History of the creation–evolution controversy facts for kids
The creation–evolution controversy is a long-standing debate about how life on Earth began and developed. Some scientists have ideas about how evolution works, which is the process where living things change over many generations. These scientific ideas sometimes clash with the literal stories of creation found in religious texts, like the Book of Genesis in the Bible.
For a long time, only religious leaders could read the Bible, which was in Latin or Greek. These leaders often taught that the creation stories were not meant to be taken word-for-word, but as symbolic stories. However, when the printing press was invented, the Bible was translated into many languages. More people learned to read, and they started to interpret the Bible more literally. This led to some religious people and groups challenging scientists who supported evolution, such as biologists like Thomas Henry Huxley and Ernst Haeckel.
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How Darwin's Ideas Sparked Debates
Early ideas about evolution existed long before Darwin. For example, Empedocles and other Greek philosophers in the 5th century BCE discussed how life might change. In Christianity, thinkers like Augustine of Hippo (4th century) and Thomas Aquinas (13th century) also had thoughts on how God's creation might unfold over time.
The modern debate about creation and evolution really began in Europe and North America in the late 1700s. Discoveries in geology showed that Earth was much older than many people thought. Also, fossils revealed that many animals had gone extinct, which suggested that life wasn't fixed. These new ideas were especially controversial in England, where people believed that both nature and society were set by God's will.
In 1844, a book called Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation was published anonymously. It talked about species changing over time, which sparked a lot of public interest. Even though scientists and religious scholars criticized it for conflicting with their views on creation, some groups like Quakers, Unitarians, and Baptists welcomed its ideas. They saw it as supporting their belief in "natural law."
This book helped prepare the way for Charles Darwin's famous theory of natural selection. Darwin, an English naturalist, introduced his ideas in his 1859 book, The Origin of Species. Many people, including Unitarians and liberal Anglican theologians, praised Darwin's work.
Darwin's book changed how naturalists understood the world. It caused a lot of discussion and disagreement. Many theologians reacted strongly to Darwin's theories. For instance, in 1874, theologian Charles Hodge argued that Darwin's ideas were similar to atheism, which is the belief that there is no God. Thomas Henry Huxley also added to the debate with his strong opinions. Another evolutionary thinker, Ernst Haeckel, firmly believed that nothing spiritual existed.
After about 1875, the way Protestant groups objected to evolution changed. Before this, they often said Darwin's theories were unscientific, citing other scientists. But after 1875, it became clear that most naturalists supported evolution. So, many Protestant critics began to reject Darwin's theory because they felt it questioned the truth of the Bible. However, very few of these critics believed in a young Earth at that time.
A big concern for creationists in the late 1800s was the idea that humans might share ancestors with apes. An image from 1871 even showed Darwin as an ape, reflecting the social debate.
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Many creationists at this time were "premillennialists," meaning their belief in Christ's return depended on reading the Bible in a very literal way. However, they were not as worried about geology. They often accepted that scientists needed a lot of time before the Edenic creation to explain things like fossils and geological findings. In the years right after Darwin, few scientists or clerics disagreed that Earth was ancient or that the fossil record showed life changing over time. Also, unlike later creationists, few believed the Biblical flood had major geological effects. Many who doubted evolution were willing to read the first chapter of Genesis symbolically, or they agreed that the six days of creation might not have been 24-hour days.
The Scopes Trial and Teaching Evolution
The reaction to Darwin's ideas in the United States was similar to that in Britain at first. When Alfred Russel Wallace, who also developed a theory of natural selection, lectured there in 1886–1887, his explanations of "Darwinism" were well-received. However, attitudes changed after World War I.
The debate became political when public schools started teaching that humans evolved from earlier forms of life, based on Darwin's theory. In response, the U.S. state of Tennessee passed the Butler Act in 1925. This law made it illegal to teach any theory of human origins that went against the Bible's teachings.
This law was tested in the famous Scopes Trial of 1925. The court in Tennessee upheld the law, and it stayed in effect until 1967 when it was removed. Later, in 1968, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Epperson v. Arkansas that banning the teaching of specific theories was against the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. This is because the main goal of such bans was religious, which is not allowed by the Constitution.
Modern Creationism and the ICR
In 1961, John C. Whitcomb and Henry M. Morris published an important book called The Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications. In this book, they argued that creation happened in exactly six days, that humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs, and that God created each type of life separately.
After the book was published, Henry M. Morris became a popular speaker. He shared his anti-evolution ideas at churches, colleges, and conferences. Morris then started the Creation Science Research Center (CSRC), which was mainly run by Baptists. The CSRC quickly published biology textbooks that promoted creationism. Morris, however, wanted a more careful and scientific approach. Eventually, the CSRC broke apart, and Morris founded the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) in 1970. He promised that the ICR would be controlled and operated by scientists. During this time, Morris and others who believed in "flood geology" (the idea that Earth's geology was shaped by a global flood) started using terms like scientific creationism and creation science. They effectively made the general term "creationism" refer specifically to their very literal views. Before this, "creationism" was a broader term for any belief in a supernatural creator.
The Catholic Church's View on Evolution
The Roman Catholic Church has also responded to Darwin's theory. One of the first notable responses came from John Henry Newman in 1868. In a letter, he wrote that Darwin's theory doesn't have to be against God. He suggested that God could have set up laws for matter millions of years ago that would naturally lead to the effects He intended. Newman believed that what seems "accidental" to us is not accidental to God.
Some people point out that Catholic priests study the teachings of Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas believed in a form of evolution where animal species could change through mutations and natural laws.
More recently, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have also made statements that support a religious understanding of evolution. They suggest that evolution can be seen as part of God's plan.
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Theologian Charles Hodge, a critic of Charles Darwin's theories, also praised Darwin for his intellectual honesty
