attempted hijacking of science by religion?

More disturbing news on the Canadian political scene. Not surprising, but disturbing.

The current Conservative-Reform-Alliance-Party's Science Minister has interpreted a question on science (specifically, evolutionary science) as a challenge to his religious beliefs, refusing to answer a question on his views on evolution on the basis that he is a "Christian". Yes, Canada has a religious right-wing, too.

This is a person in a position to grant or withhold funding from research that somehow challenges his beliefs, most likely with the lame excuse of his party's favourite position, that it "isn't commercially viable", totally ignoring the need for fundamental research as a foundation for applied science. We have been plagued by years by such bottom-line feeders, and for every big announcement of funding for suitably "applied" research there are generally 10 hidden cuts to the fundamentals. Science-based departments have seen their research funding cut to ribbons, and way too much either cancelled or privatized. Sure, not all of the cuts are attributable to religious or even merely conservative politicians, but there are worrying trends in the type of research that is being quietly axed. It goes along with the dark age mentality the current bunch of clowns has on the environment.

I find this trend objectionable on several grounds, as a scientist, as a secular humanist, as a thinking citizen, and as a taxpayer. Time we separated religion from politics, once and for all. There is no good reason why a person's religion or lack thereof should have anything to do with their public function.

Our Science Minister, Mr. Goodyear, could do well to take the following quotes to heart:

Nothing must be held sacred. Question everything. God is not great, Jesus is not your lord, you are not disciples of any charismatic prophet. You are all human beings who must make your way through your life by thinking and learning, and you have the job of advancing humanity's knowledge by winnowing out the errors of past generations and finding deeper understanding of reality. You will not find wisdom in rituals and sacraments and dogma, which build only self-satisfied ignorance, but you can find truth by looking at your world with fresh eyes and a questioning mind. P.Z. Myers

In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. Carl Sagan