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TracyQ
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| Posted: July 11 2008 at 7:45am | IP Logged
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I just read about this today, and am appalled, and sickened to the core that this university professor has written this! I emailed the president of the University of Minnesota after reading this article at The Catholic League's website, and encourage each of us to do the same. His email address is at the bottom of the online press release article from yesterday. It seems that respect for all religions excludes our precious Roman Catholic faith. This truly broke my heart. 
***WARNING*** There is OFFENSIVE language written in the article when quoting this "professor's" blog.
Catholic League website article
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Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
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cvbmom
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| Posted: July 11 2008 at 8:36am | IP Logged
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That is just disgusting and sick
I can't even imagine someone being so horrible.
Christine
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domchurch3
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Very disturbing. I hope nobody takes him up on his offer. What a sad, sad man.
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teachingmom
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| Posted: July 11 2008 at 10:06am | IP Logged
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Well, I emailed the University President, Board of Regents, Morris campus Chancellor, Dean, and communications office. This just burns me up.  Do you think for a moment this man would write something this disgusting and intolerant about any other non-Christian religion??!!
The good news is that the professor's website is nowhere to be found - the link seems to be dead. So hopefully that means that they have already taken action to remove this. I just wish he'd face disciplinary action, but I doubt it.
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Matilda
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| Posted: July 11 2008 at 10:29am | IP Logged
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What a sad, pitiful man in need of many prayers. From Wikipedia:
Myers was born March 9, 1957, the eldest of six children in Kent, Washington. He was named "Paul Zachary", after his grandfather, but preferred the initials PZ to being called "Little Paul." He claims to have been a "science geek" from an early age, gaining an interest in zoology and marine biology from studying the insides of fish while on fishing trips with his father.
Myers was raised as a Christian. Prior to his confirmation, Myers experienced a change of heart, "I started thinking, you know, I don't believe a word of this".Now an atheist, Myers comments widely on his blog about science, education, atheism and religion.
A self-avowed "godless liberal" and outspoken atheist, he is a vocal skeptic of all forms of religion, superstition, spirituality and pseudoscience. He is quoted as having "nothing but contempt for ID" arguing that it is "fundamentally dishonest."
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TracyQ
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Wow Matilda! Thanks for the insight. He surely does need our prayers! He seems to be an equal opportunity atheist.
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Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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Matilda
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| Posted: July 11 2008 at 10:37am | IP Logged
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teachingmom wrote:
The good news is that the professor's website is nowhere to be found - the link seems to be dead. So hopefully that means that they have already taken action to remove this. I just wish he'd face disciplinary action, but I doubt it. |
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Actually, his blog is still going and he is still writing about this. In fact, he is claiming that the people writing to him are all using fake names and he is calling for letter of support to be sent to his boss.
From his blog:
I have to ask for a few constraints, though: only do so if you are willing to sign a real name to it — most of the complaint mail I'm getting uses fake names, making it much less persuasive — and that, unlike the religious screeds I'm seeing, you take the time to proofread and send him something that at least looks like a high school graduate wrote it, which will put you way above the level of the hate mail.
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teachingmom
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| Posted: July 11 2008 at 11:35am | IP Logged
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Did you find his blog via the University website? That's the link that I found to be not working.
And I guess I was wrong. Maybe he would write something as hateful against non-Christian religions. Highly unusual in the current academic world.
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ladybugs
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| Posted: July 11 2008 at 12:01pm | IP Logged
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His blog is disgusting as are the comments that have been left.
I couldn't find his faculty page either although I clicked on other faculty pages and they seem to be working.
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Matilda
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| Posted: July 11 2008 at 12:06pm | IP Logged
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His blog is hosted through scienceblogs.com and it pulled it up on a Google search on his name. I didn't go through the University's website.
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Theresa
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| Posted: July 11 2008 at 12:12pm | IP Logged
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How disturbing!!!
Here is his website.
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/
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domchurch3
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I don't know if I'll venture onto his blog because I think it would be too upsetting, but I do hope that any of the Catholics responding to his posts so far, have been charitable and that their comments have not been as disguisting as this man's heart.
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domchurch3
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Has anybody else heard of the miracle of the Holy Eucharist that happened a long time ago. I remember reading about a host that bled after a soldier who raided the church desecrated it by stepping on it. I think it happened somewhere in Europe and since then they've run tests on it revealing actual body tissue. They had color photographs of it as it has not changed since the incident. The rest of the story is pretty hazy in my mind but maybe someone else knows where to find information about it online. Perhaps there's a prayer that can be prayed for this man's soul.
The other thing that comes to mind when I read this is a horrible movie we rented called Quills. My husband thought I would like it because it was historical fiction and starred Kate Winselt of Sense and Sensiblility. I remember crying at how they showed a horrendous act of desecration. Of course we turned it off after that. Complete garbage but the image is still in my mind and I don't know why people can be so heartless.
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Stephanie_Q
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An Act of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus seems appropriate.
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folklaur
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Please - no flames - I am trying to understand - What does this have to do with the University of Minnesota? Just because he works there? He expressed these ideas on his personal blog, from what I understand. His blog was linked from his faculty page, but, it was his personal - not school-related- blog. Is the idea that I am hearing in the "prayer thread" of this topic that the "University should do the right thing" - is the right thing firing him?
Again - please - help me to understand, as I want to feel as passionately as everyone else seems to...but is the idea that because he has reprehensible ideas that he should have no job at all? Or is it because he works at a University and is "shaping young minds"?
I think what he said is horrible, reprehensible, and totally lacking in respect. I think it is blasphemous.
However, I get a little nervous when my Good Catholic Mom friends talk about "kicking him in the teeth" and no one looks sideways at that.
sorry. I know this opinion is going to be ripped apart, and I want to be sure what I am saying is not misconstrued. I think he is WRONG. BUT he is also getting death threats from Catholics. How is that right? I know we need to stand up for what is right - but death threats? Calls for physical violence? Should we be silent about the Catholics calling for these extremes?
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Lisbet
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Laura, the link clearly states that his personal blog is linked off the University of Minnesota's website.
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folklaur
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Lisbet wrote:
| Laura, the link clearly states that his personal blog is linked off the University of Minnesota's website. |
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So - "would the right thing to do" be to make sure it isn't linked from the University website? Or should the University do something more? That is what I am trying to find out - what is it that the University should be doing?
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guitarnan
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Death threats are wrong. I agree with you, Laura.
I think that the university's main responsibility is to 1)disassociate itself from Myers' private blog (which they seem to have done, per the Catholic League) and 2) ensure that his statements of sacreligious intent are confined to his off-campus life. Under the University's Code of Conduct, faculty members are to "be respectful, fair and civil" and to "avoid all forms of harassment, illegal discrimination, threats and violence." Professor Myers should follow the Code of Conduct of his employer, or face the consequences.
However, if Professor Myers desecrates the Eucharist, he could be charged with destruction of another person's personal property, and his penalty level, if he were found guilty, could be escalated one level under Minnesota's bias crimes law. Of course, the university would not need to have anything to do with that unless Professor Myers used university resources (including the computer on his desk) to make that desecration possible.
Professor Myers has been a loudly outspoken atheist for a long time. I think this is just another attempt at creating shock value so more people go to his blog and, hopefully (to him, definitely not to me) come around to his atheistic point of view. Certainly he has a huge crew of followers.
I think he's enjoying the notoriety immensely. I also think that he should reread that Code of Conduct and ask himself if he's being fair and civil.
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teachingmom
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The link to Myers website was from the University's site. I had mistakenly thought the it was a University page, and not his own blog which would be hosted elsewhere. When I spoke of hoping that he would be disciplined, I had understood that he was using his professional space on a university webpage to voice such hateful comments. If that were true, I think that would be wrongly using his professional position of authority in the lives of students to influence them.
I received the following from the Director of Communications:
"Thank you for your e-mail expressing your concerns about Professor Myers blog.
The views expressed by biology Professor Paul Myers do not reflect those of the University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM) or the University of Minnesota system. Professor Myers’ views are expressed on his personal
blog.
Through a press release issued on Thursday, a national advocacy organization pointed out that there was a link to Myers’ personal blog on a university Web site. Per university Web policy, it was determined that the link should be deactivated."
So the link used to work and the university administration has deactivated it. I think that was the appropriate thing to do under the circumstances. Hopefully now more students and parents of students at the U of Minn Morris will realize the radical worldview that this professor is coming from. Then students of faith will be able to walk into his classroom forewarned and well-armed to defend their beliefs, if necessary.
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folklaur
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guitarnan wrote:
Death threats are wrong. I agree with you, Laura.
I think that the university's main responsibility is to 1)disassociate itself from Myers' private blog (which they seem to have done, per the Catholic League) and 2) ensure that his statements of sacreligious intent are confined to his off-campus life. Under the University's Code of Conduct, faculty members are to "be respectful, fair and civil" and to "avoid all forms of harassment, illegal discrimination, threats and violence." Professor Myers should follow the Code of Conduct of his employer, or face the consequences.
However, if Professor Myers desecrates the Eucharist, he could be charged with destruction of another person's personal property, and his penalty level, if he were found guilty, could be escalated one level under Minnesota's bias crimes law. Of course, the university would not need to have anything to do with that unless Professor Myers used university resources (including the computer on his desk) to make that desecration possible.
Professor Myers has been a loudly outspoken atheist for a long time. I think this is just another attempt at creating shock value so more people go to his blog and, hopefully (to him, definitely not to me) come around to his atheistic point of view. Certainly he has a huge crew of followers.
I think he's enjoying the notoriety immensely. I also think that he should reread that Code of Conduct and ask himself if he's being fair and civil. |
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Thank you for the reply, Nancy, and for helping me to better understand. I can totally see where what he did could be considered threatening, - and definitely he isn't being civil at all - and thus he is breaking the code of conduct set forth by the University. So it seems they would be well within rights to take some form of disciplinary action. And I hope they do.
And I think that is he were to do anything, he should be charged (are "biased" crimes another word for "hate" crimes?)
I also agree I feel he is doing this for shock value. He seems to be getting the response he was hoping for.
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: This needs our attention!
