Terminate Professor Hank Smith for calling a gay student anti-christ

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The Issue

Hank Smith, a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Brigham Young University, engaged with an anonymous individual on Twitter that is a member of the fringe group Dez Nat to attack a gay BYU student. Professor Smith has over 30,000 followers on his Twitter page and went on an evening rant regarding Joseph Smith.  When the BYU student disagreed with Professor Smith's fringe views, he responded by calling the student "Korihor," which is a reference to a character in the Book of Mormon identified as antichrist.  Professor Smith should be terminated. He apparently does not understand that Korihor had no theology; he did not believe in God.  Professor Smith destroyed the trust bond that is crucial when attempting to build relationships with students and the community. He marginalized a committed, faithful, and independent-minded Latter-Day Saint. Professor Smith is not capable of leading religion courses at Brigham Young University.

The Decision Makers

Kevin Worthen
Kevin Worthen
President
Daniel K. Judd
Daniel K. Judd
Dean of Religious Education

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