Intelligent design in politics

The intelligent design movement has conducted an organized campaign largely in the United States that promotes a pseudoscientific, neo-creationist religious agenda calling for broad social, academic and political changes centering on intelligent design. Level of support for evolution Though creationism and intelligent design are not supported by many mainstream scientists, there are significant minorities in the general public in most developed countries that say they doubt or reject the theory of evolution, likely because of their religious beliefs. In underdeveloped countries where rates of religious belief are much higher, support of evolution is consequently lower. In Europe, religion generally has much less influence on politics than in the United States or the developing world. Despite this, there are pockets of creationist and intelligent design activity. The Council of Europe's Committee on Culture, Science and Education released a report in June 2007 entitled "The Dangers of Creationism in Education". One of the council members, Anne Brasseur said that the aim of the report was to anchor evolution in school curricula, and warned that there was still resistance in many European countries. She provided the following examples in an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel: A former deputy education minister of Poland called the theory of evolution a lie. Activism against teaching evolution in grade school by some Russian parents A 2004 proposed decree against evolution A proposed "Genesis-Land" theme park in Switzerland based on the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Creationist lectures and symposia in the United Kingdom The publication and free distribution of the "Atlas of Creation" by Harun Yahya in Turkey The Ministry of Education for the German state of Hesse allowing the teaching of theory of creation in biology class The publishing house "Studiengemeinschaft Wort und Wissen" is now publishing the sixth edition of a grade school textbook that includes the theory of intelligent design.