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Suit Claims UC Berkeley Evolution Web Site Endorses Religion

A lawsuit filed in California claims that the operators of a University of California, Berkeley Web site that teaches about evolution has crossed the line by endorsing religious views consistent with the theory.

A lawsuit filed in California claims that the operators of a University of California, Berkeley Web site that teaches about evolution has crossed the line by endorsing religious views consistent with the theory.

Jeanne and Larry Caldwell, of Granite Bay, Calif., object to certain parts of the Understanding Evolution Web site. In one instance the site links to doctrinal statements from various religions to show that “most Christian and Jewish religious groups have no conflict with evolution.”

According to the complaint filed last month, the site works to “modify the beliefs of public school science students so they will be more willing to accept evolutionary theory as true." For the plaintiffs, this is an endorsement of certain religious views over others.

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A lawyer for the Berkeley scientists who run the site out of the UC Museum of Paleontology department says that variations of the argument being made by the couple have been rejected before in courts.

“The courts in many cases have said evolution is a scientific idea and there is no prohibition on the government teaching a scientific idea even if it conflicts” with some people's religious beliefs, said Christopher Patti, the university counsel.

Recent court and school board action across the country over Intelligent Design being taught in public schools has reawakened the debate over evolution. However, the couple suing the university insists they’re not proponents of intelligent design. They object to evolution being taught as fact, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

“Yes, I'm a Christian,'' said Jeanne Caldwell, “but I would not categorize myself as an ID proponent. I believe God created the world”

The National Center for Science Education, based in nearby Oakland, which helped develop and fund the site, says that the suit is an attack on science and evolution, according to the Mercury News.

“It is all part of a climate of hostility toward the teaching of evolution,” said Glenn Branch, deputy director of the NCSE.

“Sometimes it is clear and overt,'' as in the suit, he explains. “But often it is more subtle, such as when teachers feel pressure from students or parents to play down, omit or compromise the teaching of evolution.”

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