| The choice between creation and evolution as an | | | | the defense began a series of questions designed to |
| explanation for human existence is a source of | | | | undermine the literal interpretation of the Bible... asking |
| ongoing debate. The two camps of belief from both | | | | questions about Jonah being swallowed by a whale, |
| religion and science have been at odds on this topic in | | | | Joshua making the sun stand still, Noah and the great |
| American society for many years without much | | | | flood, the temptation of Adam in the Garden of |
| compromise. People of both extremes have exerted | | | | Eden, and the creation according to Genesis. |
| their will on the education and judicial justice systems | | | | The Scopes trial by no means ended the debate |
| in order to influence American society. | | | | over the teaching of evolution, but it did represent a |
| Creationists want literal bible scriptures related to | | | | significant setback for the anti-evolution forces. Of |
| creation taught to children in schools, while | | | | the fifteen states with anti- evolution legislation |
| Evolutionists want them to learn evolution. What | | | | pending in 1925, only two states (Arkansas and |
| should dominate American culture - religious belief in | | | | Mississippi) enacted laws restricting teaching of |
| creation or scientific belief in evolution? The following | | | | Darwin's theory. |
| historical event took place in pursuit of the answer to | | | | Some Creationist believe that famous scientists such |
| this very same question. | | | | as Einstein and Hawking believe: "God does not play |
| In the 1920s during social structure chaos, | | | | dice with the Universe." But to truly understand what |
| Traditionalists worried that their beliefs were | | | | Einstein meant by that, you have to see into his |
| crumbling. Modernists stopped looking to society for | | | | views toward god and religion because scientists |
| approval for their actions; they were only concerned | | | | often use the word "god" to mean the laws of |
| that their actions lived up to their intellect. | | | | nature. |
| Intellectualism flourished during that time, while | | | | The Creationist-Evolutionist controversy represents |
| Americans danced to Jazz, drank alcoholic beverages | | | | two ways of relating to the world. One being belief |
| during prohibition, and debated abstract Freudian | | | | based on unreasoned conviction and the other based |
| theories. As a result of this traditional social revivalism | | | | on reasoned. In other words belief in the literal |
| became strong, especially in the South. | | | | interpretation of the bible as opposed the scientific |
| Journalists were looking for a showdown during that | | | | rationalistic approach, stemming from men like Thales, |
| time and found one in a Dayton, Tennessee | | | | Aristotle, and reinterpreted through Galileo, Newton, |
| courtroom in the summer of 1925. A jury was | | | | and others. |
| deciding the fate of John Scopes, a high school | | | | The Enquiring Mind: |
| biology teacher charged with illegally teaching the | | | | If you want to find a solution to this dilemma you'll |
| theory of evolution. Secondary to the actual | | | | find clues on both sides of the debate. For example |
| anti-evolution statute the trial emerged as an | | | | scientists believe that the universe began with a Big |
| interpretation conflict between social and intellectual | | | | Bang. From their prospective it's reasonable to believe |
| values. | | | | that something cannot be created from nothing? And |
| William Jennings Bryan, a previous Democratic | | | | therefore, if that's true then that something is what |
| candidate for President led the prosecution as a | | | | created the universe. Call it God, cosmic law or |
| Fundamentalist to banish Darwin's theory of evolution | | | | whatever else, it's beyond comprehension at this |
| from American classrooms. Other prominent lawyers | | | | time in human development. |
| were A. T. Stewart, Ben B. McKenzie, and Bryan's | | | | Being that humans are said to use only about 10% of |
| son, federal prosecutor William Jennings Bryan Jr.. The | | | | there brain power... and use language limiting the |
| defense team was lead by the famed Clarence | | | | ability to understand and convey universal law, there |
| Darrow and was joined by Arthur Garfield Hays, a | | | | is no wander that the human species has a limited |
| prominent free speech advocate, and Dudley Field | | | | understanding of its true origin. To expect human |
| Malone, an international divorce attorney. | | | | kind to know and understand the source of its |
| A carnival atmosphere pervaded in Dayton as the | | | | existence is like asking a toddler to explain quantum |
| trial began July 10, 1925. The prosecution opened its | | | | physics. |
| case by asking the court to take judicial notice of the | | | | Where do these two beliefs find their basis of |
| Book of Genesis, as it appears in the King James | | | | conflict? Creationist find their information in the Bible, |
| Version, and received it. The defense called its first | | | | while Evolutionist find their's in the science of Biology. |
| witness, Dr. Maynard Metcalf, a zoologist from the | | | | Is there a conflict between Science and Religion? If |
| Johns Hopkins University, over objections from the | | | | you take the Fundamentalist approach (everything in |
| prosecution. | | | | the Bible is to be taken literally), then there is conflict. |
| The prosecution mocked Metcalf's exposition of the | | | | If, on the other hand, the Bible is not taken literally, |
| theory of evolution, complaining that the evolutionists | | | | then there is room to grow in harmony with universal |
| had man descending from Old World monkeys. Then | | | | knowledge with no conflict. |