To the editor:

I would like to speak out in support of Paul Mirecki, the chair of Kansas University religious studies and organizer of the new KU course “Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies.”

Professor Mirecki, who holds a doctorate of theology from Harvard, is being trashed by right-wing Christian fundamentalists as lacking credentials, a fact I find truly comical. Apparently the fact that he does not have a background in biology makes him unqualified to teach about intelligent design, in their minds. I entirely disagree, because intelligent design is a religious belief, wholly unscientific, and Professor Mirecki is overwhelmingly qualified to teach about religious concepts. He has been a member of KU’s faculty for 16 years, and has conducted very important research on early religious texts in his career. At KU, he teaches ancient Egyptian and Coptic languages as well as “Understanding the Bible.”

Furthermore, I have known Professor Mirecki for three years and have always found him to have one quality that is unimpeachable: He stands up for intellectual integrity and is always determined to advance solid scholarship. His commitment to academic rigor is unquestionable and the fact that he is proposing this course should be strong evidence of this fact. If Christian fundamentalists are afraid of his new course, they should be. This course is certain to expose the flaws, holes and fallacies in their intelligent design arguments.

I encourage any student interested in the topic to enroll in Mirecki’s class; it is bound to be an excellent learning experience.

Stephanie Kirmer,

Lawrence