Religious Fanatics Send Death Threats To College Professor Due To Perceived Offense

Plot Twist...It's not Muslims this time...it is Christians threatening to kill a college professor over their perceived offensive towards Jesus.

For those of you not aware of the story:

www.insidehighered.com...

"It was a normal class," recalled Deandre Poole, in recalling an exercise that upended his academic career.

He had used the classroom activity before, and wasn't particularly worried about it. "I followed the directions from the instructor's guide," he said. The course at Florida Atlantic University was in intercultural communications, and the exercise involves having students write "Jesus" on a piece of paper, and then asking them to step on it. When they hesitate, the instructor has an opening to discuss symbols and their meaning.

Of course Fox News picked the story up and distorted it by claiming the professor was "forcing" students to "stomp on Jesus". And that one kid that refused to do it was punished by the University. Of course...being Fox News...that is all false.

Here is what really happened.

Poole said that, as best he could tell, only one student in the course had an objection. That student -- whom Poole did not name in the interview, but who has come forward in local news reports saying he was suspended for objecting to the exercise -- refused to participate and then said repeatedly, Poole said, "How dare you disrespect someone's religion?"

After class, the student came up to him, and made that statement again, this time hitting his balled fist into his other hand and saying that "he wanted to hit me." While the student did not do so, Poole said he was alarmed and notified campus security and filed a report on the student.

And now, this poor man who was just teaching his class that had an over zealous student is recieving death threats and threatening to hang him from a tree (Poole is a black man).

The past two weeks, Poole said, have been extremely stressful. "I wake up in the morning not knowing what the day is going to bring."

He said he has received hate mail and death threats, some of them coming in forms particularly hurtful to an African American. "One of the threats said that I might find myself hanging from a tree," he said.

Another plot twist...Poole is a very religious CHRISTIAN.

Much of the critical commentary about Poole has suggested that he is anti-Christian. In fact, he said, he has been connected to churches all of his life, has served as a Sunday school teacher, and understands the power of the word "Jesus" on a piece of paper because he cares deeply about Jesus.

“I am very religious,” he said. "I see how the name Jesus is symbolic. For people like myself, Jesus is my lord and savior. It's how I identify myself as a Christian."

Now...I do believe most people around here HATE that muslims throw around death threats whenever they are offended...so why are Christians now emulating that behavior??? Don't people call them savages and hypocrites for using death threats because they are offended???

Are people going to try to use the excuse that "if they do it then we should be able to"???

Are Christians really becoming this fanatical that they are threatening to kill their own if they don't like what they say???? Maybe we should start to consider Christians as potential terrorists if this is the route they want to take.

reply to post by xedocodex


You don't honestly think this is the first person to receive a death threat from a 'Follower of Jesus' do you?

The true madness of it, is people thinking that Muslims and Christians are the generalizations we attribute to them. Muslims aren't all evil, and not all Christians act like one... actually, we can say that MOST Christians don't act like one, and MOST Muslims aren't evil. Never mind, back to the propaganda extravaganza.

As to the professor and the reaction by the student.. I'm sure things like this have happened many times before in colleges... It's a course that obviously conducive towards conflict over morals and philosophies. FoXnews is a Joke, we all know this... preaching to the choir.

reply to post by retirednature


No, I don't think this is the first time it has happened.

But it seems like a huge deal is made about it when Muslims do it...and like I thought...no one seems to care where Christians do it.

If this was a thread about Muslims threatening a college professor in the United States because he used Mohammad in a teaching exercise...this thread would be blowing up about those evil Muslims.

A bit of hypocrisy...don't you think?

Originally posted by xedocodex
hypocrisy...don't you think?

hypocrisy is just another word for "religion"
basically the same meaning

Originally posted by xedocodex
reply to post by retirednature

 

No, I don't think this is the first time it has happened.

But it seems like a huge deal is made about it when Muslims do it...and like I thought...no one seems to care where Christians do it.

If this was a thread about Muslims threatening a college professor in the United States because he used Mohammad in a teaching exercise...this thread would be blowing up about those evil Muslims.

A bit of hypocrisy...don't you think?

I haven't seen too many 'evil Muslim' threads, but I don't see them all I guess...

We can play 'what if's' all day, things must be taken with in context. Obviously the professor this time wasn't trying to be a jackwagon, and has respect for "Jesus".

If a college professor were to make an assignment that required students to draw pictures of Mohammad, well...

The christians are becoming more like the muslims every day.

Just a few quick thoughts.

1) This is newsworthy because it's rare, just like that guy who burned a copy of the Quoran.

2) "This is what really happened?" All of the comments were the professor's.. He was simply telling his side of the story. I'm not going to assume that it's completely true. You shouldn't either.

3) The professor got a death threat (or maybe more), and that corresponds to rioting which killed our ambassador and others? Everybody who makes a public statement in America gets death threats. Obama, Reid, Palin, Limbaugh, Trump, Bloomberg, the list is endless.

Originally posted by Xenoglossy

Originally posted by xedocodex
hypocrisy...don't you think?

hypocrisy is just another word for "religion"
basically the same meaning

That's not what I'm getting at. I'm Christian myself...but I think it is ridiculous when any religion uses death threats because they are offended by something.

But there are hypocrites that would be condemning Muslims for doing this same thing...but sit quietly when it is done by Christians...that is the hypocrisy I'm talking about...not religion in general.

Originally posted by charles1952
Just a few quick thoughts.

1) This is newsworthy because it's rare, just like that guy who burned a copy of the Quoran.

2) "This is what really happened?" All of the comments were the professor's.. He was simply telling his side of the story. I'm not going to assume that it's completely true. You shouldn't either.

3) The professor got a death threat (or maybe more), and that corresponds to rioting which killed our ambassador and others? Everybody who makes a public statement in America gets death threats. Obama, Reid, Palin, Limbaugh, Trump, Bloomberg, the list is endless.

So your response is excuses....nice.

You can't even bring yourself to condemn the Christians that did this...you just are going to make excuses for them.

Somehow I don't think your response would be the same if this were Muslims threatening a professor in the United States.

I guess this thread settles the debate going on in my thread.

What amazing timing!

reply to post by xedocodex


All we have is symbolism when we are nothing but a bunch of leptons and quarks.

What the professor did wasn't okay. He knows better than to attempt to pursued students to blasphemy God. The professor's body is no more a sacred thing than the napkin with Jesus written on it. It is what the symbolism represents that makes it sacred, and his actions were blasphemous, and he knows it.

The student in question is a victim to the lesson plan just as the professor is.

The lesson plan is the guilty party.

Originally posted by Bleeeeep
The professor's body is no more a sacred thing than the napkin with Jesus written on it. It is what the symbolism represents that makes it sacred, and his actions were blasphemous, and he knows it.

The student in question is a victim to the lesson plan just as the professor is.

The lesson plan is the guilty party.

Always nice to see a religious mind at work. So, the body of the professor is no more "sacred" than the napkin? Well, that's one step away of saying that the professor probably should die for his "blasphemy".

What exactly is it that is wrong with the "lesson plan" (assuming such thing would even exist at a university)?

reply to post by Xenoglossy


One step away for you maybe. Sick and twisted much?

The lesson plan is having the professor make the students blasphemy God.

Reread what I wrote without your sick ideas.

Originally posted by Bleeeeep
reply to post by Xenoglossy

 

One step away for you maybe. Sick and twisted much?

The lesson plan is having the professor make the students blasphemy God.

Reread what I wrote without your sick ideas.

First of all nobody made the students blasphemy God.
Secondly: there are no "lesson plans" at a university that tell a professor what to do. He might have to teach them about symbols and how they affect their actions for example - but nobody will tell him to do so by this exact method.

What exactly is blasphemy about this by the way?

reply to post by xedocodex

Dear xedocodex,

There seems to be some confusion here, I probably was too brief in my comments. I certainly didn't think I was making any excuses. In fact, let's look at my statements under the assumption that I was making excuses.

1) Death threats are terrible, but it's Ok because it's rare. Do you think I said that?

2) Death threats are terrible, but it''s Ok because only the professor's side was reported. That doesn't make any sense either.

3) Death threats are terrible, but it's Ok because they're common. Besides contradicting #1, this doesn't make any sense either.

"Insulted People Get Carried Away and Send Terrible E-mails." That's another possible headline.

Look, it's terrible enough to send hateful messages, let alone death threats. I condemn that kind of behavior. But I've given up worrying about death threats from Muslims, that's expected now. I worry about assassinations. Christian religious violence against Muslims is much less than the vice versa.

I'm not excusing it, but I would note that this isn't even minor league baseball compared to a fatwa taken seriously.

You can't even bring yourself to condemn the Christians that did this...you just are going to make excuses for them.

Easy to condemn the e-mails, I do. I'm certainly glad no one makes excuses for Muslims.

Somehow I don't think your response would be the same if this were Muslims threatening a professor in the United States.

Let's think about that. Assume that a professor orders his class to draw a picture of Mohammed and then spit on it. What would my response be then? What would the world's response be? I know the world would demand the professor was at least fired, if not jailed for a hate crime. That's if he even got out of the classroom alive. My response? Honestly, I'd think he'd gone temporarily insane. First, American professors just don't offend Muslims if they want a career. Second, he would have to know, unless he was insane, that his life, property, or both were going to be destroyed soon.

I guess I'd feel sorry for the Muslim offending professor. On the other hand, the Christian offending professor has had no violence committed against him and the school is supportive. So it looks like offending Christians is a safer and better career move.

With respect,
Charles1952

Originally posted by NorEaster
I guess this thread settles the debate going on in my thread.

What amazing timing!

Yes, the fanatics are no different on either side.

The only difference is how they are treated. One has excuses made for them, the others are condemned.

reply to post by Bleeeeep

What the professor did wasn't okay. He knows better than to attempt to pursued students to blasphemy God. The professor's body is no more a sacred thing than the napkin with Jesus written on it. It is what the symbolism represents that makes it sacred, and his actions were blasphemous, and he knows it.

First off, he didn't "pursued" any of the students to do anything.

Second, yes it is symbolism...THAT WAS THE POINT OF THE EXERCISE.

Third, it really seems like you are excusing the death threats because the professor's action were "blasphemous" by your judgement...very ironic.

The student in question is a victim to the lesson plan just as the professor is.

The lesson plan is the guilty party.

The lesson plan is fine, no one had to step on the paper...in fact the professor said only one student that he remembers actually did step on the paper.

The lesson was about symbolism and it's strength. The student that physically threatened the professor is the one who is guilty.

reply to post by xedocodex

Dear xedocodex,

I understand that emotions can run very high. Sometimes we say things we really don't mean and it takes just a moment to correct our slip.

Yes, the fanatics are no different on either side.

Would you like to reconsider this?

With respect,
Charles1952

This sounds like a douche trying to stir things up. I'm sure the individual had ulterior motives, Trying to get his 5 minutes of fame or something. I wouldn't be surprised if this individual didn't worship.

Also, why did race have to be brought into the discussion?

Originally posted by charles1952
reply to post by xedocodex

 

Dear xedocodex,

I understand that emotions can run very high. Sometimes we say things we really don't mean and it takes just a moment to correct our slip.

Yes, the fanatics are no different on either side.

Would you like to reconsider this?

With respect,
Charles1952

No, fanatics are fanatics.

Christian fanatics are just as dangerous as Muslim fanatics or Atheist fanatics.