Last night a bloke was talking on ABC radio about religion and science.

He said something like: “I am not against religion because it turns people into terrorists, but because it makes them stupid.”

He stopped then until the audience realised that he thought he had been clever and wanted to be clapped.

They clapped.

I can’t give you the exact details, but it doesn’t matter.

Tune into the ABC yourself — radio or TV or online — any night. There is practically always somebody of celebrity status trotting out some lines about how religion is for losers.

* * *

David Coppedge was an information technology specialist and administrator on NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn, the most ambitious interplanetary exploration ever launched.

That was until his employers demoted him for allegedly “pushing religion” by loaning interested co-workers two DVDs supportive of Intelligent Design.

Mr Coppedge is suing them.

“For the offense of offering videos to colleagues, Coppedge faced harassment, an investigation cloaked in secrecy, and a virtual gag order on his discussion of Intelligent Design,” said his attorney, Casey Luskin.

(The  supervisors who disciplined him have admitted never having received any complaints regarding Mr Coppedge’s conversations about Intelligent Design.)

“Intelligent design is not religion.” Mr Luskin said, “Nothing in the DVDs that Coppedge shared, deals with religion. Even if they had done, it’s unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee, based on what they deem to be religion.”

* * *

Mr Coppedge’s case is one of many.

Anyone who thinks that today’s culture of science allows open discussion of evolution etc., is badly mistaken.