How could this be? Is this a mistake? It was for teaching creation, not evolution… right? Wrong. So what’s the catch? The “catch” is that this happened 86 years ago this month (May).
You may have heard of the famous (or infamous) “Scopes Monkey Trial” but are not quite sure what it was all about. Some may think they know, because they saw the play or movie entitled “Inherit the Wind” which was all about the Scopes Trial. In reality, anyone who saw the play actually knows quite a bit about what didn’t happen! Most of the major details in the play were just the opposite of what actually occurred. However, that’s where many of us learn about history… through movies or other entertainment media. After all, we’re all very familiar with the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and how Charlton Heston… I mean Moses, parted the Red sea!
The brief background and summary of the historic event is as follows:
The whole trial (in 1925) was mostly a set-up, being driven by the concern of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) over bills that were being introduced in many states that were anti-evolutionary in nature. They didn’t actually state that evolution in general could not be taught in the public school system, just not the evolution of man. The ACLU wanted a “test case” that would receive a great deal of publicity in hopes that it would subsequently prevent any legislation from being enforceable. The state of Tennessee had just unanimously passed the Butler Act, which in part stated that it would be:
“…unlawful for any teacher in any of the Universities, Normals, and all other public schools of the state which are supported in whole or in part by the public school funds of the State, to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.”
The ACLU went on the prowl looking for someone to be willing to assist them with their efforts. They advertised in a local paper and eventually were connected with John T. Scopes, a local high school math teacher. Not an ideal fit, but having filled in for the biology teacher during the last two weeks of school, he was good enough for the ACLU.
One of the most interesting facts about this trial is that Scopes never even taught evolution at all during the two weeks he filled in for the teacher who was ill. However, since the textbook used in the class included a section on the evolution of man, it was deemed adequate grounds for the trial (even though Scopes himself never truly violated the Butler Act in any way).
There are numerous interesting aspects of the trial, but I will just be briefly highlighting one area here. Even though the trial was not about the validity of evolution, but simply regarding whether or not Scopes violated the Butler Act, much of the case focused on the alleged “fact” of evolution against the purported accuracy of the Bible. This was the intention of the ACLU all along. At one point during the trial, William Jennings Bryan (the conservative Christian prosecuting attorney) was asked to take the stand and be questioned as an “expert witness” regarding the authority and inspiration of Scripture. This had nothing to do with whether or not Scopes violated any laws and Bryan had been strongly advised not to comply (and certainly was under no obligation to do so). With the agreement that when finished, Clarence Darrow (an evolutionist and agnostic defense attorney for Scopes) would in turn take the stand and be questioned regarding his own humanistic beliefs.
Bryan did not fair well on the stand, primarily because of his (in my opinion) compromised view of Scripture, believing in creation, but not believing that the 6 days mentioned in Genesis chapter one were actually normal, solar days. To those in attendance, the impression was given that the Bible is largely subject to interpretation, often based on whatever the latest theories are in science, implying that science sits in authority over Scripture, telling us what is “real” and what isn’t.
In an unprecedented act, Darrow (again, Scope’s defense attorney) asked the court to find his own client guilty! The clever move made it unnecessary for Darrow to take the stand as formerly agreed upon to defend his views.
In the end, Scopes was fined $100, which Bryan actually offered to pay! He was also actually acquitted based on a technicality. All of his expenses were paid by people/organizations with vested interests, and even his subsequent graduate educational expenses were covered. The Butler Act itself was eventually repealed in Tennessee in 1967. Today, evolution is the only legally presentable view of origins in public schools. What a sad commentary on the nature of our educational system and the current state of our country (and the continual demise of our great Christian heritage).
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