But Patrick Henry College, claiming to be the next Ivy League school, takes the cake:
Creation: Any biology, Bible, or other courses at PHC dealing with creation will teach creation from the understanding of Scripture that God's creative work, as described in Genesis 1:1-31, was completed in six twenty-four hour days. All faculty for such courses will be chosen on the basis of their personal adherence to this view. PHC expects its faculty in these courses, as in all courses, to expose students to alternate theories and the data, if any, which support those theories. In this context, PHC in particular expects its biology faculty to provide a full exposition of the claims of the theory of Darwinian evolution, intelligent design, and other major theories while, in the end, teach creation as both biblically true and as the best fit to observed data.Sure, we're going to teach you different perspectives, but we're going to make for damn sure those perspectives are not presented in any intellectually honest fashion. Cause, like, then you might actually see how reasonable and well-evidenced they are...yet, we "strive for academic excellence"...and now they want a biology professor. I'm sure they'll find one of the brightest and best (muffles laughter).
In addition to their general strangeness and emphasis on "reclaiming culture," the school has already had numerous issues amongst staff and faculty, even though these people were willing to sign the statement of faith, which includes statements about the 6-day creation and the reality of a person who is "da debbil". Indicates how conservative and "born-again" these people already were...yet even they were "too liberal" for good ol' PHC.
Wow, are these people fanatical. It turns out that they lost 9 of the 18 faculty, plus 2 adjuncts and 4 college admins, within their first few years. They have to have a sort of impenetrable island to allow the necessary putrefaction of young minds, to hide the smell.
Notice that all crazies have to shut themselves off from the light of criticism and exposure to competing ideas, because they know how weak their own really are. This applies to all forms of groupthink, and this is why challenges against universities as "fostering liberalism" are stupid: the more liberal the university, the more open it is to all ideas, and thus groupthink and the act of fostering specific ideologies cannot be a modus operandi. Instead, this indicates, as Colbert once wittily put it, that "truth has a well-known liberal bias." Yet fundies are scared to death of the secular university -- and they should be: the weakness and pettiness of their ideologies are exposed to the harsh light of contrasting facts and philosophies, and they don't survive.
Poor ideas need their own microcosm and constant reinforcement from childhood to really indoctrinate. And without indoctrination, they don't make it too long.
Look at the pathetic fear that oozes out of these people when even the resemblance of external reality shines in:
"A common misconception among American evangelicals, and one that cannot be supported by the Scriptures themselves, is that the Bible is the only source of truth," the article began. "We argue that this misconception amounts to a blasphemous denial of Christ's words in Matthew 5 that 'he sends rain on the just and the unjust.'"The Chronicle of Higher Education has more on the shakeups. I feel the need to go for a walk in the fresh air, now.
The 900-word article argued that "a Christian must refuse to view special and general revelation as hostile to one another. Nor should he hesitate to learn from a pagan. There is much wisdom to be gained from Parmenides and Plato, as well Machiavelli and Marx."
The article prompted a 2,600-word response by college chaplain Raymond Bouchoc, sent to students, faculty, and staff. The response, endorsed by Farris and Sanders, discussed seven "harmful implications" that could be drawn from the professors' article and claimed the piece "diminishes the import of Scripture. [ibid]
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