Couple Sues Operators of Evolution Site

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -- A California couple has sued the operators of a University of California-Berkeley Web site designed to help teachers teach evolution, claiming it improperly strays into religion.

Jeanne and Larry Caldwell of Granite Bay say portions of the Understanding Evolution Web site amount to a government endorsement of certain religious groups over others because the site is partly funded through a public money grant from the National Science Foundation.

In the lawsuit filed last month, the Caldwells contend the site is an effort "to modify the beliefs of public school science students so they will be more willing to accept evolutionary theory as true.''

The plaintiffs are not proponents of "intelligent design'' -- a theory that living organisms are so complex they must have been created by a higher intelligence -- but they object to the teaching of evolution as scientific fact, Jeanne Caldwell said.

The site is run by UC Berkeley's Museum of Paleontology and paid in part by a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Two university scientists and a foundation official were named as defendants.

An attorney representing the Berkeley scientists said the courts have repeatedly rejected the argument that teaching evolution in itself is teaching a religious idea.

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SPECIAL REPORT Evolution & Intelligent Design PART 1 An Ambiguous Assault on Evolution This Trojan Horse for Creationism has become very popular. But who is being duped? And what does it all mean for morality? PART 2 'The Death of Science' Intelligent design is presented as a legitimate scientific theory and an alternative to Darwinism, but a close look at the arguments shows they don't pass scientific muster. So why are scientists worried? PART 3 Belief Posing as Theory As evolution takes a beating, scientists remind us of the difference between fact, theory and belief. PART 4: Anti-evolution Attacks on the Rise Each time the effort to introduce creationism into classrooms starts up again, so does legislation aimed against evolution. Learn about the rash of recent cases, plus a look at historically pertinent court cases.