SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 13 /Christian Wire Service/ -- 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."
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