Posted on 12/13/2010 11:18:17 AM PST by SeekAndFind
An astronomer is suing the University of Kentucky, claiming he was denied a job running its observatory because of his Christian faith.
Martin Gaskell was once considered the leading candidate to be the founding director of the observatory, opened in 2008.
The Courier-Journal reports that a trial has been set for Feb. 8 after a federal judge ruled Gaskell has the right to a jury trial.
Gaskell argues that the school discriminated against him because he had given lectures in the past discussing astronomy and the Bible and his questions about the theory of evolution, even though he accepts it.
The university acknowledges there were questions about his beliefs, but there was valid scientific concern. It also claims there were other factors in denying him the job, including a poor performance review in a previous job.
Can’t some of these folks be fired cuz they suck at the job or perhaps not working to the potential that they had in 2008? I mean victimization works both ways.
ROTFLMAO. That was funny.
From a theological point of view creation is a simplistic, primitive event. Most cultures have some type of fairly simple ancient creation myth. But the idea of a god who would just put everything in motion billions of years ago and have it result in this using complex interacting laws was to him far more glorifying.
Sometimes it is subtle. Sometimes it isn't.
To the boss — “Would you put that in writing?”
Better have a back up job, though. :)
See Discovery Institute, specifically their Center for Science and Culter, more specifically their Wedge Document that outlines the strategy. Most of the top names in ID are affiliated with the Discovery Institute, including Stephen Meyer, Michael Behe, Scott Minnich and Guillermo Gonzalez (whiner of Expelled fame).
Just as so many modern atheists see evolution—a certain view of evolution-as a disproof of religion.
Many scientists have almost no philosophical training. Therefore even the biologists have a rather naive view of evolution, have not in fact moved much beyond Haeckel.
The papers these guys publish ( e.g. Stephen Meyer, Michael Behe and yes, even the so called whiner, Guillermo Gonzales) do not even contain any references to Jesus Christ.
I don’t see how they’re evangelizing anyone to make them Christians.
It's the motivation, and the level of trust that engenders. They have all signed onto the DI's program. By doing that they agree that NO scientific finding can contradict the Bible. If it appears to do so, then the finding or the interpretation of it must be incorrect. This is completely opposite of science, where you are supposed to follow the evidence.
I don’t see how they’re evangelizing anyone to make them Christians.
It's a stealth program. Nobody is supposed to see that. Read the Wedge Document.
Dr. Gonzalez now has an observatory he can work with at Grove City.
He has close to 70 peer reviewed papers on astronomy published at various scientific journals. NONE of these professional work even mentions God at all (they would not have been published otherwise).
It was his extra-curricular work — THE PRIVILEGED PLANET that put him on the “target” list IMHO.
RE: It’s the motivation, and the level of trust that engenders
There you go, you just hit the nail right on the head.
Anyone who takes his religious belief seriously REGARDLESS of his professional work is automatically considered suspect.
Some do, as some atheists ironically make a religion out of it. But in fact, all most natural sciences (geology, astronomy, biology, etc.) do is disprove young earth creationism. Religion in general is outside their scope.
RE: Can’t some of these folks be fired cuz they suck at the job
That SHOULD be the reason for firing someone, not what they personally believe about God.
“He thought that God setting up all these intricate, interrelated laws of physics to make things happen as they did was even more incredible than simply creating something.”
Indeed. Such is truly the workings of an amazing and transcendent God. A God who goes “poof” and things happen is a God that even a child can understand.
No, it's more of the fact of affiliation with an institution with an admitted agenda to subvert modern science. Then that institution being the leader of the modern ID movement makes anybody suspect of any work in the area.
Well, I do not accept Genesis as an historical account. On the other hand, I reject the Darwinian view of man engaged in a struggle with nature. Aristotle had a view more persuasive. That we must work with nature as it NOW exists since we are part of it. That we are animals, but thinking and willing animals. Genesis depicts the ideal, where man is the gardener., in which he lives and moves and has his being, but which he has not made.
If Discover has an agenda, it is not to subvert modern science but questions certain sacred cows.
Having once been a faculty member of UK, I’m not surprised. It was a terrible place to work. I had the good fortune of being the victim of diversity.
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