The University of Kentucky has settled a lawsuit by a failed faculty applicant. The applicant, Martin Gaskell, for a position in Astronomy was turned down, supposedly because Dr. Gaskell is a professed Christian. Dr. Glaskell claims he is not a creationist and does accept the modern physical view of the universe. The settlement leaves a lot unsaid. At $125,000, it seems likely that the only financial winners here were his lawyers. Of more concern is the likelihood that this sort of suit will stifle the very important discussion that must occur when science and religion are in conflict, a problem that is all too common in the USA.
As a personal example, I worry about our current director of the NIH, Francis Collins. Dr. Collins is very well qualified for his job, he is a very prominent geneticist and was one of the leading administrators in the human genome project. He is, however, also a devout Roman Catholic. This may be a good thing when he presents the NIH agenda to an increasingly religious Congress, but Francis Collins’ devout beliefs also raise very real concerns about the truths he uses to make strategic decision/ Those truths, may reflect imperatives that are very different from the more strictly objective views of the scientific community.
The issue for me is not whether Francis Collins takes communion, believes in the power of holy relics, or in the authority of the papacy. He certainly is not a creationist, nor is his Church any more officially creationist. The issue is that, unlike scientific fact, what may be real for a devout Roman Catholic is not real for a Buddhist, a Baptist, a Hindu, a Jew or an atheist.
Back in Kentucky, I assume and hope that the impact of Dr. Gaskell’s beliefs on his choices as a professor were discussed and that this thorny issue will not now be lost in the miasma of legal conflict.
The report on Kentucky follows:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — An astronomy professor who sued the University of Kentucky after claiming he lost out on a top job because of his Christian beliefs reached a settlement Tuesday with the school.
The university agreed to pay $125,000 to Martin Gaskell in exchange for dropping a federal religious discrimination suit he filed in Lexington in 2009. A trial was set for next month.
Gaskell claimed he was passed over to be director of UK’s MacAdam Student Observatory because of his religion and statements that were perceived to be critical of evolution.
Court records showed Gaskell was a front-runner for the job, but some professors called him “something close to a creationist” and “potentially evangelical” in interoffice e-mails to other university scientists.
“We never thought from the start that everybody at UK was some sort of anti-religious bigot,” said Frank Manion, Gaskell’s attorney. “However, what I do think this case disclosed is a kind of endemic, almost knee-jerk reaction in academia towards people, especially scientists, of a strong religious faith.”
A statement from University of Kentucky counsel Barbara Jones Tuesday said the school’s “hiring processes were and are fundamentally sound and were followed in this case.” The university does not admit any wrongdoing.
“This successful resolution precludes what would have been a lengthy trial that, ultimately, would not have served anyone’s best interests,” Jones said in the statement.
Gaskell has said he is not “creationist,” or someone who believes the Bible’s origin story puts the age of the universe at a few thousand years. He also said his views on evolution are in line with biological science.
After applying for the job in 2007, Gaskell said he learned from a friend at UK that professors had discussed his purported religious views. E-mails turned over as evidence in the case showed that university scientists wondered if Gaskell’s faith would interfere with the job, which included public outreach and education.