Another Day, Another Thinking Liberal Fired in Utah

Jeffrey Neilsen, a non-tenured professor at BYU was recently told that his contract would not be renewed (read: fired) because he recently wrote an op-ed piece in the Salt Lake Tribune that spoke out against the LDS Church's position on Gay Marriage.

For those of you that live outside this bubble called Salt Lake, let me bring you up to speed: a few weeks ago, the LDS Church demanded that all Bishops (think: pastors, priests) read the following statement during Sunday services:

We are informed that the United States Senate will on June 6, 2006, vote on an amendment to the Federal constitution designed to protect the traditional institution of marriage.
We, as the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, have repeatedly set forth our position that the marriage of a man and a woman is the only acceptable marriage relationship.
In 1995 we issued a Proclamation to the World on this matter, and have repeatedly reaffirmed that position.
In that proclamation we said: "We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."
We urge our members to express themselves on this urgent matter to their elected representatives in the Senate.

Because BYU is a privately owned institution of the LDS Church, it is generally expected of its faculty and staff that they will not have any opinions that differ from the 'Official' position of the LDS Church, and if they do have a different opinion, they are expected to hold those opinions silent. Unfortunately, for this professor, he will no longer be teaching philosophy at the tremendous institution that is called by some "The Harvard of the East"

Folks (specifically, morons in Utah), people in life will occassionally not agree with the LDS Church 100% of the time. When they do, that does NOT give you the right to dissassociate with them, nor does that give you the right to end their employment.

I empathize with Mr. Neilsen; however, I'm sure he realizes that better days are ahead of him. Perhaps a real school that allows the free flow of ideas and idealogical thought to flow freely will offer him a tenured position.