All Seton Hall University’s Women and Gender Department wanted to do was teach a class about gay marriage from an academic perspective, the same way another four-year liberal arts university might teach a class on Catholicism, without actually advocating the religious teaching. Then Archbishop John J. Myers, of Newark (naturally, the saddest of diocese), got all upset about a Catholic school teaching a class about about gay marriage.
Says Myers, who is the chairman of Seton Hall’s board of trustees, but does not have the authority to shut down a college class: “This proposed course seeks to promote as legitimate a train of thought that is contrary to what the Church teaches. As a result, the course is not in synch with Catholic teaching. Consequently, the board of trustees of Seton Hall have asked the board of regents to investigate the matter of this proposed course and to take whatever action is required under the law to protect the Catholicity of this university.”
Ah yes. Let’s let religious fundamentalism get in the way of scholarly thought. “The course will teach various cultural perspectives of marriage, such as Eurocentric and Asian views, [W. King Mott, the professor who will teahc the class,] said,” reports the Setonian. “The course will also include an analysis of the contemporary political situation regarding gay marriage, such as Proposition 8 in California. Additionally, it will include a look at which states allow and prohibit gay marriage and what that means, Mott said. Finally, students taking the course will write an analysis on gay marriage from a perspective they choose after they have been educated on the issue. The course is available to upper level students of any major.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Lamar
What unbelievable ignorance! How would he feel if non-Catholic schools refused to mention God simply because it is not a Catholic school?
merkin
um, an entire class on gay marriage? That sounds like a monumental waste of time. Are you sure it wasnt a lesson on gay marriage in a course on something else?
And really, while i think theyre stupid, you cant exactly blame Catholic universities for nixing such a class. They’re religious colleges. Many may have adopted more humanistic approaches to education, but they are founded on a specific religious dogma that eschews homosexuality. I’d never go to a Catholic school or send my kid there.
Geoff M
I don’t blame them. This course or class would have pulled enrollment from the wildly popular and important “Veneration of the Shroud of Turin 101” course, or perhaps the exciting and holy “Admistrative Relocation” course for shuffling pedophile priests.
Seth
STUPID FUCKING DUMBASS….
cath·o·lic·i·ty? ?[kath-uh-lis-i-tee] Show IPA
–noun
1.
broad-mindedness or liberality, as of tastes, interests, or views.
2.
universality; general inclusiveness.
Tallskin
FUCK, we really have got to stop treating these men in frocks as adults with equal rights.
You want to believe in an imaginary sky pixie then you suffer the consequences of everybody laughing at you.
What I don’t understand is why anybody gives sky pixie worshippers any respect whatsoever.
Wade MacMorrighan
The only way in which the Christian religions, and especially NOM, is able to win so many fights against us is by keeping the vast majority of the population dumb* and un-educated! This is certainly why Maggie Gallagher attempted to censure Judge Walker for his attempt to broadcast the proceedings and testimony because, “trials are not about educating the general public” (paraphrase). There was even Brian Brown, now “President” of NOM who, in a recent e-blast, spoke about the threat of Universities and how they were harmful to succeeding generations because they are geared towards indoctrinating them into liberal ideals like, say, “helping people” (oops, I mean “Socialism”, ’cause Jesus was opposed to helping anyone but the wealthy, right?). So, it is my view that, by prohibiting any thought on this issue, it will allow them to better control the minds of these students to believe what THEY (the Christians) want them to believe, rather than (gasp!) thinking for themselves!
* I don’t use that term in the pejorative sense; all monotheistic religions prohibited women from studying and educating themselves! During the Medieval period, women were forbidden to attend University and, at the same time, a law was on the books that declared that, “if a woman heals without having studied, she is a Witch and must die!”
B
No. 2 · merkin wrote, “um, an entire class on gay marriage? That sounds like a monumental waste of time. Are you sure it wasnt a lesson on gay marriage in a course on something else?”
They said, “class”, not “course”. I’m not sure if there is enough for a full course, but you certainly can spend an hour, maybe more, going over a history of various political campaigns to allow it or block it, what the issues are, etc.
LLoyd Baltazar
Well duh. It’s a Roman Catholic University, governed by Roman Catholic principles and theology. They are entitled to do administer which classes/courses are allowed and which aren’t.
B
No. 5 · Tallskin wrote, “we really have got to stop treating these men in frocks as adults with equal rights.” Given the child-abuse scandal, I think we want to treat them as adults with equal rights that include a trial by jury for anyone caught.
Pat
I bet they’ve got a class on Physics. In fact, they’ve probably got a whole department of Physics. If we follow Myer’s logic, they should close down all the science classes at the school since science follows a “train of thought that is contrary to what the church teaches.” I dunno why anyone would be surprised, its not like hypocrisy is anything new in religion.
ewe
Any public monies being slipped into that evil guys dress?