Bigotry

And important part of being a responsible citizen is standing against bigotry in all its forms, even when the person committing the bigotry is someone with whom you generally agree on substantive issues. Such is the apparent case with a University of Kansas religious studies professor, Paul Mirecki. Professor Mirecki has been in the news lately because of a course he is going to teach which treats intelligent design (rightly so in my opinion) as a religious doctrine. Mirecki's position looked a little worse when an email came to light where the professor made fun or right-wing religious people, but he apologized and promised to teach the class fairly and things seemed OK.

However, a disturbing new series of emails have come to light from Professor Mirecki where he very crudely and viciously attacks Catholics...not over their theology, or their political beliefs, or even their doctrine (and believe me, I find parts of Catholic doctrine very offensive and inhumane). Rather, Mirecki attacks Catholic ritual and traffics in the worst stereotypes about people who believe in that faith:

"I had my first Catholic 'holy communion' when I was a kid in Chicago, and when I took the bread-wafer the first time, it stuck to the roof of my mouth, and as I was secretly trying to pry it off with my tongue as I was walking back to my pew with white clothes and with my hands folded, all I could think was that it was Jesus' skin, and I started to puke, but I sucked it in and drank my own puke. That's a big part of the Catholic experience. I don't think most Catholics really know what they are supposed to believe, they just go home and use condoms, and some of them beat their wives and husbands."

(read the whole story here but you will have to go grab a free password first)

If these postings accurately portray Professor Mirecki's views, then he is certainly not the person I would want teaching a class on religion at the university, any more then I would want someone who is anti-Semitic teaching a class on Middle Eastern politics. It's possible -- perhaps even likely -- that Mirecki may teach his classes (including his proposed class on intelligent design) fairly and without bias. However, with these emails, the appearance of bias is now "in the open."

The acid test is "if a professor had emails exposed where he or she said this kind of stuff about Jews, or gay people, would I consider it bigotry?" The answer is yes, and sadly, it looks like Professor Mirecki is at the most generous, very biased against Catholics, and at worst, is a bigot.

As to what should be done, I don't know. A tenured professor should not be fired, even for being a bigot. Free speech and all -- but the university should investigate and if the allegations are true, Professor Mirecki should be subject to internal discipline, should abjectly apologize, and dare I say it, repent.

And in the mean time, the class on intelligent design as religious mythology should be taught -- by someone else.

UPDATE: While Mirecki's comments are very damaging on their face, it is important to consider the source. Maybe Mirecki's comments are out of context, but I still can't image a context in which the Catholic-bashing quote above would be acceptable.