Is the NCSE Using Religion to Promote Evolution?

National Review Online has posted<A HREF=http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/west200404010900.asp> this </A>article, entitled “Evolving Double Standards: Establishing a state-funded church of Darwin”. Its author, John West, claims that the NCSE is using religion to promote evolution, and using federal tax dollars to do it! Here’s a representative quote:

The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is on the front lines of the battle to keep religion out of the nation's science classrooms. A group whose self-described mission is "Defending the Teaching of Evolution in the Public Schools," the NCSE routinely condemns anyone who wants to teach faith-based criticisms of evolutionary theory for trying to unconstitutionally mix church and state. But in an ironic twist, it now turns out that the NCSE itself is using federal tax dollars to insert religion into biology classrooms. Earlier this year, the NCSE and the University of California Museum of Paleontology unveiled a website for teachers entitled "Understanding Evolution." Funded in part by a nearly half-million-dollar federal grant, the website encourages teachers to use religion to promote evolution. Apparently the NCSE thinks mixing science and religion is okay after all -- as long as religion is used to support evolution.

The website in question can be found <A HREF=http://evolution.berkeley.edu/>here</A>.

Is the NRO right? Of course not. I have posted some comments in reply to Mr. West over at <A HREF=http://evolutionblog.blogspot.com>EvolutionBlog</A>. Enjoy!