The creation vs. evolution debate is about how life was created and what should be taught to children. Creationists believe in God’s creation as described in the Bible, while proponents of Darwin’s theory of evolution believe in incremental evolution over millions of years. The controversy is mostly a U.S. phenomenon, with Christians and Jews in other parts of the world accepting evolution. The Scopes Trial in 1925 drew international attention to the issue, and the debate continues today with attempts to introduce “intelligent design” and calls to teach scientific consensus.
The creation and evolution controversy, also known as the creation vs. evolution or origins debate, is a factual debate about how life was created and which version of life’s origins should be taught to children. The debate is sometimes presented as just a political debate, as if there is no need for one side or the other to actually be correct, but at its root the debate is about facts and evidence. On one side of the creation and evolution controversy are the creationists, who claim that God created all life on Earth as described in the Bible, and on the other are proponents of Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection which states that all organisms evolved incrementally over millions of years.
While sometimes portrayed as a global struggle of science versus religion, the creation and evolution controversy is mostly considered a U.S. phenomenon, occurring particularly in religious conservatism hotspots such as the Midwest and the United States. South. In other parts of the world, such as Europe, Christians and Jews generally accept Darwin’s theory of evolution and consider metaphorical the statement in the biblical book of Genesis, according to which God created all life in six days. American creationists view this passage as literal, a school of thought known as biblical literalism.
One of the most significant historical outbreaks in the creation and evolution debate was the Scopes Trial, often called the Scopes Monkey Trial, which was held in 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee. After World War I, the fundamentalist-modernist controversy raged in America, leading to laws in 15 states banning the teaching of evolutionary theory in classrooms. Such legislation was passed in Tennessee. A biology teacher, John Scopes, flaunted the law by teaching evolution in his class, and was arrested. The ensuing trial became a media circus, drawing international attention to the case. Scopes was eventually convicted and fined, but so much media sympathy was given to his side of the story that many evolution advocates considered it a minor victory. However, evolution continued to be omitted from biology textbooks in some states for many years.
The debate about creation and evolution is still as intense today as it was in 1925, although public opinion has shifted in favor of teaching evolution. Creationists have attempted to gain credibility for their perspective by introducing the term “intelligent design” instead of “creationism,” while atheist evolutionists like Richard Dawkins have initiated a new call to arms to teach scientific consensus in schools. How the dispute develops remains to be seen, but a few quick conversations with members of opposing sides show that the confrontation is far from over.
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