True dat

Okay, a bit of background first.

Gary Goodyear, the Federal Science Minister, was asked in an interview whether or not he believed in evolution. (Presumably, what was meant by this is the Theory of Evolution, not the concept.) He evaded the question - with cause, considering the hue and cry that could have been raised by the left had he even mentioned the word 'creationism' - and there was much gasping and shaking of heads. "Oh no!" people said. "Imagine! The minister of Science doesn't believe in evolution!"

There was a brief brouhaha on the topic, especially in the Globe and Mail (who also claim that the Theory of Evolution is a scientific fact; it is many things, but not that), but the article I was really interested in was this one (Jonathan Kay, National Post):

"...And please, no letters from readers complaining about yet another "gaffe" from a "socially conservative" Conservative "reawakening fears" about a "secret agenda." Unless Canadians expect their politicians to lie about their own personal beliefs, there was no gaffe here--just a journo-concocted pseudo-scandal aimed at the one group in society that is fair game for abuse in the mainstream Canadian media: white, male, English Christians. (Can anyone imagine the Globe pulling the same stunt against, say, a devout Muslim, or a Sikh, or a Quebecois Catholic or an aboriginal who believes the Earth was given to us by the Creator?) If it becomes a real scandal, it will be solely due to the Toronto media's own echo chamber -- not anything Goodyear actually said."

White, male, English Christians. So true.

As a side note, let it be known that I'm not sure I completely support Goodyear's view on the topic, because his reply when asked if he believed in evolution was: "I'm not going to answer that question. I am a Christian, and I don't think anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate." Well, it wasn't really a question of his religion, in fairness. You can be a supporter of Intelligent Design without being a Christian at all, and his response implies that his view is unscientific and therefore not relevant in a scientific discussion.

However, that doesn't change the conclusion in the least. The fact that Gary Goodyear is a Christian does not in the least make him unfit to be the Minister of Science.