This Week in God

December 15, 2007

First up from the God Machine this week is an unusually frivolous lawsuit, filed by a man who feels discriminated against because he’s a modern-biology denier. Apparently, at scientific institutions, officials want employees who believe in science.

A Christian biologist is suing the prestigious Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, claiming he was fired for refusing to accept evolution, lawyers involved in the case said on Friday.

Nathaniel Abraham, an Indian national who describes himself as a “Bible-believing Christian,” said in the suit filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston that he was fired in 2004 because he would not accept evolution as scientific fact.

Apparently, Abraham, who is a zebrafish specialist, told his employers, eight months after getting hired as a postdoctoral researcher in a biology lab, that he rejects evolutionary biology because it conflicts with a literal interpretation of the Christian Bible. Shortly thereafter, he was dismissed. Abraham took his case to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, which threw out his complaint earlier this year, “saying Abraham’s request not to work on evolutionary aspects of research would be difficult for Woods Hole because its work is based on evolutionary theories.”

This need not be complicated. Abraham was hired as a scientist at a scientific institution. He was given a task: conduct research and write reports using modern evolutionary biology as a basis for analysis. Abraham wanted to do the work, but reject the science. His bosses weren’t impressed, and preferred someone more qualified.

It’s akin to someone getting hired to study earthquakes for a scientific institution, but saying, “I want to do my job while rejecting plate-tectonic theory. And if you disagree, I’ll sue you.”

Abraham is demanding $500,000 from Woods Hole, and while his case proceeds, he’s now “teaching” at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University in Virginia.

Other items from The God Machine this week:

* TV preacher Pat Robertson told his national television audience this week that an ice storm that hit much of the Midwest may have been the result of U.S. policy towards Israel. He did not appear to be kidding.

* There was an odd religious controversy in South Carolina this week, when two South Carolina school districts considered a program in which low-income students could receive new shoes and socks through a program run by a local Baptist Church, but the kids would first have to undergo a ritual foot-washing exercise with church volunteers. Apparently, “church volunteers were scheduled to go to 25 schools in both districts this week to distribute shoes to as many as 12,000 students.” My friends at Americans United for Separation of Church and State are asking local education officials to scrap the plan.

* In Rockville, Conn., a local atheist group was given permission to promote one of its seasonal displays alongside religious holiday displays in the towns central park. There was, however, a catch — the Connecticut Valley Atheists posted a sign asking passers-by to “Imagine No Religion.” Shortly after it was in place, city officials erected a larger Christmas tree, making it hard to see the atheists’ display. When told that it appeared the tree was intended to block the display, Mayor Jason McCoy said, “Oh, really; that’s unfortunate.” (thanks to OkieFromMuskogee for the tip)

* And finally, for the third year in a row, the official White House holiday card, signed by the president and first lady, does not mention the word “Christmas,” though it does include a quote from Nehemiah 9:6. Will this satisfy Bill O’Reilly?

i think the ice storm in the midwest was caused by god crying over the fact that pat robertson is retiring from the christian broadcasting network. but that’s just me.

btw, happy birthday to the bill of rights, which went into efffect on this day in 1791 after being ratified by virginia. you remember the bill of rights, don’t you? it used to be a part of the u.s. constitution.

  • TV preacher Pat Robertson told his national television audience this week that an ice storm that hit much of the Midwest may have been the result of U.S. policy towards Israel.

    TV preacher Pat Robertson told his national television audience this week that a shit storm that hit him may have been the result of him opening his mouth without thinking.

  • You can’t escape evilushun in biology as it is basic cornerstone of the science. Of course, it’s easy to think otherwise if you think the Flintstones was a documentary.

  • It’s akin to someone getting hired to study earthquakes for a scientific institution, but saying, “I want to do my job while rejecting plate-tectonic theory. And if you disagree, I’ll sue you.”

    Maybe a better analogy would be when, an AWOL alcoholic/cocaine addict is the figurehead in a coup that steals 2 elections, said chimp proclaims himself to be a “war pResident” and the “decider”, and refuses to honor vote recounts while proclaiming that he is “bringing democracy to the world”.

    Our dur chimpfuhrer now claims to be an elected leader in a “free and open democracy” yet has nothing but contempt for the will of the people and his 25% approval rating and if you disagree, you can be arrested, rendered, and tortured as an “enemy combatant” while the rest of us get spied on.

    Oh yeah – and he claims GOD himself told him to do it.

    Wouldn’t that be an example of the hypocrisies of self-proclaimed religious nuts?

  • I think man is evolving into two species.
    One superstitious, and believes in outrageous myths.
    The other is logical.
    Wonder which will rule the world?

  • Feed Abraham to the jaguar shark.

    TV preacher Pat Robertson told his national television audience this week that a shit storm that hit him may have been the result of him opening his mouth without thinking.

    LOL! Be sure to weigh Robertson so we’ll know how much to dip out to rescue him.

    Funny how specific these acts of God are designed. Ice storm = Israel policy. 9/11 = gays. Katrina = ? Shitstorm = Vitters

  • “church volunteers were scheduled to go to 25 schools in both districts this week to distribute shoes to as many as 12,000 students.”

    Whatever happened to the idea of giving without preconditions/strings attached? And is buying religious conversion at all reliable as the means of enlarging your congregation?

  • …an ice storm that hit much of the Midwest may have been the result of U.S. policy towards Israel.

    Or perhaps Russell’s Teapot somehow lingered between the Sun and Earth just long enough to deflect some of the Sun’s heat, thereby allowing Earth’s atmosphere to get just chillier enough to produce the ice storm.
    Just as plausible.

  • It’s interesting that after residing in the USA for a few years, even someone from a culture as different from our own as India’s can apparently become as litigious as any American.

  • It’s akin to someone getting hired to study earthquakes for a scientific institution, but saying, “I want to do my job while rejecting plate-tectonic theory. And if you disagree, I’ll sue you.”

    Very, very perilous analogy, CB. Be careful when making such comparisons, if neither [evolutionary biology, seismic geology] are your own expertise.

    As it goes, the field of Geology underwent great tumult in the last century, and for many years after its initial proposal, Plate Tectonics was regarded as nutty, kooky, bad-science by the mainstream in earth science. The trouble was, as initially suggested, Plate Tectonics was an…. interesting proposition, that solved a number of old puzzles and problems, but relied on absolutely unknown processes. In the 1930s, it was NOT well defended or well-supported, and no mechanism for moving the plates was suggested or even imagined. Wegener took a lot of flack, suffered a lot of ridicule, and though the rest of his research was fairly well regarded, never quite earned the respect he was due.

    Gradually, understanding the dynamic and composite nature of the earth’s interior led scientists to realise that not only was Wegener’s “Plate Tectonics” supportable, but, very likely the best possible explanation for observable behavior on the surface.

    50 years ago, a scientist getting hired to study earthquakes, who claimed to agree with Plate Tectonic theory would have a heck of a time getting hired…. (and for good reason). A geologist who harbored secret leanings towards this goofy theory would…. have had a better chance, and partly, this is just what happened.

    Today, an (otherwise competent) scientist who rejected Plate Tectonic theory would probably not be rejected right off the bat, but they WOULD damn well be asked to justify and clarify and defend their position. The hiring committee would probably have second thoughts, as it would be a controversial (and unusual) position to take, in 2007. Geologists who understand the history of how geologic understanding developed, should be a little more cautious.

    If we were having this same argument over evolution 100 years ago, it might be more reasonable. Before Mendel (and before Watson/Crick) the mechanisms of evolution were as murky and mysterious as the center of the earth. As we learn better, progress is fitful and has occasional missteps. In 2007, there are no strong scientific arguments (in widespread use) against Evolution, nor really any against Plate Tectonics, but in the latter case, compelling arguments remain within the memory of some still active in the field.
    As we continue to understand the Earth, and ourselves better, I suspect CW will change, again and again.

  • Let’s try this analogy on for size, then:

    Someone hired by a Christian outreach program who, after being hired, admits that he is an atheist and refuses to refer to God or the Bible when ministering to the faithful.

    Oddly enough, I’d say there is potentially a case to be made that either one should be able to keep their job, but the presumption should be on the negative. And concealing that fairly relevant background information during the hiring process might be enough of an ethical violation to disqualify them…

    (BTW your comment submit form ate my comment cause I didn’t give my email address and had to click “back”. Upgrade!)

  • I wish O’Reilley could have seen my local Crank’s drugstore when I was a child. On Sunday most of the isles were covered and roped off because of blue laws which prevented the sale of anything but absolutely ‘necessary’ items. This included clothes, toys, socks and shoes etc. A ridiculous list. This is what we would have if religious laws were in place. No more loofahs or shower gels on Sunday, Bill. Definitely no more liquor.

    Talk about a frivolous law suit. Like a surgeon suing for $500,000 because he didn’t believe in biology or internal medicine and that if anything were wrong it had to be surgically removed. Zebrafish aren’t even mentioned in the Liebel..er..I mean bible and since they couldn’t have ‘evolved’ from some other fish…they don’t exist. This is not just insanity…it’s ‘fanatic’ insanity. People like this should not be allowed to vote and should definitely not be allowed to pass their genes along into the evolutionary pool.

    Pat Robertson is a prime example of fanatically insane who is a dangerous culmination of suppressed rage and vengeance. One of the wealthiest men on the planet from milking the faithful who are trying to buy their way into heaven. He has even convinced many that God speaks to him. Tells him things that so far have been completely wrong. Throws his backing to Rudy Guiliani. Pat thinks he can say and do whatever he wants, believing he is ’special’. It is difficult to find a more bigoted liar than Pat. Attributing a snow storm as punishment to a decision of foreign policy. Only an emotionally starved shallow empty personality could buy into such absurdity. Pat is beyond eve being treated as human any more. He should be in a straight jacket.

  • I hope this Abraham idiot is hit hard with court and defense costs as well as any other penalties (if any of that is possible in this case – I’m not an attorney) for a frivolous lawsuit. Or let’s do turn-about-is-fair-play: have an atheist or hindu sue for not being hired as ministerial staff at Libertyville Baptist Church or an evolution proponent be hired in the biology department at Liberty University. You get my point, I’m sure. Apparently, “they” won’t be able to.

    As a Christian, I believe that it’s a sin to use faith as a justification for ignorance and/or evil. Fundamentalism (of any type) too often leads to just that. How spiritual or religious person cannot see the beauty of God in evolution and other modern scientific discoveries and observations is just beyond me.

    The point of my comment is not to convert anyone to my religious/spiritual perspective; the point is to say that atheists, agnostics, and those of religious modern persuasions (regardless of religion) have common grounds to come together and resist these idiots. I know it’s probably pie in the sky, but isn’t it time we start doing that?

  • Alex’s analogy is almost complete.

    I didn’t see that Abraham refused to provide data in keeping with the “false theory” of evolution. Just that he didn’t believe evolution worked.

    If he’d do the work but not believe his own data. I’m not sure they have grounds, as odd as it is.

    If the atheist follows the procedures of saying amen and Lord Jesus the required number of times, he should keep his job too as the work is getting done effectively even if it’s by a cynic.

    The best case scenario?
    The court demands he get his job back and then Abraham has to explain why he doesn’t really want a job at a scientific institute.

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