Latest news with #JohnScopes
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why many Americans still think Darwin was wrong, yet the British don't
One hundred years after a Tennessee teacher named John Scopes started a legal battle over what the state's schools can teach children, Americans are still divided over evolution. Scopes was charged with violating Tennessee law by teaching evolution, in a highly publicised July 1925 trial that led to national debate over evolution and education. The trial tested whether a law introduced that year really could punish teachers over evolution lessons. It could and did: Scopes was fined US$100 (£74). But here's the weird part: while Americans remain deeply divided about whether humans evolved from earlier species, our British predecessors largely settled this question decades before the Scopes trial. According to thinktank Pew Research Center data from 2020, only 64% of Americans accept that 'humans and other living things have evolved over time'. Meanwhile, 73% of Brits are fine with the idea that they share a common ancestor with chimpanzees. That nine-percentage-point gap might not sound like much, but it represents millions of people who think Darwin was peddling fake news. From 1985 to 2010, Americans were in what researchers call a statistical dead heat between acceptance and rejection of evolution — which is academic speak for people couldn't decide if we were descended from apes or Adam and Eve. Here's where things get psychologically fascinating. Research into misinformation and cognitive biases suggests that fundamentalism operates on a principle known as motivated reasoning. This means selectively interpreting evidence to reach predetermined conclusions. And a 2018 review of social and computer science research also found that fake news seems to spread because it confirms what people already want to believe. Evolution denial may work the same way. Religious fundamentalism is what researchers call 'the strongest predictor' for rejection of evolution. A 2019 study of 900 participants found that belief in fake news headlines was associated with delusionality, dogmatism, religious fundamentalism and reduced analytic thinking. Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK's latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences. High personal religiosity, as seen in the US, reinforced by communities of like-minded believers, can create resistance to evolutionary science. This pattern is pronounced among Southern Baptists — the largest Protestant denomination in the US — where 61% believe the Bible is the literal word of God, compared to 31% of Americans overall. The persistence of this conflict is fuelled by organised creationist movements that reinforce religious scepticism. Brain imaging studies show that people with fundamentalist beliefs seem to have reduced activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex — the brain region responsible for cognitive flexibility and analytical thinking. When this area is damaged or less active, people become more prone to accepting claims without sufficient evidence and show increased resistance to changing their beliefs when presented with contradictory information. Studies of brain-injured patients show damage to prefrontal networks that normally help us question information may lead to increased fundamentalist beliefs and reduced scepticism. Fundamentalist psychology helps explain the US position in international evolution acceptance surveys. In a 2006 study, of over 33,00 people from 34 countries from 34 countries, only Turkey ranked lower than the US, with about 27% accepting evolution compared to America's 40% at the time. Among the developed nations surveyed, the US consistently ranks near the bottom — a pattern that persists in more recent international comparisons. Research shows that political polarisation on evolution has historically been much stronger in the US than in Europe or Japan, where the issue rarely becomes a campaign talking point. In the US, anti-evolution bills are still being introduced in state legislatures. In the UK, belief in evolution became accepted among respectable clergymen around 1896, according to church historian Owen Chadwick's analysis of Victorian christianity. But why did British religious institutions embrace science while American ones declared war? The answer lies in different approaches to intellectual challenges. British Anglicanism has a centuries-old tradition of seeking a 'via media' — a middle way between extremes — that allowed church leaders to accommodate new ideas without abandoning core beliefs. Historian Peter documented how British religious leaders actively worked to reconcile science and religion, developing theological frameworks that embraced scientific discoveries as revealing God's methods rather than contradicting divine authority. Anglican bishops and scholars tended to treat evolution as God's method of creation rather than a threat to faith itself. The Church of England's hierarchical structure meant that when educated clergy accepted evolution, the institutional framework often followed suit. A 2024 paper argued that many UK church leaders still view science and religion as complementary rather than conflicting. The British experience proves it's possible to reconcile science and faith. But changing American minds requires understanding that evolution acceptance isn't really about biology — it's about identity, belonging, and the fundamental question of who gets to define truth. People don't reject evolution because they've carefully studied the evidence. They reject it because it threatens their identity. This creates a context where education alone can't overcome deeply held convictions. Misinformation intervention research suggests that inoculation strategies, such as highlighting the scientific consensus on climate change, work better than debunking individual articles. But evolution education needs to be sensitive. Consensus messaging helps, but only when it doesn't threaten people's core identities. For example, framing evolution as a function of 'how' life develops, rather than 'why it exists, allows for people to maintain religious belief while accepting the scientific evidence for natural selection. People's views can change. A review published in 2024, analysed data which followed the same Gen X people in the US over 33 years. It found that, as they grew up, people developed more acceptance of evolution, though typically because of factors such as education and obtaining university degrees. But people who were taught at a private school seem less likely to become more accepting of evolution as they aged. As we face new waves of scientific misinformation, the century since the Scopes trial teaches us that evidence alone won't necessarily change people's minds. Understanding the psychology of belief might be our best hope for evolving past our own cognitive limitations. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Edward White is affiliated with Kingston University.
Scientific American
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Scientific American
American Education Demands a Fact-Based Curriculum, Not Religious Ideology
In July of 1925 hundreds of reporters and other onlookers crowded into a sweltering courtroom in Dayton, Tenn., to watch what would become widely recognized as the trial of the century. Against a backdrop of societal anxieties over cultural upheaval, the Scopes 'monkey trial,' as it was dubbed in the press, pitted the authority of the Bible against the evidence-based science behind evolution. At the center of the trial was John Scopes, a 24-year-old teacher accused of teaching human evolution at a public school, in violation of a religiously motivated state law against it. Opinions on who won the case differ depending on whom you ask. Technically the defense lost—the jury found Scopes guilty of breaking the law, and the judge ordered him to pay a $100 fine (a ruling that was later overturned on a technicality). But defense attorney Clarence Darrow's arguments raised public awareness of the evidence supporting evolution and the threat that religious dogma posed to science education, academic freedom and individual liberty. Still, for decades after the trial, discussion of evolution in high school textbooks declined, and in many cases, it was omitted altogether. One hundred years after that famous trial, education in the U.S. is still under attack from the same antiscience political forces, which are continuously using state and federal courts to assail the roles of critical thinking, inquisition and curiosity in schools in favor of religious instruction. Those who value public education must redouble their efforts to fight those forces. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. In theory, the teaching of religion in public schools should not be up for debate. Separation of church and state is a pillar of our democracy. In theory, the teaching of religion in public schools should not be up for debate. Separation of church and state is a pillar of our democracy. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment forbids the government from favoring a particular religion, and this clause has long been interpreted in courts as prohibiting the establishment of religion in publicly funded institutions, including schools. Yet just last year West Virginia passed a law that, according to its supporters, allows public school educators to discuss faith-based notions such as intelligent design (another name for creationism, the conservative Christian idea that God created all species in their current form and that humans did not evolve from other species) as scientific theories. Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi have enacted similar laws. Some recent attempts to inject religious ideas about the origin of life into public school science curricula have failed. In February, North Dakota's Senate Bill 2355, which would have required the state superintendent of public instruction to include intelligent design in the state science-content standards, was defeated in the Senate. In April, a Minnesota bill that would have required the state's school districts to instruct students about 'the Creator' met its end in committee. But lest we become too optimistic about these outcomes, other efforts to erode the division between church and state have proved worryingly successful. In April, Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill into law that mandates the display of posters bearing the Ten Commandments and 'In God We Trust' in the state's classrooms. A similar law was passed in Louisiana last year but was later blocked by a federal judge who called it 'overtly religious' and 'unconstitutional on its face.' At press time, a Texas bill that would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments was making its way through the legislature, as was a bill to allow prayer and Bible-reading sessions in public schools. It's not just posters and prayer time. The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case about whether tax dollars can be used to fund religious schools, and some justices are using the case to field the idea that separation of church and state should not be allowed. The Catholic Church is asking Oklahoma to recognize its St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School as a religious charter school. Charter schools are publicly funded. Writing about the case in the New Yorker, Ruth Marcus observed that at St. Isidore, 'introductory high-school science would 'reveal God's orderly creation of the universe,' while physiology would adopt 'a faith-based approach to the value of human life from the beginnings of a cell.' The school would be open to all applicants, whether Catholic or not, but students would be required to attend Mass....' If St. Isidore is successful in its bid, the case will force taxpayers to subsidize a religious education for students that may not align with their own beliefs, diverting funds from inclusive secular schools toward sectarian ones that discriminate against those who do not share their faith. Another clause in the First Amendment, the so-called Free Exercise Clause, protects the right to practice one's religion (or lack thereof) without government interference. Many new attempts to infuse religion into public schools try to present themselves as efforts toward this end, arguing that excluding religious teachings from public funding amounts to discrimination. We cannot fall for that argument. Children go to school to attain knowledge. They need to learn facts and figures, yes, but perhaps more important, they need to learn how to evaluate evidence and arguments, not to uncritically accept the teachings of a particular faith. Religious freedom—actual religious freedom—depends on preventing the incursion of any and all religious beliefs, whether they are masquerading as alternative scientific theories or blatantly evangelizing, into public schools. We must protect every child's right to a public education that is free of religious indoctrination and prepares them to navigate the many challenges of the real world as modern science understands it.
Hamilton Spectator
20-05-2025
- Science
- Hamilton Spectator
Takeaways from AP's report on creationist beliefs 100 years after the Scopes trial
WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Some people thought the 1925 Scopes monkey trial marked a cultural defeat for biblical fundamentalism. But a century after what was dubbed the Trial of the Century, the issue is far from settled. Many American adults still embrace creationism — a belief in the literal truth of the Genesis account of the origins of the Earth and humanity. To be sure, Tennessee public schoolteacher John Scopes was convicted in 1925 for violating a state law against teaching human evolution. But it appeared to be a pyrrhic victory for creationists. That's because the star of the prosecution team — populist politician William Jennings Bryan — faltered when he took the stand as an expert witness. He struggled to defend the Bible's miraculous and mysterious stories. But creationist belief is resilient . Polls generally show that somewhere between 1 in 6 and 1 in 3 Americans hold beliefs consistent with young-Earth creationism, depending on how the question is asked. That belief is most evident in a region of northern Kentucky that hosts a Creation Museum and a gargantuan replica of the biblical Noah's Ark . They draw a combined 1.5 million visits per year. This trend alarms science educators, who say the evidence for evolution is overwhelming and see creationism as part of an anti-science movement affecting responses to serious problems like climate change. An ark in Kentucky Ken Ham began speaking in support of creationism 50 years ago — halfway between the Scopes trial and today — as a young schoolteacher in Australia. He's expanded that work by founding Answers in Genesis, a vast enterprise that includes books, videos and homeschool curricula. The organization opened the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, near Cincinnati, in 2007. Visitors are greeted with a diorama depicting children and dinosaurs interacting peacefully in the Garden of Eden — life-forms that scientists say are actually separated by tens of millions of years. The museum features an array of exhibits, some of them added in recent years, that argue for a literal interpretation of the biblical creation narrative. Most dramatically, Answers in Genesis opened the Ark Encounter theme park in nearby Williamstown, Kentucky, in 2016. Its main attraction is the massive ark replica — 'the biggest freestanding timber frame structure in the world,' says Ham. It's 510 feet (155 meters) long, or one and a half football fields in length; 85 feet (26 meters) wide and 51 feet (16 meters) high. Like the museum, the park includes numerous exhibits arguing for the plausibility of the ark — that Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives had the skill and means to sustain thousands of animals in their care. The park also includes theme-park attractions such as a zoo, zip lines and virtual-reality theater. Similar theaters are planned for tourist hubs Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri. 'The main message of both attractions is basically this: The history in the Bible is true,' Ham says. 'That's why the message of the Gospel based on that history is true.' Creationist beliefs Core beliefs of Christian creationism include: — God created the heavens and the Earth by fiat in six literal days, with humans as the crown of creation. — The Earth is just a few thousand years old. — Humans sinned, and that brought death and suffering into the world (and, ultimately, the necessity of salvation through Jesus Christ). — God drowned almost all people and breathing animals in a global flood because of human wickedness. God spared Noah and his family, instructing him to build a large ark and bring aboard pairs of each animal kind to preserve them from extinction. — The flood explains geological phenomena such as the Grand Canyon. Science educators' concerns According to the vast, long-standing scientific consensus, the above biological and geological claims are absurd and completely lacking in evidence. The consensus is that the Earth is billions of years old; that humans and other life forms evolved from earlier forms over millions of years; and that mountains, canyons and other geological features are due to millions of years of tectonic upheaval and erosion. A 2014 Pew Research Center poll found 98% of American scientists accept evolution. 'Evolution and the directly related concept of deep time are essential parts of science curricula,' says the Geological Society of America. Evolution is 'one of the most securely established of scientific facts,' says the National Academy of Sciences. The academy urges that public schools stick to the scientific consensus and that creationism is not a viable alternative. Creationists, it said, 'reverse the scientific process' by beginning with an inflexible conclusion, rather than building evidence toward a conclusion. Courts of law — and public opinion Creation and evolution may not be front-burner issues today, but the Scopes trial set a template for other culture-war battles over school books and gender policies. William Jennings Bryan's words from his era would sound familiar at a modern school board meeting: 'Teachers in public schools must teach what the taxpayers desire taught.' The Scopes case involved the 1925 conviction of schoolteacher John Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee, for violating a state law against teaching in public schools '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.' Tennessee repealed that law in 1967, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1968 that a similar Arkansas law was an unconstitutional promotion of religion. The high court in 1987 overturned a Louisiana law requiring creationism to be taught alongside evolution. A 2005 federal court ruling similarly forbade the Dover Area School District in Pennsylvania from presenting 'intelligent design,' as an alternative to evolution, saying it, too, was a religious teaching. Though distinct from young-Earth creationism, intelligent design argues that nature shows evidence of a designer. A 2023-2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 17% of U.S. adults agreed that humans have existed in their present form since 'the beginning of time.' A 2024 Gallup survey found that 37% agreed that 'God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so.' The differences may be due to the phrasing of the question and the circumstances of the survey. Both surveys found that majorities of Americans believe humans evolved, and of that group, more believe God had a role in evolution than that it happened without divine intervention. Catholics and many Protestants and other religious groups accept all or parts of evolutionary theory. But many conservative evangelical denominations, schools and other institutions promote young-Earth creationist beliefs. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
San Francisco Chronicle
20-05-2025
- Science
- San Francisco Chronicle
Takeaways from AP's report on creationist beliefs 100 years after the Scopes trial
WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Some people thought the 1925 Scopes monkey trial marked a cultural defeat for biblical fundamentalism. But a century after what was dubbed the Trial of the Century, the issue is far from settled. Many American adults still embrace creationism — a belief in the literal truth of the Genesis account of the origins of the Earth and humanity. To be sure, Tennessee public schoolteacher John Scopes was convicted in 1925 for violating a state law against teaching human evolution. But it appeared to be a pyrrhic victory for creationists. That's because the star of the prosecution team — populist politician William Jennings Bryan — faltered when he took the stand as an expert witness. He struggled to defend the Bible's miraculous and mysterious stories. But creationist belief is resilient. Polls generally show that somewhere between 1 in 6 and 1 in 3 Americans hold beliefs consistent with young-Earth creationism, depending on how the question is asked. That belief is most evident in a region of northern Kentucky that hosts a Creation Museum and a gargantuan replica of the biblical Noah's Ark. They draw a combined 1.5 million visits per year. This trend alarms science educators, who say the evidence for evolution is overwhelming and see creationism as part of an anti-science movement affecting responses to serious problems like climate change. An ark in Kentucky Ken Ham began speaking in support of creationism 50 years ago — halfway between the Scopes trial and today — as a young schoolteacher in Australia. He's expanded that work by founding Answers in Genesis, a vast enterprise that includes books, videos and homeschool curricula. The organization opened the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, near Cincinnati, in 2007. Visitors are greeted with a diorama depicting children and dinosaurs interacting peacefully in the Garden of Eden — life-forms that scientists say are actually separated by tens of millions of years. The museum features an array of exhibits, some of them added in recent years, that argue for a literal interpretation of the biblical creation narrative. Most dramatically, Answers in Genesis opened the Ark Encounter theme park in nearby Williamstown, Kentucky, in 2016. Its main attraction is the massive ark replica — 'the biggest freestanding timber frame structure in the world,' says Ham. It's 510 feet (155 meters) long, or one and a half football fields in length; 85 feet (26 meters) wide and 51 feet (16 meters) high. Like the museum, the park includes numerous exhibits arguing for the plausibility of the ark — that Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives had the skill and means to sustain thousands of animals in their care. The park also includes theme-park attractions such as a zoo, zip lines and virtual-reality theater. Similar theaters are planned for tourist hubs Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri. 'The main message of both attractions is basically this: The history in the Bible is true," Ham says. "That's why the message of the Gospel based on that history is true.' — God created the heavens and the Earth by fiat in six literal days, with humans as the crown of creation. — The Earth is just a few thousand years old. — Humans sinned, and that brought death and suffering into the world (and, ultimately, the necessity of salvation through Jesus Christ). — God drowned almost all people and breathing animals in a global flood because of human wickedness. God spared Noah and his family, instructing him to build a large ark and bring aboard pairs of each animal kind to preserve them from extinction. — The flood explains geological phenomena such as the Grand Canyon. Science educators' concerns According to the vast, long-standing scientific consensus, the above biological and geological claims are absurd and completely lacking in evidence. The consensus is that the Earth is billions of years old; that humans and other life forms evolved from earlier forms over millions of years; and that mountains, canyons and other geological features are due to millions of years of tectonic upheaval and erosion. A 2014 Pew Research Center poll found 98% of American scientists accept evolution. 'Evolution and the directly related concept of deep time are essential parts of science curricula," says the Geological Society of America. Evolution is 'one of the most securely established of scientific facts,' says the National Academy of Sciences. The academy urges that public schools stick to the scientific consensus and that creationism is not a viable alternative. Creationists, it said, 'reverse the scientific process' by beginning with an inflexible conclusion, rather than building evidence toward a conclusion. Courts of law — and public opinion Creation and evolution may not be front-burner issues today, but the Scopes trial set a template for other culture-war battles over school books and gender policies. William Jennings Bryan's words from his era would sound familiar at a modern school board meeting: 'Teachers in public schools must teach what the taxpayers desire taught.' The Scopes case involved the 1925 conviction of schoolteacher John Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee, for violating a state law against teaching in public schools '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.' Tennessee repealed that law in 1967, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1968 that a similar Arkansas law was an unconstitutional promotion of religion. The high court in 1987 overturned a Louisiana law requiring creationism to be taught alongside evolution. A 2005 federal court ruling similarly forbade the Dover Area School District in Pennsylvania from presenting 'intelligent design,' as an alternative to evolution, saying it, too, was a religious teaching. Though distinct from young-Earth creationism, intelligent design argues that nature shows evidence of a designer. A 2023-2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 17% of U.S. adults agreed that humans have existed in their present form since 'the beginning of time.' A 2024 Gallup survey found that 37% agreed that 'God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so.' The differences may be due to the phrasing of the question and the circumstances of the survey. Both surveys found that majorities of Americans believe humans evolved, and of that group, more believe God had a role in evolution than that it happened without divine intervention. Catholics and many Protestants and other religious groups accept all or parts of evolutionary theory. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Takeaways from AP's report on creationist beliefs 100 years after the Scopes trial
WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Some people thought the 1925 Scopes monkey trial marked a cultural defeat for biblical fundamentalism. But a century after what was dubbed the Trial of the Century, the issue is far from settled. Many American adults still embrace creationism — a belief in the literal truth of the Genesis account of the origins of the Earth and humanity. To be sure, Tennessee public schoolteacher John Scopes was convicted in 1925 for violating a state law against teaching human evolution. But it appeared to be a pyrrhic victory for creationists. That's because the star of the prosecution team — populist politician William Jennings Bryan — faltered when he took the stand as an expert witness. He struggled to defend the Bible's miraculous and mysterious stories. But creationist belief is resilient. Polls generally show that somewhere between 1 in 6 and 1 in 3 Americans hold beliefs consistent with young-Earth creationism, depending on how the question is asked. That belief is most evident in a region of northern Kentucky that hosts a Creation Museum and a gargantuan replica of the biblical Noah's Ark. They draw a combined 1.5 million visits per year. This trend alarms science educators, who say the evidence for evolution is overwhelming and see creationism as part of an anti-science movement affecting responses to serious problems like climate change. An ark in Kentucky Ken Ham began speaking in support of creationism 50 years ago — halfway between the Scopes trial and today — as a young schoolteacher in Australia. He's expanded that work by founding Answers in Genesis, a vast enterprise that includes books, videos and homeschool curricula. The organization opened the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, near Cincinnati, in 2007. Visitors are greeted with a diorama depicting children and dinosaurs interacting peacefully in the Garden of Eden — life-forms that scientists say are actually separated by tens of millions of years. The museum features an array of exhibits, some of them added in recent years, that argue for a literal interpretation of the biblical creation narrative. Most dramatically, Answers in Genesis opened the Ark Encounter theme park in nearby Williamstown, Kentucky, in 2016. Its main attraction is the massive ark replica — 'the biggest freestanding timber frame structure in the world,' says Ham. It's 510 feet (155 meters) long, or one and a half football fields in length; 85 feet (26 meters) wide and 51 feet (16 meters) high. Like the museum, the park includes numerous exhibits arguing for the plausibility of the ark — that Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives had the skill and means to sustain thousands of animals in their care. The park also includes theme-park attractions such as a zoo, zip lines and virtual-reality theater. Similar theaters are planned for tourist hubs Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri. 'The main message of both attractions is basically this: The history in the Bible is true," Ham says. "That's why the message of the Gospel based on that history is true.' Creationist beliefs Core beliefs of Christian creationism include: — God created the heavens and the Earth by fiat in six literal days, with humans as the crown of creation. — The Earth is just a few thousand years old. — Humans sinned, and that brought death and suffering into the world (and, ultimately, the necessity of salvation through Jesus Christ). — God drowned almost all people and breathing animals in a global flood because of human wickedness. God spared Noah and his family, instructing him to build a large ark and bring aboard pairs of each animal kind to preserve them from extinction. — The flood explains geological phenomena such as the Grand Canyon. Science educators' concerns According to the vast, long-standing scientific consensus, the above biological and geological claims are absurd and completely lacking in evidence. The consensus is that the Earth is billions of years old; that humans and other life forms evolved from earlier forms over millions of years; and that mountains, canyons and other geological features are due to millions of years of tectonic upheaval and erosion. A 2014 Pew Research Center poll found 98% of American scientists accept evolution. 'Evolution and the directly related concept of deep time are essential parts of science curricula," says the Geological Society of America. Evolution is 'one of the most securely established of scientific facts,' says the National Academy of Sciences. The academy urges that public schools stick to the scientific consensus and that creationism is not a viable alternative. Creationists, it said, 'reverse the scientific process' by beginning with an inflexible conclusion, rather than building evidence toward a conclusion. Courts of law — and public opinion Creation and evolution may not be front-burner issues today, but the Scopes trial set a template for other culture-war battles over school books and gender policies. William Jennings Bryan's words from his era would sound familiar at a modern school board meeting: 'Teachers in public schools must teach what the taxpayers desire taught.' The Scopes case involved the 1925 conviction of schoolteacher John Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee, for violating a state law against teaching in public schools '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.' Tennessee repealed that law in 1967, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1968 that a similar Arkansas law was an unconstitutional promotion of religion. The high court in 1987 overturned a Louisiana law requiring creationism to be taught alongside evolution. A 2005 federal court ruling similarly forbade the Dover Area School District in Pennsylvania from presenting 'intelligent design,' as an alternative to evolution, saying it, too, was a religious teaching. Though distinct from young-Earth creationism, intelligent design argues that nature shows evidence of a designer. A 2023-2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 17% of U.S. adults agreed that humans have existed in their present form since 'the beginning of time.' A 2024 Gallup survey found that 37% agreed that 'God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so.' The differences may be due to the phrasing of the question and the circumstances of the survey. Both surveys found that majorities of Americans believe humans evolved, and of that group, more believe God had a role in evolution than that it happened without divine intervention. Catholics and many Protestants and other religious groups accept all or parts of evolutionary theory. But many conservative evangelical denominations, schools and other institutions promote young-Earth creationist beliefs. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
