By John Grant
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“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.�
Genesis 1:26 KJV
Back in 1925, it was a legal case that had the attention of the nation. John Scopes, a high school teacher, was charged and prosecuted for violating a Tennessee statute which forbade the teaching, in any state-funded educational establishment in Tennessee, of “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.” The case was a watershed in the creation-evolution controversy.
Now, almost a hundred years later the issue is still on of great debate and the mind of public education has turned the other way. Here in my state, the Board of Education has ruled teachers are allowed to “present scientific information relevant to the full range of views on biological and chemical evolution� There is a raging debate in the state legislature over proposed legislation that would undo the ruling.
A Nobel laureate recently testified in opposition to the legislation noting that “humans and fruit flies have the same genes.� The professor is frustrated that teachers in public schools would be allowed to challenge the way evolution is taught and would allow teachers to challenge Darwin’s theory. He and others fear that such legislation would allow teachers to present as credible theories of creationism and intelligent design, basically beliefs that God or a higher being created humans.
Meanwhile, New York Times columnist and former presidential speech writer, Ben Stein’s new film, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,� recently opened in theaters across the country. I have seen it and encourage every person of faith to see it and to take their children. The premise of the movie is that in the name of science, the thought of a creating God has been expelled from the classroom and those who seek to teach it anywhere, have often been expelled from their careers.
Why do people fear putting creationism under the microscope of academic scrutiny? I believe the Bible to be the true Word of God and it says he created the world, including you and me. As people of faith, we need to weigh in on this issue and speak up for our beliefs. Creationism and science are not incompatible and God’s place in creation of us all should not be swept under an elite academic rug.
(a thought on life from John Grant)
You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughtsaboutgod.com/blog/2008/05/05/jg_come-from/
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John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney. He is an active writer and frequent speaker. He can be reached by e-mail at John.Grant@johngrant.net