spokedust

Ongoing Evolution foibles

Last night I stayed up way too late to watch "inherit the wind", a movie version of the Scopes Monkey Trial. The movie is just as up-to-date today as it was then. Interesting how the arguments really don't change. After watching the movie, I'm ready to do a bit more research in the actual history of the trial. It was hard to tell what was Hollywood and what was fact. In the movie, "Matthew Harrison Brady" aka William Jennings Bryant, was caricatured as a loudmouth, tent-revivalist, politician. His theological acumen was pretty shallow. The people however hailed "him" as their champion rather than HIM as the champion. This pride led to the downfall of the case. Because Brady claimed to be an "expert" on the bible, he took the stand as a witness for the defense. "Drummond" ~ Darrow nailed Brady with basic logic, but part of the trap was Brady's bad theology. Darrow asked him what the bible thought of all the "begatting", brady said the bible called sex -original sin. This is nothing further from the truth. Brady also tried to rationalize the bible which is not the point.

Brady further lost the case because he had "Bad form" In a fight, it is considered bad form to mock your opponent. Brady, & the townspeople did a discredit to their case by mocking evolution rather than evaluating it on its (lack) of merits.

Interestingly enough, I find the same case could be argued today but in reverse. The school systems have so deluded themselves with evolution, that science classes are entrenched in it. The Scopes case was NOT about whether evolution was right or wrong but rather whether it could be taught. Why then is it unacceptable to teach creation or even mention it today? I believe b/c the scientists know, explicitly or implicitly, that the 2 theories are about faith. As such, only one can be true and therefore only one taught. The battle is not about science but rather faith.

IF the evidence is examined, I believe it is no more delusional to believe in Creation than evolution. Neither can be proved conclusively as fact (though both sides would have you believe otherwise). Each side can stand across the battlefield from each other with taunts - WHere are the fossils? How can there be evening & morning without a sun? There are of course other consequences, if you have such a flexible/horrid hermeneutic at the beginning of the bible, what will you do with the really hard stuff? However at the end of the day, I'd much rather be a creation of an Almighty God, than a monkey - how is it even a question?

posted by bikenomad @ 8:07 PM