red State residents are a punchline to many here, it is those residents who are beginning to stand up against the tyranny of a judicial system that has overstepped its bounds. As that happens, you may find that the Constitution is reinvigorated and that separation of powers regains its true place in American government.

HAVE you Seen & HAVE you StuNned On The wayS? wrote:

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...If I were to teach that African Americans, Hispanics, Homosexuals, Women, or some other protected class was an ignorant group, you'd better bet that I'd get fired quick-like. ...

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I would just like to point out that the problem with the above statement is that being a member of one of these groups has nothing to do with ignorance.  So the statement deserves ridicule and only expresses ignorance and/or hatred.

On the other hand the site that made fun of religious groups was pointing out irrational beliefs and so was directly linked to ignorance.  This makes a big difference since one is a statement of fact, in my opinion.  I not saying anything about the people, but rather their irrational actions.