Does it matter what you think about the history of life on earth if your job is looking at the stars? According to the Louisville, Kentucky Courier-Journal, astronomer Martin Gaskell was a shoo-in to be the first director of a new observatory at the University of Kentucky back in 2007. Until, that is, the University got wind of his lectures on the biblical creation story and his belief that there are “major scientific problems in evolutionary theory." The University figured this wouldn’t do for the head of an observatory that counted public understanding of science as among their missions. Gaskell sued, claiming that he was the victim of religious discrimination. The University asked the courts to dismiss the case, but their prayers—ahem—weren’t granted. Gaskell will have his day in court: 8 February, to be precise.

Gaskell isn’t the first astronomer to have looked heavenwards and found God. Of course, most religious astronomers believe in evolution. Few are creationists, or advocates of “intelligent design”. There’s Danny Faulkner at the University of South Carolina, Lancaster, who has called for “a creationist astronomy”. And then there’s steady-state theorist Fred Hoyle, who didn’t believe in God, but didn’t believe in a blindly evolving universe either—among other things he argued for the idea that life was seeded on earth from other planets.

Far more analogous to Gaskell’s case is that of astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez, who was denied tenure at Iowa State University in Ames. The physics department chair said that the fact Gonzalez was an intelligent design advocate “was not a major or even a big factor in this decision.” But he admitted it came up during the discussions.

Gaskell’s situation will no doubt stimulate water cooler conversations among the cosmic set. What does it matter if astronomers have unorthodox ideas about biology? Young-Earth creationists have as much problem with an old universe as they do with an old earth. But what about an astronomer who doesn’t doubt the age of the earth, just the past of the organisms who live on it? Is punishing a researcher for peculiar ideas that don’t affect his or her work a violation of civil rights? Or does a scientist have to be scientific about everything to retain their respectability? And how many biologists out there believe funny things about the stars–like astrology?