I followed with interest last week about the story of Dr. Ken Howell firing from the University of Illinois for a discussion on Natural Law and how it relates to homosexual acts. When Thomas Peters published an email address for the University, I like many others wrote them about this. Of course the punchline to this story was that he was teaching a course on “Catholicism 101.”
The university took this action after a student who was not in this class wrote in regards to student who had attended the class and called this teaching “Hate Speech.” Unfortunately this episode it not at all surprising and just more evidence about how Political Correctness will trump so-called tolerance. Just another attempt to closet Catholics and to try to force them to not say anything that disagrees with secular dogmas. Or maybe it is just a cowardly action taken by bureaucrats afraid to stand up against homosexual activism. Academic freedom so espoused by the academic system is use to defend almost anything I guess except having students think about how Natural Law Theory applies in relation to homosexual acts.
Then of course there can be no debate about this without the terms “homophobia” and “hate crime” launched repeatedly at you. That they use these terms without even attempting to determine your motives shows both phobia and hate – you are simply condemned or fired as in Dr. Howell’s case. Thomas Peters also posted the schools pledge to be “inclusive”:
[Inclusive Illinois] encourages the exploration of how perceptions, ideas, and experiences influence conduct and behavior. The University’s goal is to heighten awareness and engagement about issues of identity andimportance of examining and respecting differences based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, age, physical ability,religion, as well as the multiple and intersecting ways we see ourselves and others. [Unless you’re Catholic.]
American Papist further reports that the Alliance Defense Fund is now representing Dr. Howell and are seeking to have him rehired.
You can also help out by emailing the school.
5 comments
Why do you give a link that wants me to configure an Outlook account? Why not just give an e-mail address?
Reading the American Papist information I learned that the e-mail address is publicaffairs@illinois.edu
Poor Marty!
The Curt Jester invited your computer to open up your own default email software.
The preset Windows default email program is Outlook. You have probably never changed it. Don’t blame the Jester for a joke you have played upon yourself!
“American Non-Sequitur Society–We don’t make sense, but we do like pizza.”
Del wrote: “The preset Windows default email program is Outlook. You have probably never changed it. Don’t blame the Jester for a joke you have played upon yourself!”
I don’t see any joke, but there is a more important point. I clicked on the link on my work computer. I don’t configure it, our computer techs do. I probably could have done so because the computer is not locked. However, I am a librarian and, like many libraries today, the library in which I work provides a large number of computer for use by our patrons. Those hard drives are locked and password protected. I strongly suspect that that is true for most, probably all computers that libraries provide for their patrons. Someone reading the Curt Jester blog on a library computer (or one in a comunity center or similar place) would be unable to click on the link he provided and send a message to the university. Anyone can copy and paste an e-mail address.