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The Interior Department is facing a lawsuit from a Christian geologist who claims he was not allowed to collect rocks from Grand Canyon National Park because of his creationist beliefs.
In the suit filed earlier this month, the Australian geologist, Andrew Snelling, says that religious discrimination was behind the National Park Service's (NRS's) decision to deny him a permit to gather samples from four locations in the park.
Snelling had hoped to gather the rocks to support the creationist belief that a global flood about 4,300 years ago was responsible for rock layers and fossil deposits around the world.
NPS's actions "demonstrate animus towards the religious viewpoints of Dr. Snelling," the complaint alleges, "and violate Dr. Snelling's free exercise rights by imposing inappropriate and unnecessary religious tests to his access to the park."
The lawsuit was filed May 9 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. NPS has yet to respond to the allegations.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday May 28 2017, @08:15PM (5 children)
So why is that justification for letting him collect a hand full of rocks? Assuming he follows the same restrictions as other geologists.
If he has actual geologist credentials, doesn't it amount to something like a hate crime to say no to him, based solely on his belief system?
Would you like it if your belief system was brought into question if you wanted to gather harmless amounts of data on property that happened to belong to all citizens. Do you also suggest maybe religious tests would be appropriate?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 28 2017, @09:13PM
he could just as easily ask Navajo or Hopi for permisssion to get samples outside of GCNP. Or ask a private landholder alomg the Colorado River.
He's grandstanding on purpose, to try and create an awkward position for everyone. At thrle very least gives him ammo to say "see? we're being persecuted by the godless athests and bureaucrats!"
He changed his name from Richard C. Hoagblum it looks like, moving on from NASA coverups of ancient alien architecture on Mars...
(Score: 5, Insightful) by AthanasiusKircher on Sunday May 28 2017, @09:30PM
No, it's not a "hate crime" to refuse a proposed scientific study that is unscientific, as determined by peer review. He needs to justify that his study has the potential for scientific merit, whether he's credentialed or not. I would ask the same of any scientist applying to do similar studies. I have absolutely no problem with any person who adheres to any faith doing scientific research. When such beliefs, however, contradict the foundations of the entire scientific discipline which he claims to be part of AND are a central issue in a proposed study, that's a problem -- even then, though, it's up to his peer scientists to determine the validity of such research. They determined this was not a productive scientific study.
As I already noted in another post here, I don't necessarily have a problem with him gathering materials from a public site if he admits the true purpose of his study, i.e., to manufacture evidence that will go to support a predetermined religious theory. If he applies for a grant under "religious studies" or perhaps permission to gather materials for "creative fictional writing," maybe we give him the okay.
But that would require him to be honest about what he's actually doing here: "I propose to remove samples from the Grand Canyon to prove the Bible is the literal word of God." Instead, he wants to pretend to be an objective scientist, who might actually disprove his theory -- except his own public biography openly admits that he's already predetermined what the evidence MUST conclude. That's not science.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Monday May 29 2017, @12:01AM (2 children)
I believe farting unicorns blew out the Grand Canyon as part of religious belief system. I deserve a permit to go in and dig up what belongs to all Americans to further my religion. Thank you for your support.
(Score: 2) by Justin Case on Monday May 29 2017, @05:11PM (1 child)
You infidel! It was the Flying Spaghetti Monster that dug the canyon. I will be applying for a permit to keep chopping up the canyon rocks until I find the spaghetti fossil evidence.
(Hint: If you start from an "ism", like Creationism, you aren't a scientist. The Canyon has millions of visitors per year, and the National Park Service doesn't hand out permits for everyone who wants a sample to take one home.)
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Tuesday May 30 2017, @11:09PM
It was nothing as grand as the mythical events described. The Grand Canyon was created by throngs of tourists removing rocks as souvenirs. Over time, this led to significant erosion of what was once a high plain.
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