Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum

Creationist geologist sues U.S. park service after it rejects request to collect samples in Grand Canyon
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/c...ct-samples

EXCERPT: 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....

MORE: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/c...ct-samples

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Atheists are more intelligent than religious people, say researchers
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/scienc...42766.html

EXCERPT: Religious people are less intelligent on average than atheists because faith is an instinct and clever people are better at rising above their instincts, researchers have claimed. The theory — called the 'Intelligence-Mismatch Association Model' — was proposed by a pair of authors who set out to explain why numerous studies over past decades have found religious people to have lower average intelligence than people who do not believe in a god...

MORE: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/scienc...42766.html

I didn't think anyone was allowed to go chipping off samples of the Grand Canyon. It's a national monument and should be preserved. I myself would like samples of those 1.250 billion year old layers, but I was never stupid enough to ask.

I wonder when PBS is finally going to make a rousing, Hackman-thriller documentary episode called "The Australian Connection". As part of a series with focus on jihadist propagandist creationism. Too much of a popular impression over the years that the contemporary movement's provenance was purely US Bible Belt contributions.

"Creationists in Australia have been the leading influence on the development of creation science in the US for the last 20 years."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creationis...#Australia

Since when did bible believers need proof? Oddly, proving a biblical flood changes the belief. I guess in his/their minds one proof substantiates creationism amongst other biblical facts(?). Sounds like creationists are trying to rid themselves of belief, which may be a step in the right direction, who know's?