State funding for faith schools should end by 2020, a teaching union demanded yesterday.
The call from the Association of Teachers and Lecturers will be seen as a further threat to Birmingham's 96 faith schools, which have already been called into question by critics for failing to encourage an integrated society.
The ATL's comments are also in opposition to Tony Blair's plans to give religious groups a bigger role in state education.
The association claimed the Prime Minister's policies risked segregating communities and taking schools back to the 19th century.
Speaking at the ATL's annual conference in Gates-head, national executive member Hank Roberts said: "Tony Blair and the Government are determined to start increasing the number of faith schools in this country.
"This is stirring up a lot of problems for the future in terms of a rise in fundamentalism."
Mr Roberts, from Brent in north London, said all state schools should be secular and able to teach about religion but not promote any particular faith.
He supported a motion demanding new laws to stop religious organisations gaining more influence over state schools.
It called for action to prevent faith groups teaching "creationism or intelligent design as valid alternatives to evolution".
Creationism includes a belief that all forms of life have always existed in their present form and that the world was formed in 4004 BC, rather than 4,600 million years ago as scientists believe.
It also includes a belief that some species are too complex to have evolved through natural selection - as most scientists believe - and must therefore be the product of a "designer".
The ATL criticism came as scientists also warned yesterday against teaching intelligent design. Defending the accepted scientific theory
of Darwinian evolution, The Royal Society said: "Young people are poorly served by deliberate attempts to with-hold, distort or misrepresent scientific knowledge and understanding in order to promote particular religious beliefs."
The Government's education reforms will see private business figures take on a bigger role in schools.
They pave the way for evangelical Christians such as Midland car entrepreneur Bob Edmiston who is sponsoring the Grace Academy in Solihull and plans to build another academy with "a Christian ethos" in Coventry.
A new generation of trust schools will also be backed by faith groups, charities and others who would be able to set the presiding ethos and vary the curriculum.
But not everyone supports the scheme. Speaking to The Post last June, Councillor Les Lawrence (Con Northfield) said: "Separating pupils on the basis of religion for education purposes in my view is not the best way of developing social cohesion.
"What I am saying is we do not open any more. We do not encourage any more and where the opportunity arises to rationalise school provision, we reduce the number."
The Department for Education and Skills claimed faith schools were popular with parents.
"The major faith leaders only recently reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that faith schools teach pupils about all major religions."
