Evolution & Creationism in Education Essay

I. Acceptance of Creation is growing in spite of overwhelming evidence proving Evolution There is no easy resolution for whats true and evolution or creationism. It is a complex topic with profound scientific, religious, educational, and criticism. How can a student or parent come to grips with this issue? Evolution vs. Creationism provides a badly needed, comprehensive, and balanced introduction to the many facets of the current debates about what should be taught in a classroom or in reality itself. Evolution relies on scientific facts while creationism clings on biblical beliefs. But the legal and

On March 21st, 1925 the governor of Tennessee signed the Butler Bill which banned the teaching of evolution in public schools. The bill was introduced as America was pushing for a return to fundamentalism due to the actions of many citizens. In an attempt to bring publicity to the town of Dayton, Tennessee people in the town asked John Thomas Scopes to cover evolution in his class so he can be indicted and bring the case to national attention. Scopes’ defense attorney was a man named Clarence Darrow; he was a very popular defense attorney and public speaker. Darrow delivered a powerful speech in which he tried to prove the Butler Bill unconstitutional due to the fact that it

I completely believe in evolution, my Dad always answered my questions with a well thought out answer, but my Mom would always quote the Bible. When I was young I would ask my dad what his perspective was on Christianity, he said that when he was young, his family would go to church, they would pray, and go to Bible studies, however, he did not think about evolution and Christianity in general until he was in college. My mom, on the other hand, was raised believe in Christianity, she is the reason that I go to Rehoboth. My views are different from both of my parents, I think that we need evidence to prove anything, we cannot believe in an old book that was written by copious amounts of people. In science there needs to be proof for a hypothesis to be considered real, in other words, if I were to say that the earth was a black hole, I would need proof or evidence, that is clearly not true. I have absolutely no evidence to concur that the earth is a black hole, although we do have clear evidence of evolution. A vestigial organ is an exceptional example of evolution and adaptation. We as humans have numerous vestigial organs, one of the most well known vestigial organ is our goose bumps. These bumps were once used to make ourselves appear larger when we were frightened. Also, they were once used to maintain a constant core body temperature by trapping a layer of air in between our skin and hair.

The twentieth century Scopes trial may have started out as a simple debate between evolutionists and creationists, but quickly escalated to a debate of historic proportions. The 1920s were times of change in the United States, from women getting the right to vote to prohibition to changes in education, such as the Butler Act, which created unease and animosity throughout the country. The Butler Act of 1925 prohibited the teaching of evolution and any other theories that deny the story of the divine creation of man as taught in the Bible in all Universities and public schools in Tennessee. John Scopes, a high-school biology teacher in Dayton, Tennessee decided to test this law. He was found guilty of teaching evolution to his high-school

Since the beginning of the human race there has been a lingering question as to the origins of man and how all living things acquired their characteristics. The two main theories that arose over time were Creationism and Evolution, both of which provided very distinct answers to this question. Creationism based its answer on the idea of a supernatural power or being that created the entire universe, man and the numerous other organisms that live within it. While, Evolution theorizes that all living things have the potential to change and grow over time into something new and different. So in other words, one theory suggests that humans and all the organisms on Earth are the result of divine design, while the other indicates that they

The riddle of the origin of man has been subject to many ponderings and theories for thousands of years. In America, two theories concerning this timeless question have driven a spike through the general populace. These two beliefs, Evolution and Christianity, have driven a riff through the American populace and fueled several debates and conflicts over which is the truer theory. Incidents such as the decision of the Kansas school board to ban schools from including the Evolution Theory from their curriculum are becoming a tragically frequent and threaten to escalate if not checked soon. However, there is a growing belief in America today in the possibility of believing that evolution is an inescapable fact while still

On March 13, 1925 the state of Tennessee passed the Butler Act. This law prohibited teaching the Theory of Evolution in Tennessee public schools. Any teacher who taught a theory that denied the story of the Divine Creation would be punished by a fine. The American Civil Liberties Union offered legal defense to any Tennessee teacher who would break the law and fight it in court. John Thomas Scopes was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, and he intentionally taught his class about the theory of evolution, which led to his arrest and trial.

The 1920’s was a time of prosperity and change in the United States, but with change comes disagreements. One of the largest debates during this time period, and still today, was the debate between science and religion. Many people were Christians in America during this time and they believed that the story of how God created the Earth should be taught in public schools. These people were called “fundamentalists.” They believed nothing could compare to or be as powerful as God’s word. The other side to this debate were the Modernists, or the ones who believed in science rather than religion. Modernists wanted to teach the theory of evolution in public schools instead of the Creation story the Fundamentalists believed in (“United States in History”). All of these different opinions led to one of the most famous trials known as the Scopes v. State of Tennessee trial. John Scopes was a substitute teacher in Tennessee who decided to teach the theory of evolution to a science class. Scopes was accused of violating the Butler Act, which states that teaching anything that

One way to address the question is whether or not creationism, in itself, is a valid idea to be taught in public schools. The answer to this can be yes. Not only should a student in American public schools learn

In the “Monkey Trial” William Jennings Bryan spoke as the leader of the Christian fundamentalist, what him and his followers wanted to do was for the people and court to find out how unfair it was for something that they perceived as “materialistic and anti-religious be taught in the very same classrooms from which all religious instruction had been banned” (Thomas, 2009 p. 25). This situation created a lot of debates among the people. Many things changed in the American public schools that arise because of the evolution theory and religion.

Starting with the Scopes Trial, many more cases have occurred concerning the teaching of evolution. “By 1928 every southern state except Virginia had debated or was considering legislation banning the teaching of evolution in the

John Scopes was born on August 3, 1900, in Paducah, Kentucky. In 1924 he started to teach at Rhea County Central High School in Dayton, Tennessee. At that time there was a national debate about whether evolution should be taught in schools. It was then later decided that evolution would not be taught in publicly funded schools. The American Civil Liberties Union thought differently and wanted to challenge the Butler Act. John Scopes volunteered to be tried under this new law. He admitted to using a textbook that contained evolution while serving as a substitute biology teacher. He wanted to stand up for academic freedom. He once said, “What goes on in the classroom is up to the student and the teacher. Once you introduce the power of the state telling what you can and cannot do you’ve become involved in propaganda.” John Scopes was found guilty, but his conviction was later overturned.

The Scopes trial, writes Edward Larson, to most Americans embodies “the timeless debate over science and religion.” (265) Written by historians, judges, and playwrights, the history of the Scopes trial has caused Americans to perceive “the relationship between science and religion in . . . simple terms: either Darwin or the Bible was true.” (265) The road to the trial began when Tennessee passed the Butler Act in 1925 banning the teaching of evolution in secondary schools. It was only a matter of time before a young biology teacher, John T. Scopes, prompted by the ACLU tested the law. Spectators and newspapermen came from allover to witness

The Scopes Trial, also referred to as the State Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes or the Scopes Monkey Trial, began on July 10, 1925. This event was a legal case in which a substitute teacher named John Scopes violated the Tennessee Butler Act. The Butler Act administered that evolution was not allowed to be taught in any public school. While substituting a Biology class, Scopes briefly reviewed the evolution chapter in a textbook. He did not recall if he had specifically taught evolution in the class, but on accounts of several students it was concluded that he should be charged with breaking the law.

Despite great efforts to convince the opposing side, a battle still brews amongst creationists and evolutionists over the beginning of life and the universe, but neither opinions’ palpability can be firmly upheld through scientific manners. Since science can only prove hypotheses that are testable and based on current observations, neither creation nor evolutionary concepts can be proven with irrefutable evidence. However, regardless of the inability to prove either concept, most public school systems promote evolution as a scientific fact. Many students who lack firm beliefs about the origin of life believe what they are taught without giving any personal thought to the matter. Instead of robotically absorbing biased information,