The admissions officials at the University of California are facing a lawsuit from the Assn. of Christian Schools International because they have a policy of not certifying high school courses that teach Creationism:

Under a policy implemented with little fanfare a year ago, UC admissions authorities have refused to certify high school science courses that use textbooks challenging Darwin’s theory of evolution, the suit says.

Other courses rejected by UC officials include “Christianity’s Influence in American History,” “Christianity and Morality in American Literature” and “Special Providence: American Government.”

The 10-campus UC system requires applicants to complete a variety of courses, including science, mathematics, history, literature and the arts. But in letters to Calvary Chapel, university officials said some of the school’s Christian-oriented courses were too narrow to be acceptable.

According to the lawsuit, UC’s board of admissions also advised the school that it would not approve biology and science courses that relied primarily on textbooks published by Bob Jones University Press and A Beka Books, two Christian publishers.

Instead, the board instructed the schools to “submit for UC approval a secular science curriculum with a text and course outline that addresses course content/knowledge generally accepted in the scientific community.”

Needless to say the Christian schools aren’t too happy about this and are screaming discrimination:

“It appears that the UC system is attempting to secularize Christian schools and prevent them from teaching from a world Christian view,” said Patrick H. Tyler, a lawyer with Advocates for Faith and Freedom, which is assisting the plaintiffs.

Not true at all. The Christian schools have every right to teach whatever nonsense they want to, but the University of California has the right to not accept those courses as valid credits for students coming into their school.

Wendell E. Bird, an Atlanta attorney who represents the Assn. of Christian Schools, said California was the only state in the nation that had taken such actions against Christian schools.

Hopefully it won’t be the last state. This should be the standard across the board at all state universities. Creationism/Intelligent Design are NOT scientific theories and have no business being taught in science classes. Any school that insist on doing so should expect that only Religious Universities will accept those courses as valid. Teach whatever idiocy you want, but don’t expect higher educational institutions to accept it if you do.