Defend religious freedom against "intelligent design"

Rightwing Christian Extremists are trying to turn the US into a theocracy. They want to impose their interpretation of the Bible on all of us by destroying science education in America. Some of you might remember the history of science during the Dark Ages. Galileo wrote a book endorsing the view successfully suppressed by the Church for nearly 200 years by Copernicus that the earth was round, not flat like the Bible says. For his heresy, Galileo was condemned to house arrest for the rest of his life. Today, Rightwing Christian extremists are trying to convince the world that the earth is flat, because the Bible says so. Do you think the supporters of creationism in the schools will stop there? I think not. These folks believe that the Bible is absolute truth.
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Dear Reader,

I am writing to let you know about a vitally important ACLU case that will begin in a few days.

Once again, the ACLU will be defending religious freedom against those who want to force creationism into our public schools. The underlying conflict has been going on at least since the Scopes trial, a famous ACLU case from an earlier era.

At the core, the conflict is between those who believe science should be taught in science classes and those who want to use our public schools to promote one set of religious beliefs over another.

But, this time, the creationists have a new ploy. It's called "intelligent design" -- an "alternative" to the scientific theory of evolution that religious extremists have cooked up as a way to sneak religious proselytizing into our public schools.

The intelligent design campaign to replace science with faith-based theories in our schools is part of a larger movement that threatens our religious freedoms in a profound way. To learn more about this case, please click here.

The trial about to begin in Dover, Pennsylvania, stems from an ACLU lawsuit challenging a controversial decision by the Dover Area School Board to require biology teachers to present intelligent design as an alternative to the scientific theory of evolution.

The intelligent design movement has two new, powerful spokesmen. In recent weeks, George W. Bush and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist have both endorsed shoving science aside in our children's science classrooms.

It is all too clear that powerful political forces are not just tinkering around the edges of our religious freedom -- they have set their sights on transforming our country from a constitutional democracy to a thinly veiled theocracy. They want to turn America into a country governed by their interpretation of the Bible, serviced by faith-based, taxpayer-funded institutions and guided by religious doctrine against which neither citizens nor judges should dare to speak up.

You and I can't let them get away with it.

As an ACLU member, your support for our work makes it possible for us to carry out a strong defense of religious liberty in cases like this and nationwide. Please take a moment to learn more about our efforts to resist attempts to undermine religious freedom wherever they surface -- from the classrooms of Pennsylvania to the White House. Together, we'll defend religious liberty with every ounce of energy we have.

Sincerely,


Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director
American Civil Liberties Union
www.aclu.org