Russian lawsuit challenges evolution study in schools.

A Russian teenager wants her public school to stop using a biology textbook that includes study of evolution, because she says it offends her religious beliefs.

Mariya Shraiber, supported by her father Kirill Shraiber and a friend who heads a public relations outfit, has filed a lawsuit arguing that use of the biology textbook offends her Christian beliefs. The 16-year-old girl's lawsuit insists that evolution is anti-religious and unproven.

"It's quite disrespectful," Shraiber told a foreign correspondent for The Baltimore Sun. "I believe we have the right to learn not only the theory of evolution, but creationism as well."

The public relations firm that is supporting Shraiber's lawsuit, called "We Create Sensations," argues that evolution is a scientific theory that is bringing about the downfall of societies.

"If we want to have a high level of morality, not just in Russia but all over the world, we have to challenge Darwin's theory," said Anton Vuima, a friend of Shraiber's family and head of We Create Sensations. "Darwin's theory kills morality. It denies the copyright of God."

The Russian Orthodox Church is supporting Shraiber's legal crusade, The Sun reports.

One author of the textbook says it is an objective academic tool to teach science, and education officials have criticized Shraiber's legal action, saying that it is their duty to teach secular education, not religion.