Just a quickie: Seth Slabaugh’s piece on Eric Hedin’s shameful class in creationism and Christian proselytizing at Ball State University, published yesterday in the Muncie (Indiana) Star Press, has been picked up and reprinted—at least online—by USA Today, the country’s most widely-read newspaper.
I suspect Ball State is getting a wee bit nervous about the publicity now. Granted, their instinct is to cover their tuchus, cater to the religious and conservative majority of Indiana, and hope that it all blows over, but they’re starting to look like Dayton, Tennessee during the Scopes Trial. It annoys me when universities take action only to avoid unfavorable publicity rather than to do what’s right. Had Hedin’s chairman Thomas Robertson not blown me off when I emailed him, assuring me that the Jesus-infused course was “quite appropriate” as a venue for discussing science and religion, BSU would not be facing this kind of flak. Robertson and his colleagues who defend Hedin don’t have the slightest idea what it means to “challenge students’ ideas and beliefs.”
They learned this behavior from the federal government, perhaps.
Total nonsequitur: For Coyne, it is the role of scientifically trained believers to throw themselves into the muddy, difficult process of squaring the church’s teachings with the discoveries of science and the opportunities they offer for humanity.
You should point out that that refers to George Coyne (a jesuit priest), not Jerry Coyne (a biologist).
I am glad it has been picked up by USA Today. Let’s hope a broader audience brings a more reasonable set of comments!
It’s USA Today. We can expect a broader audience. Not so sure about more reasonable comments.
True but it will be outside the local bubble.
Just saw some good comments. This one is one of my favourites:
It is just part of Ball States pre-med program. A prerequisite to “Basic Humours black-bile to blood, Biology 303” Which you need before taking “Advanced blood letting: Leaches, Biology 401”
Something tells me Robertson is feeling the hand of God right about now. Perhaps a few prayers are now in order.
I think Jerry should be ashamed of himself right now. Look at the destruction he made God do in that tornado.
As if Jerry (or God) had any choice in the matter… 😉
How can you be so sure it was not the Ceiling Cat doing mess in OK?
Look for buried shit.
I would like to see side-by-side maps of the USA, one of states that have legalised gay marriage, the other of states that have recently had disasters. Any correlation? Or is Gahd not concerned with state boundaries, only national ones?
I suspect that it is only now that Ball State administration officials might be starting to realize just what kind of deep shit they’ve been wallowing in.
They’re likely reaching a tipping point, where they’ll either do an about-face and hope the whole thing blows over or they’ll double down and try to make a stand. For their sake and the sake of the institution and their students, I hope they come to their senses, for they literally don’t have a prayer.
I also get the impression that they’re the type of spineless bureaucrats who’ll take the easy out. With the national spotlight now being focussed on them, the easy out is to explain how it’s all been a huge misunderstanding and of course they’ll remove the religious bits as part of the academic review process or something or other.
b&
They’ll need to save face somehow. I hope that doesn’t mean they will double down. The best way is to just rename and move the course and it will all go away and they won’t lose face.
I’d be cool with that. Move it to the philosophy department and call it “Modern Christian Philosophical Objections to the New Synthesis” and go wild.
Cheers,
b&
Agreed. I think this is their best option.
Their responses so far are not encouraging for a quick resolution. My prediction is they will continue to drag their feet and try to ignore the pressure for awhile in hopes that it will all blow over.
Off topic, but, do you know of the Barrio Cafe? Have you eaten there? If so, what did you think?
Never heard of it before. But I just looked over the menu on their Web site, and methinks I probably need to remedy that ignorance, stat.
I take it you’ve eaten there…?
b&
Nope, haven’t been to Phoenix, or even Arizona in a long time. But, I have heard some good things about it and thought I’d check with you since you are local. I keep a list of “must try if ever within 100 – 200 miles eateries” and I am wondering if I should add it to the list.
Well, thanks for the tip. I’ll give them a try and hopefully remember to report back.
b&
“…for they literally don’t have a prayer.”
Oh they have a prayer all right – that’s the whole problem. And that’s all they have.
Ball State University has a Center For Inquiry, CFI student group that is active. Hopefully, they are taking action and stiring the festering pot. A couple of years ago CFI Indiana joined with them for a Darwin Day celebration and were beseiged by Christian groups.