Christian Bashing

[Auburn85 432]

Top Prof Sparks Outrage

New York Daily News--05/23/05

A Brooklyn College professor who called religious people "moral retards" was elected to head his department this month - sparking a campus uproar.

E-mails expressing alarm that Timothy Shortell was now chairman of the sociology department circulated among students last week on the school's Midwood campus.

Shortell has written in an online academic publication that the devout "are an ugly, violent lot. In the name of their faith, these moral retards are running around pointing fingers."

"I'm horrified by the ideology of Prof. Shortell," said Eldad Yaron, a Brooklyn College senior.

"This person has control right now on the content of many classes every student will take. Just imagine how fair and balanced these classes will be."

Daniel Tauber, president-elect of the school's student government, said he was worried that Shortell and other faculty members would breed religious intolerance at the diverse college.

"I would like to see professors in high positions who don't believe religious people are moral retards," Tauber said.

Shortell's remarks - which included lines such as "Christians claim that theirs is faith based on love, but they'll just as soon kill you" - elicited a multifaith backlash among university groups.

"He's intolerant," fumed Alex Selsky of the school's Hillel chapter, a Jewish campus organization. "With this kind of unreasonable thinking, I don't know how he can be elected to head of a department."

Kevin Oro-Hahn, director of the school's InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, said he hopes the university can "move beyond mere rhetoric in the pursuit of truth."

A college spokesman said there's little CUNY officials can do.

"Whether one agrees with Dr. Shortell's comments, this is an election as mandated by university guidelines," he said. "His comments are public, but this is the decision of the sociology department."

Shortell didn't return calls to him at his office.

Brooklyn College, which has more than 15,000 students, observed its 75th anniversary this year. It was named one of the top 10 best values among undergraduate institutions in the country by the Princeton Review.

http://studentsforacademicfreedom.org/arch...z244grrcnbbw2pn

[tiger88 934]

This guy is a goof.

However, I wonder how many of those outraged by what he said would be outraged if he had instead said, "Join the followers of Christ or burn in hell forever, sorry if that offends you because it's the TRUTH." If you wouldn't be offended by that then I chuckle at your offense at this guys words. Pot, kettle. Kettle, pot.

[Auburn85 432]

This guy is a goof.

However, I wonder how many of those outraged by what he said would be outraged if he had instead said, "Join the followers of Christ or burn in hell forever, sorry if that offends you because it's the TRUTH." If you wouldn't be offended by that then I chuckle at your offense at this guys words. Pot, kettle. Kettle, pot.

161266[/snapback]

Well had he said that, the would have probably gotten more publicity than the retard comment

[DKW 86 7,440]

This guy is a goof.

However, I wonder how many of those outraged by what he said would be outraged if he had instead said, "Join the followers of Christ or burn in hell forever, sorry if that offends you because it's the TRUTH." If you wouldn't be offended by that then I chuckle at your offense at this guys words. Pot, kettle. Kettle, pot.

161266[/snapback]

Well had he said that, the would have probably gotten more publicity than the retard comment

161267[/snapback]

He would be removed in a second. No Doubt!

[AURaptor 1,126]

Say what you want about him, but I still think Ward (TONTO) Churchill should be tossed out for what he's said/ done before this guy.

[Rockthecasbah6 0]

As long as it is non-Catholic Christians, you can apparently talk about them. Imagine if a professor said that homosexuals are glorified mental patients? He'd be fired on the spot.

[tiger88 934]

Well, it really depends on the environment afa who gets in trouble for saying what. Say what I mentioned earlier in church and no one bats an eye in most places.

Obviously, being part of a sociology dept. you are more likely to get away with saying this. He may not get away with it. There was enough uproar over the woman who killed her baby being honored at that one school that it was rescinded. If sentiment is strong enough against this guy they should raise some hell over this and try to get something done about it. I know that even if I thought his ridiculous blanket statement was correct I wouldn't want him voicing that strong a view publicly if he was a rep. of the university. Is there any side out there who has a clue about what true tolerance is?

[TexasTiger 13,006]

As long as it is non-Catholic Christians, you can apparently talk about them. Imagine if a professor said that homosexuals are glorified mental patients? He'd be fired on the spot.

161371[/snapback]

Not if he was tenured.