The Class Between Science And Religion

The Clash between Science and Religion

[Name of the Student]

[Name of the Institution]

The Clash between Science and Religion

Introduction

Since the beginning of humankind, religion and science have always been clashing with each other. One such struggle between values was witnessed by history when John T. Scopes, a school teacher at a local school in Dayton – Tennessee, taught his students about the controversial theory of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin. Police arrested him and took him to court for one of the essential hearings of U.S history.

Discussion

In the wake of the Butler Law which banned Darwin's theory to be taught in educational institutes across the state of Tennessee, it was certain that Scopes have broken the law of the state. Therefore, the trial was valid to be heard by the court (Laats, 2010). The key players involved in this trial were:

John T. Scopes – The alleged school teacher

Clarence Darrow – Scopes’ Lawyer

William Jennings Bryan – Main Prosecutor

John Raulston – Judge at the Trial

As the trial begins, both lawyers gave their arguments in front of Judge Raulston. Mr. Darrow, speaking in favor of Mr. Scopes, brought numerous proofs and testimonies to prove the evolution theory right in his stance. However, as Mr. Bryan was a staunch Christian, he presented his case from what was written in the bible about the evolution of humankind. Series of words were exchanged between both lawyers in heated arguments. Mr. Scopes, who was the main culprit, was taken off the limelight when both lawyers’ verbal fight for glory became a headline. Comparing both arguments, both lawyers were right from their perspective considering their own beliefs. Both sides had proofs which were non-avoidable to be deemed irrelevant to the trial.

After numerous hearings and considering the stance presented by both the lawyers, Judge Raulston gave his final verdict that John T. Scopes have violated the law and thus he was found guilty in this case (Laats, 2010). However, despite the judgment, it is still felt that both sides lost on the day of the verdict. This is because spiritual beliefs of a person cannot be considered right or wrong. Consequently, Mr. Scopes was charged with a financial penalty of $100. However, the decision and the fine was revoked by the state's Supreme Court later on.

Conclusion

After this case, Butler Law became questionable as the scientific community continued to support Darwin’s stance while the educational institutes completely banned the theory of evolution from their curriculum after Scopes Trial in support of religion. The Butler Law was finally revoked in 1967 with the theory of evolution now being taught in US educational institutes without any restrictions (Laats, 2010). The verdict of the Scopes Trial and the theory of evolution are still controversial issues in the clash between science and religion.

References

Laats, A. (2010). Fundamentalism and education in the Scopes Era: God, Darwin, and the roots of America's culture wars. Springer.