Posted on 07/09/2005 12:18:19 PM PDT by Crackingham
Jim Sullivan stood outside the Rhea County Courthouse and recalled the carnival-like atmosphere during the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925, when the teaching of evolution was put on trial.
"They had fights on all these corners and people all over the place," said Sullivan, 85, who remembers seeing Bible-toting preachers and monkeys on leashes.
As the town prepares for its annual re-enactment of the trial here eight decades later, debate over teaching evolution lives on.
Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education, said it is increasingly difficult to teach American students the basics of evolution.
"We have been facing more anti-evolution activity in the last six months than we have ever faced in a comparable period before," Scott said Friday.
In Kansas, the state school board could change science standards to include criticism of evolution. In Cobb County, Ga., labels describing evolution as a "theory, not a fact" were required in some textbooks before a court overturned the order.
Scott said 31 states this year have had "some kind of incident, such as efforts to get creationism taught or limit teaching of evolution."
There are people right here in the USA who wont be happy until they can establish a theocracy and the schools are always a good place to start.
Would be a good time to get the facts of history right, maybe do a new movie, "Inherit the Windy Ones."
No need, Atheism is already the firmly established religion in public schools.
I think we usually call them Muslems, who are you talking about?
I don't want a theocracy - I just want a moral society. Without our God-fearing founding fathers their wouldn't be a USA - but you could have some 4th rate middle eastern Sharia government.
What are you talking about?
Believe it or not, there ARE people who don't want evolution to be taught as fact. Sure, shed light on it...but keep in mind that is A THEORY. And a flawed one at that.
I'm always on the lookout for those who, whatever they say, try to make their particular religion part of our government, but I have to admit I find the most rabid fanatics--the most hateful ones--are on the secularist side, who pretend they're not pushing an ideology.
"There are people right here in the USA who wont be happy until they can establish a theocracy "
A lot of them are prominently here, at FR.
I call them "theocons."
Name some of them, I haven't seen it yet.
Interesting aspect of the Scope trial is the book that was at the center of the case. It taught white supremacy as part of evolution. Don't hear that too often in the news accounts.
Gravity is also a theory.
Too late, atheistic humanism is already the state sponsored religion. And don't claim that doesn't count because its in the same market.
Scopes was convicted in that trial.
Why do those who absolutely hate the teachings of the Bible sound so like religious extremists when it comes to being upset at those who will not embrace the theory (it really is a theory and has no more real proof than creation (Intelligent design for the PC folks) of evolution?
I have no problem of our schools talking about evolution as a theory, but they should also discus creation just as seriously.
What I really get disgusted with is those who have closed minds trying to dis those who disagree with them as closed minded. When scientists put on blindres, they only see what they want to see and miss the other 359 degree panorama.
True, but there are two things.
One, I noted that evolution is a very FLAWED theory. Gravity, even if it is a theory, is a very solid theory by comparison.
Second, gravity is unlike evolution in the fact that it can be OBSERVED. Evolution cannot - as it is purported to take years upon years upon years - be observed in the same capacity.
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!
At least you have earned your screen name.
A restaurant in my town posts a trivia question each day and gives the person who gets the correct answer a small desert. Couple of weeks ago the trivia question was, "what is the name of the movie that was based on the Scopes Monkey trial? According to the waitress, people were answering "Planet of the apes."
It isn't.
Gravity, even if it is a theory, is a very solid theory by comparison.
The theory of gravity is actually far less complete than the theory of evolution.
Second, gravity is unlike evolution in the fact that it can be OBSERVED.
That is the law rather than the theory.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.