Get used to feeling offended

So, one college student — one — saw a few minutes of the movie, “The Last Temptation of Christ” during a religion class and was offended.

Then two Gilbert women who have no connection with the college heard about it and were, in turn, offended.

So offended, in fact, that they recently went to the Maricopa County Community College District Board and demanded that the “blasphemous video” never again be shown in a taxpayer-funded school.

“I am a Christian,” Christine Accurso told the board. “And if you are going to allow this type of intellectual dishonesty to be taught in your institution, without notice to students, my family will not step foot on your doorstep.”

Given her apparently delicate sensibilities, that’s probably a wise decision.

The outrage du jour, as outlined by

Republic reporter Anne Ryman, involves a World Religion class taught by Mesa Community College professor Keith Crudup.

Crudup told Ryman he uses scenes from various religious movies to set up class discussions. In this case, a discussion about the various ways Jesus has been interpreted throughout history.

The movie, which is based on a work of fiction, depicts Christ’s struggle with various temptations, including lust. The scene viewed by students shows Jesus fantasizing about having sex with Mary Magdalene.

Crudup said the scene illustrates the Christian understanding of Jesus, as both “fully human and fully devine.”

“The very fact he struggles with his human side and still goes through with his mission is very powerful,” Crudup said.

Apparently, powerful enough to offend one student, who then told his parents that he was offended, who then told the two Gilbert women, who were offended in absentia.

“This board needs to set some boundaries so that this does not happen again in our taxpayer-funded schools,” Accurso told the board.

Fortunately, the school is thus far refusing to set those boundaries. No doubt, it’ll be hearing from some Arizona legislators.

Me? I’d advise the Maricopa County Community College District board to stand tough and decline to give in to the temptation of mollyc odd lefi cation. This isn’t kindergarten.

It’s a college class of budding adults who presumably arrive on campus with a goal of being challenged to think and analyze and, yes, maybe even reject certain points of view.

Something you can’t do if you’re not exposed to them in the first place.

A college does students no favors by protecting them from being offended.

Some day, after all, those students will graduate and come into the real world where being offended is an almost hourly exercise.