Do Fundamentalist Colleges Deserve a "Weary Eye [sic]" in Science Education?

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by Smalls

You make this point within the article, proving that there is no merit to this discussion.

This whole discussion was sparked from the opinion of ONE person on a PHYSICS forum. Unless that person is in a position of admissions at a University, it does not matter what he believes regarding a University and it's foundational beliefs.

Good question. When I first began discussing the topic three weeks ago, my view was that discrimination against creationists was still about at the level portrayed in the Ben Stein movie, "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed." My view was that discrimination did occasionally occur, but that it was relatively rare. I know of a few faculty who it has happened to personally, but my impression was that other forms of discrimination were much more common.

However, the feedback from various parties over the past weeks suggests that conditions are strong for a rapid rise in discrimination based on religious beliefs, particularly those identified as "fundamentalist." The support for discrimination against college credit in the Physics Forums discussion was running strongly in favor of discrimination, with the general consensus being that discrimination against a Christian college was unlikely, as long as it was not fundamentalist.

But discrimination against a fundamentalist college (course credit or degree) is viewed as justified by a number of people. One contributor even suggested I might not want to make a public answer to whether I am a fundamentalist. Another contributor singled out Bob Jones University and Liberty University as worthy of discrimination. Most contributors to the Physics Forums discussion are faculty in various Physics departments. And it is the Physics faculty (not the admissions office) who make decisions regarding whether physics course credit transfers to the school and whether applicants are admitted to their graduate programs.

Since my original comments a few weeks ago, I have heard from various sources tending to support the notion that there may be a rapid rise in discrimination against fundamentalist institutions and individuals.

Originally Posted by Smalls

There is no reason for this discussion. Most people in their right minds would not even consider such information in admissions. And, even if they did, you could not, in good faith, turn a person down solely because of where they went.

Well, let me ask you, would an applicant with a science degree from a fundamentalist school (Liberty U, Oral Roberts, Bob Jones, Bryan, etc.) be treated any differently at agencies and companies you are familiar with?

Have you ever heard the word "fundamentalist" used to disparage a scientist or job candidate?

Have you ever heard the word "fundamentalist" used as an insult, like the N-word is used negatively toward blacks?