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Smithsonian commits creationism gaffe

8 June 2005

THERE is egg on management faces at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC over the screening of a creationist film in one of its museums.

The Smithsonian is the largest museum complex in the world and describes itself as “America’s museum”. It rents out the 565-seat Baird Auditorium at its National Museum of Natural History for events ranging from scientific conferences to concerts. But “events of a religious or partisan political nature” are banned.

Nothing amiss was spotted when a public-relations firm booked the room for 23 June for the Discovery Institute, a pro-creationist think tank in Seattle. The event…

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