A state senator in Indiana has succeeded in amending a bill to require that public schools teaching creationism include origin theories from multiple religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Scientology, the Associated Press reports.
Critics of the original bill said they believe it would be rejected by the courts, as have previous efforts to teach creationism in public schools. The author of the new amendment, Sen. Vi Simpson, a Democrat, said she did not think the changes would have any bearing on the constitutionality of teaching the topic. But she suggested it might make school districts pause before tackling creationism, the biblically based view that God created humans in their current form.
The broadened bill still faces a vote by the full Senate before advancing to the House, the AP story notes.
