Biology course mocks Christ, compares creationism to magic
The slide was enough to offend some students in the class taught by Dr. Christofer Bang, a lecturer at ASU.
A biology presentation compared creationism to magic in a class at Arizona State University (ASU).
According to a photo obtained by Campus Reform, a lecture on “Evolution vs. Creationism” began with a photo that showed a monkey gradually transforming into a man that read “Genetics. Adaptation. Natural Selection.” On the opposite side, the slide had an image of a cartoon smiling Jesus zapping lightning bolts to create a man. A speech bubble above the Jesus said, “MAGIC!”
According to a student in the Biology 100 class, who wished to remain anonymous, “the actual presentation itself, beyond that slide, didn’t really discuss creationism.”
But the first slide was enough to offend some students in the class taught by Dr. Christofer Bang, a lecturer at ASU.
“Quite a few students in the lecture hall were bothered by the picture, and it didn’t contribute to the lecture besides adding spite,” the student told Campus Reform.
Bang did not respond to requests for comment from Campus Reform, but instead directed Campus Reform’s email to Sandy Leander, manager of media relations for ASU’s School of Life Sciences.
Leander told Campus Reform that the Bio 100 course is not required for all students, but ASU students told Campus Reform that certain majors require a biology course.
“The image you are referring to is on the title page of a [PowerPoint], and sets the stage for a discussion about the extremes of the public discourse on evolution/creationism,” Leander told Campus Reform.
Neither Leander nor Bang responded to Campus Reform’s question of whether the slide was created by Bang, a textbook, or another source.
On the “ College Republicans at ASU” public Facebook page, many students lamented that the photo of the slideshow wasn’t the first time they had seen creationism mocked at ASU by professors.
“While I personally support the drawing on the left, I think it's wrong and unethical for professors to shame those who believe differently,” one student posted. “If you're going to try to get your students to stop believing in creationism, show them unbiased facts. Let them make their own conclusions rather than making it seem like it's "too embarrassing" to believe in creationism.”
Other students discussed if professors would be able to get away with publicly criticizing Islam instead of Christianity.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @K_Schallhorn
