Posted on 12/11/2007 1:17:37 PM PST by Froufrou
A biologist is suing the prestigious Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, claiming he was fired in 2004 after he told his boss he does not believe in evolution.
Nathaniel Abraham, who worked as a postdoctoral researcher in a biology lab of the Cape Cod research center, is seeking $500,000 in compensation for his firing, which he claims was a violation of his civil rights.
In his lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court, Abraham said he lost his job shortly after he told his superior that he did not accept evolution as scientific fact.
Evolution is a fundamental tenet of biology that says new species emerge because of genetic changes to organisms that, over time, favor their survival. Creationists believe in a literal reading of the Bible's story of creation.
"Woods Hole believes they have the right to insist on a belief in evolution," said David Gibbs III, one of Abraham's attorneys and general counsel of the Christian Law Association in Seminole, Fla.
Gibbs said Abraham "truly believes there was no conflict between religion and his job."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Abraham filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination in 2005.The commission dismissed the complaint earlier this year, saying it would be challenging for Woods Hole to employ Abraham because of his request not to work on evolutionary aspects of the project.
(Or was this the Dyscovery Institute trying to implement the Wedge Strategy?)
Incomplete statement. There are a number of creationist belief systems, with one of them being the "universe created in six days" model. There are most definitely others.
If this happened as the fired biologist claims, he has a case. But my spidey sense tells me there’s more to it.
Yep. His boss told him, “We will collect data on these fish, and then we will analyze that data in order to discover their evolutionary relationships.” He said, “I’ll collect the info but I won’t interpret it.” His boss said, “I hired you as a post-doc, not a lab assistant. You’re fired.”
Hold on; the definition of biology “that says new species emerge because of genetic changes to organisms that, over time, favor their survival” doesn’t claim the species weren’t originally created!
Aha!
Yes, but a complete statement would have been outside the “story line”. The drive-bys are always hyping conflict when they can, and prefer to make traditionalists look foolish whenever possible. Apparently considerations they hold far more dear then honesty.
Post-docs are lucky to make $50,000 a year. Asking for half-a-mil speaks to the deeper motivation here.
Whatever you want to call the position, please don't call it a scientific one.
Evolution is a widely believed theory, not a tenet.
BTAIM, I still say his rights have been violated if they even know he’s a creationist. Religious discrimination has no place in the office.
Still, who says that evolution can’t be the natural outcome of a created species? Would that be what ID is about?
It’s a religion
I wonder how much government money this institution receives.
It was testing a theory. If the data he collected had been inconsistent with evolution, that would have been evidence that the theory is flawed. Since all the data we have indicates evolution occurs, it appears the theory is strong.
He was refusing to do his job.
So the theory of evolution is a religion, and I suppose Intelligent Design is a science?
I am sure someone has asked the question. If mankind is descended from apes, why do we still have apes and where is the missing link? I doubt eveolutionists are comfortable with these questions.
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