Kevin Long
GE117
1-27-12
Citation
Dixon, T. (2009). America’s difficulty with Darwin. History Today, 59(2), 22-28.
Vocabulary
1. Theological (adjective) based upon the nature and will of god as revealed to humans 2. Congergationalist (noun) a form of protestant church government in which each religious society is independent and self governing 3. Interdenominational (adjective) incurring between, involving, or common to different religious denomations 4. Catastrophism (noun) the doctrine that vast logical geological changes in the earth’s history were caused by catastrophies rather than gradual evolutionary process 5. Inanity (noun) lack of sense, significance, or ideas
Summary
The article America’s Difficulty With Darwin. It discussed the different views on how religious and state decided to use his work.
Response
In the first part of the article the author discussed how Darwin viewed his religious life. At the time he wasn’t able to decline the church so he pretty much had to hide his doubts. His wife was religious and it discussed how hard it was for them with him not completely on board with the god theory. The article also broke down the age struggle of science and church. Since at his time the church didn’t allow his work. After he had died his work was well established with the scientific and on it’s way to be recognized by the church. And by the end of the 19th century the religions came to terms. And during the 17th and 18th century people who were coming to America from fleeing religious presecution. The doctrine helped bring awareness on how the church and state should be separated. Thomas Jefferson using the first admendment forbade congress from passing any laws on religion. In 1925 Dayton, Tenessee passed a law that evolution was not to be taught in schools. Which was the start on the “monkey trials”. Which created the anti-evolution laws until 1968 when Susan Epperson a biologist brought it to the supreme court saying it was violation of the first admendment so it was over turned. This brought forth in the sixeties and sevenities debates about “Intelligent Design” so the religious aspect of science could be taught in schools, when Evolution was taught. Phillip Johnson and Micheal Behe was a laywer and biochemist who came up the “Intelligent Design”
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