Andrew Copson , responsible for education at the BHA (which has been active against creationism since 2002) denounced the new website: ‘It’s so ridiculous that the temptation is to just ignore it and trust that people will recognise it as nonsense straight away, but the well-funded nature of this group means that they have been able to target schools directly, and so we feel we have to respond.’

The BHA has stated that the launch of this website is a sign of the creationists ‘breaking cover’ in a way that they have not previously in the UK, meaning that this is the right time to challenge them, and that the targeted of science teachers directly indicates a new and more dangerous approach by religious extremists.

Mr Copson continued, ‘Organisations such as ‘Answers in Genesis’ have been peddling creationism and ‘intelligent design’ for some time but always in an overtly religious way. This is the first time that creationists have posed as wholly motivated by science in this way and addressed themselves to teachers directly.

‘The Government has explicitly stated that creationism and intelligent design have no place in school science and that the wording of the National Curriculum does not imply otherwise – intelligent design is not science and must not be taught as science. But this group is claiming otherwise and grossly misleading teachers and parents.

‘Their actions make the need for a response by Government, through Ofsted and the QCA, absolutely essential – the Government should take care to ensure that their stated policy is known by teachers on the ground, by info rming them that the resources they are being offered by this organisation are totally unsuitable.’

The BHA, together with the Christian think-tank Ekklesia has written to Education Minister Alan Johnson to call on him to do just that.

NOTES

The BHA’s ‘Countering Creationism’ campaign was launched in 2002, when allegations of creationist teaching in the controversial state-funded Academy run by the evangelical Emmanuel Schools Foundation first emerged. It launched with an open letter from 43 scientists and philosophers to Tony Blair and relevant Government departments, calling on them to tighten up of the legal requirements in National Curriculum Science to prevent creation stories being taught as anything other than religious myths; clear guidance from GCSE examination boards to teachers and pupils that creationism is not a scientific hypothesis; reform of the Science curriculum to enable teaching about evolution well before KS4 – for preference at KS2.

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The British Humanist Association (BHA) represents the interests of the large and growing population of ethically concerned but non-religious people in the UK – helping to set the agenda for debate. Committed to human rights, democracy, equality and mutual respect, the BHA works for an open and inclusive society with freedom of belief and speech, and for an end to the privileged position of religion – and Christianity in particular – in law, education, broadcasting and wherever else it occurs.