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Jimmy_Reynolds
New Member
USA
47 Posts |
 Posted - 10/22/2002 : 20:10:30
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Professor Rigid on Evolution declared a front-page article in the October 6 Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: quote:
Micah Spradling was OK with learning about evolution in college, but his family drew the line when his belief in the theory became a prerequisite for continuing his education.
This seriously exaggerates the facts as laid out in the remainder of the article. Belief in evolution isn't a prerequisite for continuing Micah's education, since he has already enrolled at creation-friendly Lubbock Christian University, it is merely a requirement for a letter of reference from Professor Michael Dini of Texas Tech. It seems that Dini has refused to provide such a letter for young Mr. Spradling. The powerful local fundy community, supported by the paper, is in a snit over it.
Dini's guidelines for these letters are on the record and available to every student.
The entire tone of the article implies that the denial of a letter of reference is somehow an abridgment of the young man's rights.
It also added this after a quote from Spradling's father, Tim:
quote:
Spradling is not the only medical professional in Lubbock shocked by Dini's policy.
"Shocked", they are.
BTW, Tim Spradling is not a medical professional by any reasonable use of the term; he owns a store that sells orthopedic appliances.
There has been a barrage of letters to the editor over this. These are running about 2 to 1 in favor of the Spradlings. One writer, Dr. Terry Cage of Lubbock, complained about Spradling's "disenfranchisement," as though a letter of reference is equivalent to the right to vote.
A letter from Mike Cloud brought out the political angle. He claimed that almost 90% of professors are Democrats, according to some unnamed poll. Mr. Cloud also refers to Dini as a "liberal" and characterized both Dini's policy and the university's conduct as discriminatory and even "illegal". Of course, there is no evidence that Cloud knows anything about Dini's politics. For many on the religious right, evolution and liberalism are equivalent, which, for them, is the same as Bolshevism.
So far, nobody has accused Dini of being in cahoots with Osama bin Laden, but the editor may have censored those.
Dini is not without support in the community, however. In this letter, my old friend Harvey Madison, director of the Center for Critical Thinking, detailed the original article's bias. Harv went on to present a brief synopsis of the skeptical case against creationism. Several writers pointed out the absurdity of treating a letter of reference as some sort of Constitutional right.
Religious right-niks are always on the alert for what they see as the presumption of non-existent rights; railing against the "rights of criminals", and the alleged "sense of entitlement" among welfare recipients. They are also fond of claiming that "separation of church and state" is not a Constitutional principle simply because the exact words aren't used. In the Spradling/Dini case, however, they don't seem to be above inventing a few fictitious rights of their own.
You can write to Professor Dini and express your support at michael.dini@ttu.edu
Edited by - jimmy_reynolds on 10/22/2002 20:43:54
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PhDreamer
SFN Regular
USA
925 Posts |
Posted - 10/23/2002 : 09:04:58 [Permalink]
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It appears Dini couldn't care less what is said about him, and short of a Supreme Court decision that applies Title VII protections to letters of recommendation, this is going nowhere fast.
Generally speaking, the errors in religion are dangerous; those in philosophy only ridiculous.
-D. Hume |
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Slater
SFN Regular
USA
1668 Posts |
Posted - 10/23/2002 : 09:38:28 [Permalink]
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If only I could have found a religious group that didn't believe in calculus when I was an under grad. Would have saved me a lot of all nighters.
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I learned something ... I learned that Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween. I guess they don't like strangers going up to their door and annoying them.
-Bruce Clark
There's No Toilet Paper...on the Road Less Traveled |
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Jim Reynolds
New Member
3 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2003 : 22:30:21 [Permalink]
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YIKES! This story has resurfaced with a Federal investigation of Professor Dini for religious discrimination.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-evolution-dispute0130jan30,0,713004.story
quote:
DALLAS -- A biology professor who refuses to write letters of recommendation for his students if they don't believe in evolution is being accused of religious discrimination, and federal officials are investigating, the school said.
The legal complaint was filed against Texas Tech University and professor Michael Dini by a student and the Liberty Legal Institute, a religious freedom group that calls Dini's policy "open religious bigotry."
"Students are being denied recommendations not because of their competence in understanding evolution, but solely because of their personal religious beliefs," said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for the institute.
The Department of Justice asked Texas Tech in Jan. 21 letter to respond to the allegations, university officials said.
We are going to need help with this.
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the_ignored
SFN Addict
2562 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2003 : 22:55:58 [Permalink]
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You can bet it'd happen sooner or later: AIG's gotten involved. That's where I first heard it anyway.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2003/0114dini.asp
quote:
Locals weighed in on both sides of the issue. One local doctor found it ironic that Dini never went to medical school or even practiced medicine.3 Another doctor commented:
‘After 20 years in medicine, I believe the theory of evolution holds as much water as a colander. … The theory in question has no relevance to clinical medicine. I would not hesitate to recommend a good medical student who failed to share my beliefs on the theory of evolution.'4
The CEO of AiG-Australia, Carl Wieland, formerly a practising doctor, has repeatedly debunked the farfetched claim that believing evolution is essential to good medicine. (See ‘Evolution—a science that's leading to cures?')
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>From: enuffenuff@fastmail.fm
(excerpt follows):
> I'm looking to teach these two bastards a lesson they'll never forget.
> Personal visit by mates of mine. No violence, just a wee little chat.
>
> **** has also committed more crimes than you can count with his
> incitement of hatred against a religion. That law came in about 2007
> much to ****'s ignorance. That is fact and his writing will become well
> know as well as him becoming a publicly known icon of hatred.
>
> Good luck with that fuckwit. And Reynold, fucking run, and don't stop.
> Disappear would be best as it was you who dared to attack me on my
> illness knowing nothing of the cause. You disgust me and you are top of
> the list boy. Again, no violence. Just regular reminders of who's there
> and visits to see you are behaving. Nothing scary in reality. But I'd
> still disappear if I was you.
What brought that on? this. Original posting here.
Another example of this guy's lunacy here. |
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the_ignored
SFN Addict
2562 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2003 : 23:02:45 [Permalink]
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Did anyone ever mention in those news reports that the creationists who are howling so much about "academic freedome" don't have any themselves? They all have to sign a statment of faith at AIG, ICR, etc. This guy, among the evolutionists seems to be an exception, not the rule. Besides, he's not preventing them from taking his classes in the first place, which is what creationists do in their institutions.
Although I'm not sure I'd do what the professor is doing though. It does sound like it's a little bit against academic freedom. |
>From: enuffenuff@fastmail.fm
(excerpt follows):
> I'm looking to teach these two bastards a lesson they'll never forget.
> Personal visit by mates of mine. No violence, just a wee little chat.
>
> **** has also committed more crimes than you can count with his
> incitement of hatred against a religion. That law came in about 2007
> much to ****'s ignorance. That is fact and his writing will become well
> know as well as him becoming a publicly known icon of hatred.
>
> Good luck with that fuckwit. And Reynold, fucking run, and don't stop.
> Disappear would be best as it was you who dared to attack me on my
> illness knowing nothing of the cause. You disgust me and you are top of
> the list boy. Again, no violence. Just regular reminders of who's there
> and visits to see you are behaving. Nothing scary in reality. But I'd
> still disappear if I was you.
What brought that on? this. Original posting here.
Another example of this guy's lunacy here. |
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Slater
SFN Regular
USA
1668 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2003 : 00:06:17 [Permalink]
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| Which brings up the question of if this has anything to do with academic freedom. I know that when I answered questions on my Biology 101 tests with "the leprechauns did it" those bigots marked me as being wrong. Does academic freedom give you the right to give any damned answer to any damned question and have it be considered the correct one? |
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