HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have received a favorable response to a letter sent on behalf of a Christian ministry Monday to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center that urged the Alabama facility to reconsider its decision to prohibit the showing of a new creation adventure documentary.  USSRC initially agreed to allow Vision Forum to rent the facility’s on-site theater but then changed its mind, saying the movie was “inappropriate” for the venue because of its content challenging the theory of evolution. After receiving the ADF letter, USSRC quickly agreed to welcome the screening.

“Christian groups that rent public facilities should not be discriminated against because of their belief that God is the source of life and the universe. We commend the U.S. Space and Rocket Center for recognizing Vision Forum’s constitutional right to rent the theater for this film’s screening,” said ADF Litigation Counsel Daniel Blomberg. “USSRC promptly responded within a day to our letter, and we hope other government-run facilities will follow its fine example in respecting the First Amendment rights of Americans.”

On Nov. 17, USSRC told Vision Forum that its theater was available for a showing of The Mysterious Islands on Nov. 23 or 25.  However, after viewing the movie’s website, USSRC told Vision Forum the next day that it would not be “able to host your event next week.” After inquiring about the following week, Vision Forum was informed that the issue was not one of timing, but rather that the movie was too “political.” It was later clarified that the film was “inappropriate” for USSRC because of the movie’s stance opposing evolution.

USSRC’s policy advertises its facilities, which hosted 153 special events last year, as an attractive setting “for any type and size of event.” The special events policy for its rental facilities puts no limits on what types of events are allowed, and it is open to the public for rental after normal working hours. In fact, it has rented its Spacedome IMAX Theater to mainstream movies, including Star Trek, Spiderman 3, Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix, and Batman, as well as other films like The Magic of Flight and Blue Planet which promote the Darwinian evolution worldview.

The Mysterious Islands, a creation science documentary set in the Galapagos Islands, will play at the USSRC on Nov. 25 and at the Alabama Theater in Birmingham on Nov. 24. On Nov. 24, 1859, Charles Darwin published Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. The famous book led to the common acceptance of naturalism, the belief that the origins of mankind and the universe are not centered around God but through random physical processes taking place over millions and billions of years.

In another effort to offer an alternative view to Darwinism, Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron of Living Waters Ministry published a new version of Origin of Species for the book’s 150th anniversary with a preface that offers a Christian perspective. The ministry gave away 100,000 copies at 100 of America’s top universities. ADF attorneys served as legal counsel to the ministry for the effort.

ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.