[IP] UC Berkeley sued over evolution site
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: UC Berkeley sued over evolution site
Date: Sat, 26 Nov 2005 08:21:44 -0800
From: Liz Ditz <ponytrax@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: David Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
For IP if you wish.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/13262018.htm
Evolution site under fire
COUPLE'S LAWSUIT SAYS UC-BERKELEY WEB SITE FOR TEACHERS INVOLVES
RELIGION
By Becky Bartindale and Lisa Krieger
Operators of a University of California-Berkeley Web site that is
designed to help teachers teach evolution are being sued by a
California couple who say the site improperly strays into religion.
[snip]
Website url http://evolution. berkeley.edu
[snip]
Suit specifics
The suit, which was filed last month, specifically objects to portions
of the Understanding Evolution Web site that deal with the interplay of
science and religion. For example, it challenges the site's linking to
doctrinal statements from a variety of religions to demonstrate that
``most Christian and Jewish religious groups have no conflict with
evolution.''
That amounts to a government endorsement of certain religious groups
over others, the suit contends, and is an effort ``to modify the
beliefs of public school science students so they will be more willing
to accept evolutionary theory as true.''
[snip]
Press release from Pacific Justice Institute
http://www.pacificjustice.org/resources/news/focusdetails.cfm?
ID=PR051012a
PJI Sues UC Berkeley for Using Federal Funding to Distort Religious
Beliefs
City: San Francisco, CA
A parent, Jeanne Caldwell, is filing a federal lawsuit today against
officials of the University of California at Berkeley and the National
Science Foundation over religious statements on the “Understanding
Evolution” website (http://evolution.berkeley.edu), which was created
with more than $500,000 in federal funding.
According to the lawsuit, the website, which describes itself as the
“ultimate evolution resource for K-12 teachers,” includes “classroom
strategies” and exercises for public school teachers to use in science
class to change the religious convictions of students. A web page
called “Misconceptions” makes the theological claim that “most
Christian and Jewish religious groups have no conflict with the theory
of evolution.” This statement is illustrated by a cartoon depicting a
scientist shaking hands with a pastor holding a Bible with a cross on
it.
The lawsuit alleges that the state and federal governments are
promoting religious beliefs to minor school children in violation of
the First Amendment. The suit seeks injunctive relief to remove these
government-endorsed religious beliefs. The website exclusively directs
instructors to statements by seventeen denominations and groups that
adhere to the doctrine that there is no conflict between their
religious beliefs and evolution. A core claim of many evolutionists is
that the origin of all life forms through evolution, including humans,
was “unplanned” and “undirected.” This claim clearly contradicts the
teaching of all of the world’s major religions, including Christianity,
Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, that life on earth was created
by design.
The lawsuit alleges that officials are using government funding and
resources to actively promote the religious beliefs held by a private
organization, the National Center for Science Education, which has a
“long history of religious advocacy” on the evolution issue. Attorney
Larry Caldwell, President of Quality Science Education for All, who is
co-counsel with PJI in the suit, stated, “In this government-funded
website, the same people who so loudly proclaim that they oppose
discussion of religion in biology are advocating ‘teaching strategies’
in science classrooms to convert students to government endorsed
religious beliefs.”
Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, stated, “It seems
Berkeley is on a crusade to spin religious beliefs for its own
pro-evolution agenda.”
[snip]
**********
Liz Ditz
ponytrax@xxxxxxxxxx
blog: http://lizditz.typepad.com
Success: fall down seven times, stand up eight.
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