[Kosh]

Or it would be if you took this class.

AP410       This is the undegrad course. You have three things to do: (1) take the final exam (worth 40% of your grade); (2) write a 3,000-word essay on the theological significance of intelligent design (worth 40% of your grade); (3) provide at least 10 posts defending ID that you’ve made on “hostile” websites, the posts totalling 2,000 words, along with the URLs (i.e., web links) to each post (worth 20% of your grade).

AP510       This is the masters course. You have four things to do: (1) take the final exam (worth 30% of your grade); (2) write a 1,500- to 2,000-word critical review of Francis Collins’s The Language of God -- for instructions, see below (20% of your grade); (3) write a 3,000-word essay on the theological significance of intelligent design (worth 30% of your grade); (4) provide at least 10 posts defending ID that you’ve made on “hostile” websites, the posts totalling 3,000 words, along with the URLs (i.e., web links) to each post (worth 20% of your grade).

AP810       This is the D.Min. course. You have four things to do: (1) take the final exam (worth 30% of your grade); (2) write a 1,500- to 2,000-word critical review of Francis Collins’s The Language of God -- for instructions, see below (20% of your grade); (3) write a 3,000-word essay on the theological significance of intelligent design (worth 30% of your grade); (4) develop a Sunday-school lesson plan based on the book Understanding Intelligent Design (worth 20% of your grade).

[Locutus of Borg]

KILL THE NON-BELIEVERS!

[iamzack]

Gaaahhh

whhyyyyy are people so stupid?

[Rick James]

The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary?

Guh. Sounds distinctly like a Westboroan-infested sh!thole.

[iamzack]

The have special programs for women, even.

[BloodEagle]

The Hell is wrong with people....

[Thaeris]

This is a problem with religious schools. There's nothing wrong with believing in something (I certainly do), but forced doctrine like that helps no one. Poor students... that sounds like a wretched class.

...someone's gonna get superflamed on 4chan...

-Thaeris

[NGTM-1R]

Hey. We're hostile. Bring it.

[Mongoose]

This is a problem with religious schools. There's nothing wrong with believing in something (I certainly do), but forced doctrine like that helps no one. Poor students... that sounds like a wretched class.

In case you missed it, these courses are being taught at a seminary.  This isn't "poor kids;" it's adults who freely chose to attend this particular school and take the particular course.

Not that that doesn't make the entire situation any less pants-on-head retarded, though.  I'd get into denominational facepalms, but this isn't the venue.

[Kosh]

The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary?

Guh. Sounds distinctly like a Westboroan-infested sh!thole.

Are they accredited?

[NGTM-1R]

I would doubt it. It's one rank up from a Bible college.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is actually a wonderful, amusing, contradictory place. Most Baptist schools are harshly anti-intellectual and attending something like a Seminary is seen as dangerous for a priest, exposing them to all that secular learning. Southwestern exists, however, because despite their anti-intellectual tendancies many of its students are egotistical enough to want the appearance of some kind of intellectual standing. (Noted graduates include one of the authors of the Left Behind series.)

The paradox inherent in the school's existence is simply lovely.

[Kosh]

Looking them up in Wikipedia:

It is one of the largest seminaries in the world[1] and is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada[2] and also by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award diploma, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees

EDIT: And it appears the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is recognized by the Department of Education, so I guess that means this seminary is accredited?

[karajorma]

You realise of course that they've just gifted every single "hostile board" an excuse to simply close any ID thread with a simple "We're not going to help you get your degree retard" comment and a link to that page.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the internet thanks you for automagically transforming every ID proponent on the internet into a potential troll until they prove otherwise.

[Flipside]

Mwahaha, I'm SO going to do that

[Sushi]

I dunno, I don't see this as that big of a deal. The point, as I gather, is to learn (through practice) how to defend your faith. I would hope that in order to get a good grade, you have to do so rationally and respectfully. What's so wrong with that?

Do you really think it could ever be a bad thing to let people have their beliefs challenged publicly, and force them to defend themselves? Sure, a traditional debate forum (or ANY face-to-face contact) is a more productive venue for this sort of thing than random internet forums, but I sure don't think it's without value. From the point of view of the student, it makes you seriously think about what you believe, why you believe it, and how to make it make sense to someone who sees the world differently. How could that be a bad thing?

I am, of course, giving the school the benefit of the doubt and assuming that this part of their coursework is monitored and graded not only for completion, but for quality.

Or is all of the brouhaha only because the people doing this are ID supporters? What if it was the other way around, and a decidedly antireligious biology or philosophy department was asking students to defend evolution on "hostile" websites?

I guess all I'm saying is to THINK about this for a bit. Is it really that big a deal?

[Scotty]

Wouldn't be for anyone who posts on this forum.  Pfsh, 2000 words in ten posts?  That's nothing when you look at the arguments we had a few months ago.

Mwahaha, I'm SO going to do that

Please don't.  It's hard enough to have a good discussion about this as it is.

What if it was the other way around, and a decidedly antireligious biology or philosophy department was asking students to defend evolution on "hostile" websites?

Not mutually exclusive, no problem.  evolution != antireligion.  Not as a prerequisite, anyway.

Hey. We're hostile. Bring it.

Yes.  Yes, you are.

(Come on, let's get a good one going )

(And don't lock it until the flames really start going, not just a single stupid post here/there)

[karajorma]

Or is all of the brouhaha only because the people doing this are ID supporters? What if it was the other way around, and a decidedly antireligious biology or philosophy department was asking students to defend evolution on "hostile" websites?

Actually I'd be (almost*) as pissed off with it the other way round. Kosh was right, it is basically trolling. It's encouraging people to go onto forums and start arguments to further their own ends with no thought as to the effects it may have on the community that these people are going to invade in order to cause trouble.


*I say almost cause I know ID is complete and utter bollocks and I severely doubt that most of the people on this course even understand ID let alone the reasons why it is in no way scientific or why it's been proved to be nothing more than a set of baseless assertions.

But anyway, this isn't a creation vs evolution debate. It's about the stupidity of getting people to go onto an internet forum and argue for course credits. And Flipside is right, I'm just so tempted to simply assume someone is from this place next time Mr No Posts turns up in one of those debates.

[TrashMan]

ERm...are we talking about ID as in "evolution doesn't exist" or ID as in "God created evolution, so design is intelligent".
I assume it's the former.

[Ghostavo]

ID = creationism but the creator isn't named god so they can try to teach the crap in science classes

[IronBeer]

Intelligent Design is simply a re-branded assault on human intellectual integrity. There is, however, no reason why God and science can't co-exist... so long as neither is stepping on the toes of the other. Religion acting as a substitute for science or science supplanting religion is what seems to cause problems. Each ...erm, shall we say, concept has a different sphere of influence- religion should deal with morality and spirituality, and science should concern itself with how the world works, and why.

Really, though, it's closed-mindedness that gets people in trouble. Which is why it would be amusing reading a thread where some of these guys try to hold their own.  

Edit: grammar...