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A Monkey in the Courtroom
The Scopes
Trial
Until the 1925 so-called
"Scopes Monkey Trial" most public schools taught the divine creation
theory. Students in those days studied the facts of science and were told that
evidence indicates there was/is a Creator who designed the universe and that
only minor changes were possible within the boundaries of basic created "kinds"
of plants and animals.
The evolutionists lost that famous case, and
it remained illegal to teach evolution in many states until the 1960s. However,
in that famous trial, atheist lawyer Clarence Darrow said, "It is bigotry to
only teach one view of origins. Students should be taught both the
creation and the evolution theories." In the 35 years following the trial,
however, the Theory of Evolution was taught more and more in textbooks (in spite
of laws banning it), while the creation theory was taught less and less. Today
many textbook authors present only the evolution theory as if it is a proven
fact of science - inferring no other theories need even be considered. Some
teachers mistakenly believe that they are not even allowed to mention the
creation theory in the classroom. Today we have the "Scopes Trial in reverse,"
yet it is still bigotry to teach only one view of origin. Students
who believe the creation account as given in Genesis often have a difficult time
when the Theory of Evolution is exclusively taught in public school books. They
need help surviving the often hostile environment that books (and sometimes
teachers) create for their faith. This booklet is designed to help you and to
answer some questions you may have.
What Should
Be Taught in the Classroom?
The word science means "knowledge." Science is the study of what
we know. In order for something to be truly scientific in the strict sense of
the word, it must be observable, testable, and demonstrable. The entire
subject of origins (both creation and evolution) is actually outside the field
of science. No one alive today has observed the creation of the universe, and we
cannot "do it again" in the laboratory to demonstrate how it happened. Nor is
anyone alive who observed the "big bang" or the creation of life from non-living
matter. Any theories about the origin of the universe are inherently
religious (what we choose to trust, to believe in).
What Do We Mean by
the Word "Evolution"?
Before we
present the creationist view in this booklet, it is important to define some
terms to prevent misunderstanding. First of all, the word evolution has
six very different and unrelated meanings. Confusing these six
meanings causes most of the disagreements. Most scientists refer to changes
within a basic kind (dogs producing a variety of dogs or roses producing a
variety of roses over a time or bacteria becoming resistant to drugs) as
micro-evolution. Numerous examples of micro-evolution can be cited. Both the
creationists and the evolutionists agree that these changes happen. They are
observable facts of science. The word "Evolution" has many meanings, only the
last one is scientific.
1. Cosmic evolution-the origin of time,
space and matter; Big Bang.
2. Chemical evolution-the origin of higher
elements from hydrogen.
3. Stellar and planetary evolution-origin
of stars and planets.
4. Organic evolution-origin of
Life.
5. Macro-evolution-origin of major
kinds.
6. Micro-evolution-variations within
kinds. Only this one has been observed.
The evolutionists believe that these
micro-changes can add up to macro-evolution, which would teach that dogs and
roses have a common ancestor, if you go back far enough in time.
Macro-evolution has never been observed in nature, the laboratory, or the
fossil record. Micro-evolutionary changes do not add up to macro-evolutionary
results. Some people might believe that small variations add up to major
changes, but no evidence supports this. Learning to distinguish between the
science of micro-evolution and the religion of the other five is an important
skill for science students to develop. Micro-evolution is better called
simple variation within the kinds.
The next section is an alternative
interpretation of the scientific evidence that is frequently used in public
school textbooks to promote evolution. Even though slightly more scientists may
currently believe evolution, truth is not determined by the majority. There is
no way either side can claim to have proven their case using the scientific
method.
What Do the
Creationists Believe?
While there
are about as many types of creationist theories as there are evolutionist
theories, creation theories generally fall into one of the following three
categories:
View #1
A Creator (God) designed and created the universe sometime within the
last 6,000 to 10,000 years, giving existence to basic forms of plant and animal
life that were able to produce varieties of offspring, some of which would be
able to survive in various types of climates and/or changing conditions. The
"adaptations" or variations of which these offspring were capable have definite
limits. For example, some rabbits have adapted to 130°F desert temperatures and
others have adapted to -30°F arctic temperatures, but none can ever adapt to
5000°F or -400°F! There are limits to the adaptations. (By the way, they are
still rabbits!)
Sometime after the creation (1656 years
later, according to the Bible account), the world was destroyed by a global
flood, whose force totally disrupted the surface of the earth and formed great
oil, coal, and gas deposits from the buried plants and animals. This flood also
deposited thousands of feet of stratified sediments containing billions of
fossils from the creatures and plant life that perished in the flood.
As flood waters receded from rising
mountains, geological features such the Grand Canyon and the Badlands formed
rapidly while the sediments were still relatively soft. Rushing water cuts
canyons quickly.
Recent surveys show that over half of the
United States population believes the universe was created only a few thousand
years ago. There is much scientific evidence to indicate this view is valid.
(See my videotape #1.)
View #2
A Creator made
the universe billions of years ago and guided the evolutionary process to bring
everything to the present state of affairs.
View #3
A Creator
made the matter for the universe and then allowed evolutionary process to take
it from there. If a Creator still exists, he/she/it does not (or cannot)
interfere with the workings of the universe.
The majority of creationists (including this
author) believe the first view. The latter two views are closer to the
evolutionary view. Since nearly all public school textbooks already teach
the evolutionary view, only the view of the first category of creationists will
be presented here. For the rest of this booklet when I use the word
creationist, I am referring to the beliefs of those in the first
view.
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