Prof. Critical of Creationism, Fundamentalists Resigns from Post

A professor who mocked Christian fundamentalists resigned from his post at the University of Kansas on Wednesday following his statements that he was physically beaten for opposing creationism and intelligent design.

A professor who mocked Christian fundamentalists resigned from his post at the University of Kansas on Wednesday following his statements that he was physically beaten for opposing creationism and intelligent design.

Paul Mirecki, the head of the Department of Religious studies at the University of Kansas, left his position on the recommendation of his colleagues, said Barbara Romzek, an interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, according to the Associated Press.

"This allows the department to focus on what's most important — teaching, research and service — and to minimize the distractions of the last couple of weeks," Romzek said in a statement after receiving Mirecki's resignation, according to AP.

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

Subscribe

Mirecki had planned to teach a course on creationism and intelligent design in the Spring of 2006 which he titled "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies.”

However, he later withdrew the entire class after e-mail messages where he referred to Christian fundamentalists as “fundies” were made public. He stated in one message that the religion course he had planned to teach would be a “nice slap in their big fat face.”

University Chancellor Robert Hemenway said that the statements were “repugnant and vile” and did not represent the views of the school. Hemenway did, however, note that the “unfortunate episode does not in any way diminish our belief that the course should be taught.”

Earlier this week, Mirecki was treated at a hospital for head injuries after he stopped on a road to confront two men who were tailgating his car. Mirecki said the men beat him while referring to the course on creationism and intelligent design that he had planned to teach.

The university chapter of Christian fellowship Navigators and the campus group Society for Open Minded Atheists both denounced the reported violence.