Fundies and science: Job scenario

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Let's say you were looking through resumes of applicants to a job that required either a biology, geology or astronomy degree. Let's say then that you find a resume from someone who got their degree from a fundamentalist school like Bob Jones University that teaches that literal creation story nonsense. Therefore this school's program denies evolution (biology job), believes that the Earth is only 6,000 years old (geology job) and that stars and all other such parts of the universe are of a similar age and the Big Bang or any such event never happened (astronomy job). Would you disqualify this resume?

I vote yes. There is no way I'd hire anyone from a school for such a job that denies the basics of the job, and also teaches crap that I learned wasn't true in 1st grade (such as that dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time). Unless a school will teach real science, any such degree from a place is meaningless.

[John Dibble]

Well, I'm not sure if that university or any such university offers such degrees first off, nor outside of the creationism stuff do I know if their programs are otherwise of good or bad quality. Second off I have to say that it depends. It depends both on what the job is exactly - not all practical uses of biology, geology or astronomy require you to believe in an old Earth(you don't need to understand evolution to know what a liver does, for example) - and if the candidate has legitimate job experience in the field relevant to the job being applied for(which if the job does require at least a scientific understanding of the idea of an old Earth and the Big Bang could possibly outweigh the university teachings, as one does continue to learn after college). Fresh out of college I would be unlikely to hire if the job required such knowledge, but as I said not all jobs require it.

Basically I wouldn't throw out the application only because it is from a university like Bob Jones University, rather I would simply factor it into the grand scheme of things. I would want the best possible employee, so I should weigh all my options carefully. Of course, all other things being equal I would be more likely to hire a candidate from a university that teaches science rather than religion.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Here's Bob Jones' list of undergraduate majors.  No geology or astronomy degrees, but they do have physics and biology.  I expect they cover the topic of evolution, if only to point out its flaws from a fundamentalist perspective.  BJU doesn't usually stick its head in the sand so as to ignore something, so unless I was hiring someone for a job in evolutionary biology, I wouldn't consider a BJU degree as a defect (wouldn't necessarily say the same for other fundy schools, but BJU's a good school despite its fundy quirks.)

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

(wouldn't necessarily say the same for other fundy schools, but BJU's a good school despite its fundy quirks.)

It's not even accredited.

[bullmoose88]

Red,

I'm surprised you haven't called their admissions office.

It seems they made the number just for you...

1.800.BJ.AND.ME

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

(wouldn't necessarily say the same for other fundy schools, but BJU's a good school despite its fundy quirks.)

It's not even accredited.

Actually it does have a candidate accredtation from TRACS which is recognized by both the CHEA and the US Dept. of Education as a legitimate accreditation body.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

No.  In that case, a Christian who owned a company in which you needed biology (in which case, evolution is irrelevant, since it doesn't presently apply anyway), they could turn away all secular school graduates--and I'd say that's wrong.

2nd--Although I'm not going to Bob Jones, I go to a High School where a lot of people end up going there, so lets debate the stuff you learned in 1st grade to what I can tell you.

[adam]

I wouldn't hire them, I'd prefer a competent workforce.

[Michael Z]

I would probably invite them for an interview first before I jumped to any conclusions.

[DanielX]

Somewhat moot as BJU is not yet an accredited university, and is thus rather suspect regardless.

As for the job itself, it depends. If the geology job consists of measuring and cataloguing different types of rocks, I doubt the age of the Earth will be a major issue....

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

No.  In that case, a Christian who owned a company in which you needed biology (in which case, evolution is irrelevant, since it doesn't presently apply anyway), they could turn away all secular school graduates--and I'd say that's wrong.

2nd--Although I'm not going to Bob Jones, I go to a High School where a lot of people end up going there, so lets debate the stuff you learned in 1st grade to what I can tell you.

OK, explain how creatures that died out 65 million years ago lived on the earth the same time as humans.

[DanielX]

No.  In that case, a Christian who owned a company in which you needed biology (in which case, evolution is irrelevant, since it doesn't presently apply anyway), they could turn away all secular school graduates--and I'd say that's wrong.

2nd--Although I'm not going to Bob Jones, I go to a High School where a lot of people end up going there, so lets debate the stuff you learned in 1st grade to what I can tell you.

OK, explain how creatures that died out 65 million years ago lived on the earth the same time as humans.

Humans lived 66 million years ago?

[Josh/Devilman88]

No.

[Dr. Cynic]

I'd give them an interview, but if they denied Evolution, they wouldn't get the job.