Friday, October 25, 2013

Florida Univ. Prof. Says Priests are Full of Crap

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has complained to the University of South Florida that professor of psychology, and behavior analyst, Timothy Weil would symbolically equate Catholic priests to a toilet bowl. In his defense, Weil said, “It seems the purpose of the exercise may have been missed.”
Prof. Weil's projection screen image showed a priest with a crucifix, an equal sign (=), and a toilet.  Awaiting an audience response for a meaning, someone yelled “They’re both full of shit,” to which, the professor repeated the profanity in agreement.
For background, read Florida Atlantic Univ. Student Suspended for NOT Desecrating Jesus' Name as Required by Prof. and also read University Says Student's Cross Necklace Offends Freshmen as well as University Strips Crosses from Students' Chests

In addition, read how the Supreme Court is enabling the persecution of Christians on campus

-- From "USF looking into professor's toilet-priests comparison" by Jerome R. Stockfisch, Tampa Tribune Staff 10/22/13

In an email exchange obtained by the Tribune, Weil fielded a complaint from Ken McDonald, a Gainesville behavior analyst who attended the conference, who said he found the example “highly offensive.”

. . . Weil wrote in the email. “It was an attempt to show that through language, we are able to relate a wide variety of things that we come across in daily life — even those things that have seemingly no link such as the two pictures that I had on the screen. Please know I had no goal of a preferred response on the part of the audience ... I only needed to present stimuli that were seemingly mis-matched to make the point about how we are able to relate arbitrary stimuli without much effort.”

The topic of Weil's presentation was “Impact of Rule Governance on Motivation and its Clinical Application.”

Universities are accustomed to dealing with conflicts between academics and religious or ideological advocates and typically give educators leeway in the name of academic freedom.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Florida Professor Mocks Priests" by Bill, Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights 10/22/13

On October 3, Dr. Bill Donohue contacted the president of the University of South Florida, Dr. Judy Genshaft, the Dean, Dr. Julianne Serovich, and the chairman of the Department of Child & Family Studies, Dr. Mario Hernandez, about the alleged conduct of Dr. Timothy Weil. He asked them two questions: a) is the allegation true? and b) if it is, what exactly is going to be done about it? He has not heard back, which is why he is contacting the media. Below is an excerpt from his letter:
I taught sociology for 16 years at a college in Pittsburgh and served for 20 years on the board of the National Association of Scholars. I have also written two books on the First Amendment. I have great respect for academic freedom, but I also have great contempt for those who abuse it. There is obviously nothing of any academic value when someone gratuitously insults the adherents of any world religion. Whatever point Dr. Weil was trying to make could surely have been made without unnecessarily offending Catholic sensibilities.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read ObamaNation: Rating Colleges Based on Immorality as well as Obama Administration Muzzles College Students' Moral Speech