"Dr" Ian Paisley

DublinWriter

On the foot of "Dr." Ian Paisley's recent comments about the President, I started recalling a few comments I heard about his PhD.

Can someone clear this up? I believe "Dr." Paisley never spent a day of his life as an undergrad or postgrad student anywhere, and that his PhD is basically an honourary PhD conferred to him by a non-accredited bible-belt college in the U.S.

This being so, why so we here in the South constantly refer to him in the media as "Dr.Paisley". Both Gay Byrne and Bob Geldof were conferred with honoury doctorates by *accredited* third-level insitutions, yet we don't entitle them as either "Dr.Gay Byrne" or "Dr.Bob Geldof"?

sceptre

If I recall correctly he went to thelogical college in south Wales and Belfast so it isn't fair to say that he didn't spend any time as an undergrad, though he didn't graduate from either if that helps.

The title's indeed an honorary doctorate from the charming Bob Jones University, a somewhat fundamentalist unaccredited Christian college in S Carolina that hates Catholics, has a policy of banning interracial dating among students and has a strict dress code that makes women wear skirts at all times when they're not taking part in sporting events or travelling to sporting events they're competing in, though at least they managed to ban all Abercrombie apparel as part of the dress code. Bob Jones Uni has had a long connection with some of the more fundamentalist elements up north.

As for actually using the title, honorary doctorates conferred here generally don't entitle the person to use "Doctor" as part of their name, though in the US they do a little more often. Additionally, "doctor" has been used as an address for those considered eminent theologians since about the thirteenth century. Ironically generally only by the Catholic church but I'm sure Bob Jones wasn't all that concerned about that.

So why is Ian Paisley called "Doctor Paisley" so often? I suspect someone started doing it and after a while no-one wanted to be the first to stop doing it. I'm sure it's easier to get an interview with him if one uses the title.

Zaph0d

He is commonly known as Dr Ian Paisley so that's how the press refer to him.

Prince Naseem, Duke Ellington, Count Basie same thing.

I can't see the link between him being nasty about the president and calling himself doctor.

StupidLikeAFox

I thought Reverend I.Paisley was more commonly used...

the_syco

He did a month long course in the US, and got a Doctorship from it. The funny thing is that Adams did the whole thing, and got a degree, and doesn't go prancing around about it, but Paisley does a one month course, and we never hear the end of it.

Zaph0d

the_syco wrote:

He did a month long course in the US, and got a Doctorship from it. The funny thing is that Adams did the whole thing, and got a degree, and doesn't go prancing around about it,

I didn't know Adams had any education after leaving school at 16. Do you have a source?

ColHol wrote:

I thought Reverend I.Paisley was more commonly used...

He's called Reverend when referring to his religious role and Dr when referring to his political role .

casanova_kid

DublinWriter wrote:

On the foot of "Dr." Ian Paisley's recent comments about the President, I started recalling a few comments I heard about his PhD.

Can someone clear this up? I believe "Dr." Paisley never spent a day of his life as an undergrad or postgrad student anywhere, and that his PhD is basically an honourary PhD conferred to him by a non-accredited bible-belt college in the U.S.

This being so, why so we here in the South constantly refer to him in the media as "Dr.Paisley". Both Gay Byrne and Bob Geldof were conferred with honoury doctorates by *accredited* third-level insitutions, yet we don't entitle them as either "Dr.Gay Byrne" or "Dr.Bob Geldof"?

Sir Bob Geldof to you.

D-Generate

Maybe its used by the Southern media as a bit of a tongue in cheek comment?

Repli

Don't forget Dr. Roy Keane