Bring Your Bible To School!

In the sweltering summer of 1925, in Dayton Tennessee, the State brought forth and prosecuted one Mr. John Scopes, a high school biology teacher accused of teaching evolution in the classroom. Be still my beating heart!


For those who forgot that two hour trial, John Scopes was convicted and fined one hundred dollars, later overturned on a technicality (the fine exceeded the amount allowable by law). John Scopes said, after hearing the sentence,

"Your Honor, I feel that I have been convicted of violating an unjust statute. I will continue in the future, as I have in the past, to oppose this law in any way I can. Any other action would be in violation of my ideal of academic freedom, that is, to teach the truth as guaranteed in our Constitution of personal and religious freedom. I think the fine is unjust."

Thirty seven years later, the law forbidding the teaching evolution in Tennessee was finally struck down as a violation of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. The same year, John Scopes published a book, Center of the Storm, in which he said: "The day will come when we will not be bothered by Fundamentalists."

Friends, that day is not today.

Nor is the current legal challenge in the backwaters of Tennessee. Today, this battle is being fought in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The state capital, and only two hours from Washington, DC, this well-developed city boasts an International Airport, a well-esteemed minor league baseball team, and has been twice-honored as "All America City"(according to the National Civic League) -- and is now offering ringside seats to The Monkey Trial II.

Eight families in the Dover Area School District are taking the school to federal court, arguing that the government has no right to teach their children "Intelligent Design," or the belief that evolution is bunk and God created everything. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. That wasn't so hard, was it?
Oh, but it is hard. As recently as 1987, the Supreme Court ruled that States cannot require schools to teach creationism. Yet even our President, George W. Bush, has stated that schools should teach it. What's the deal here?

It's simple, folks. Teach your kids about religion at home, in church, and in your community. Don't ask the government to do it for you. Don't give me any crap about Intelligent Design not being religious -- it's the belief that a deity created the universe. That's a religion to me. Don't give me crap that it's "all religions," and therefore not in violation of the First Amendment. It clearly violates polytheistic beliefs, atheist beliefs, and the beliefs of many other religions that believe that while god(s) exist, they did not create the universe.

Maybe we should look at this from another point of view. Do you trust your government? Do you trust them enough to want them to teach your children about God?

I didn't think so.

9/27 - Update -- ScrappleFace is now covering this topic. Good to see a little light on the topic.

Labels: church, free speech, intelligent design

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