DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A fired community college instructor offended students more by his brash style than his remarks about the Bible, students said.

Steve Bitterman, an adjunct professor at Southwestern Community College in Red Oak, claimed he was fired after administrators sided with students, who were upset by his statement that the biblical story of Adam and Eve is a fairy tale and should not be interpreted literally.

Bitterman made the comment in class on Sept. 18 and was fired two days later.

Students in the class, also broadcast to a classroom in Osceola, said Bitterman told them to question their religious beliefs. As a debate became heated, he told student Kristen Fry to "pop a Prozac."

Fry said she left the class in tears, then contacted a lawyer.

"I talked to a lawyer and was told that what he was doing was illegal," she said. "He was not allowed to be derogatory toward me for being a Christian. I told my adviser I would sue if I had to."

Bitterman said he made his comments to spark debate. He said he joked about Prozac to disarm a student who "was screeching at me."

"Sometimes you say something outrageous just to see if you can provoke some discussion. … I can be a little acerbic at times, I don't deny that," he said. "I certainly take students' viewpoints seriously in the sense that I encourage them to express it, and then I will challenge that viewpoint, regardless of what it is, to see how well they can back it up with reason and critical thought."

Casey Overton, a 19-year-old who was in the Osceola classroom, said Bitterman's comments came across as insulting and offensive.

"After some of the comments he made, I didn't expect him to be fired, but I'm kind of glad he's gone," Overton said. "There's no way I could have finished the class."

Bitterman said he was fired over the phone and was told it was for teaching religion instead of history. There was no mention of how he treated students.

Southwestern President Barb Crittenden said this section of the class had been canceled but wouldn't comment on many aspects of the situation. She declined to comment on how student complaints are handled.