Humanists Seek to Honor Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial Evolutionist

HUMANISTS SEEK TO HONOR SCOPES 'MONKEY' TRIAL EVOLUTIONIST WITH STATUE IN COURTHOUSE LAWN [Excerpts]

A humanist organization that has repeatedly fought against public displays of prayer or Christianity is now raising funds to erect a statue in a courthouse lawn of Clarence Darrow—the promoter of evolution in the famous Scopes “Monkey” Trial.

The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a group based in Washington, D.C., that believes in “good without a god.” In addition to promoting humanism, the AHA opposes many public displays of prayer, scripture, or Christianity.

As previously reported, the AHA threatened last year to file a lawsuit against a Georgia school district because the district did not prohibit football coaches from leading prayers. The AHA has similarly threatened to sue the Missouri National Guard for allowing a display of Bibles, a Mississippi school district after a pastor delivered a sermon and prayer at a convocation, an Air Force base for requiring a serviceman to say “so help me God” in an oath, and another Georgia school district for displaying two Bible verses on school property.

Now, the humanist organization is supporting an effort to erect a statue of Clarence Darrow on the grounds of the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee. The courthouse is where Darrow famously defended the teaching of evolution in the Scopes “Monkey” Trial of 1925.

“The trial brought the teaching of evolution to public attention in an unprecedented way,” the AHA’s website notes. “The AHA and members of the Dayton, TN community hope to honor Clarence Darrow with a statue to celebrate his contributions to American civil liberties and the law.”

The Scopes trial of 1925 was a pivotal moment in the creation-evolution debate, as Darrow, a self-professed agnostic, sought to ridicule Christianity and the Bible’s teachings about the origin of life. William Jennings Bryan, a Christian and skilled orator, articulated arguments against evolution.

If the AHA’s fundraising efforts are successful, then Darrow will be memorialized with a statue on the very courthouse lawn where the Scopes trial took place 90 years ago. Proponents of the project argue that placing a statue of Darrow on the courthouse lawn would be fair, as there is already a statue of Bryan on the lawn. However, many Christians argue that Darrow’s legacy is not one of civil liberties or scientific progress, but rather secular immorality and evolutionary indoctrination. 

http://christiannews.net/2015/03/16/humanists-seek-to-honor-scopes-monkey-trial-evolutionist-with-statue-in-courthouse-lawn/