Expelled--Again
| by | Jeff Miller, Ph.D. |
Two years after Ben Stein and Kevin Miller released the controversial movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Stein and Miller, 2008), which grossed nearly $7,700,000, the heated debate over discrimination towards those holding creationist beliefs continues. The Washington Post described astrophysicist Dr. Martin Gaskell as “uniquely qualified” for the position as director of the new, prestigious MacAdam Student Observatory at the University of Kentucky (UK). “He oversaw the design and construction of an observatory at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He also advised UK during the building of the MacAdam facility” (Lovan, 2010). However, although his credentials placed him “breathtakingly above the other applicants,” it seems that his Christian faith caused him to be rejected for the position. He, therefore, sued the university, “claiming lost income and emotional distress.” U.S. District Judge Karl S. Forester, who rejected a motion from the university concerning going to trial, said, “There is no dispute that based on his application, Gaskell was a leading candidate for the position” (Lovan).
Ironically, Gaskell does not even consider himself a creationist and
does not believe the Earth to be “a few thousand years old.” However,
apparently threatened by a lecture he gave in 1997 in which he stated
that evolution has “significant scientific problems” and contains
“unwarranted atheistic assumptions and extrapolations,” science
professors believed “his Christian faith could conflict with his duties
as a scientist” (Lovan). How unfortunate that many scientists are so
quick to jump to conclusions about others before gathering all of the
evidence. It is hardly unexpected, considering that they have done the
same thing by jumping to wild, outlandish, unscientific conclusions in
holding to evolutionary theory despite all scientific evidence that
stands against it. The evolutionists are so stressed about the
creationists’ arguments that they are now expelling people who even appear
to be creationists. Contrary to open-minded, academically free
expression of scientific thought, this sort of censorship provides a
real barrier to scientific progress. Creationists must be making an
impact with many in the debate if the evolutionary community is becoming
so hyperactive in its decisions.
REFERENCES
Lovan, Dylan (2010), “Scientist Alleges Religious Discrimination in KY,” The Washington Post, December 10, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/17/AR2010121701178.html.
Stein, Ben and Kevin Miller (2008), Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Premise Media).