Beware of a man of one book. —English Proverb
On this date in 1925, the state of Tennessee made it illegal to teach evolution in any state-funded school. The Butler Act stipulated that teaching about evolution would deny the factual truth of the creation story in the Bible.
(Which biblical creation story, I wonder? There are two)
This led to the famous Scopes trial and decades of debate about creationism and evolution. Even though the act was repealed in 1967, incredibly, there is still controversy about teaching the theory of evolution.
Now, 87 years later, we live in an electronically connected global village. We search the internet to enrich our imaginations with the creation stories of cultures from around the world—including those in the Bible. We read many books full of detailed scientific information about the big bang and evolution. What a wealth of resources we have to feed our full and balanced educations.
Beware of an education of one book.
