How Does Religion Influence Public Education

March 9 2010
History 13
Paper #3

In 1925 religion and scientific theory collided in a courtroom. John Scopes, a school biology teacher, deliberately violated the state’s anti-evolutionism statute. The fundamentalists won their case in court. The Tennessee state prosecutor won a conviction against Scopes on the grounds that the legislature had the right to determine what was taught in public schools within the state.
The key question during the trial: Should religious beliefs influence public education in a nation where church and state were constitutionally separated? Absolutely Not! The separation of church and state protects an individual’s religious right. Whenever too much of anything becomes an absolute power; things outside the
Is it a fair way to be brought up? Well it depends on who you ask. During the State vs. Scopes trial; both sides had support and opposition but what was the root excitement of this trial in the public eye? It was Religion vs. Reason (Science), the long battle of two known truths that the majority of the public in the United States identified with. In the 1920’s the Victorian Fundamentalists struggled to keep their idea of god and the just society it has influenced and made a public outcry when Darwinism was being taught in the public education system. It was like a calling to every man and woman of the Christian faith to righteously defend their religion against the tyranny of science which was more associated to the devil. The prosecution and judge were of the townships Christian majority. They unfairly used the power of the good book and church sermons to gain public support in an unfair advantage to the defendants. Followers were lead to believe that the very core of their religion was at risk just like the Catholic Church had reason to believe that Galileo would cause instability amongst its followers by preaching contradicting reason to world views that did not align with the holy bible.
Nothing can divide and conquer a country or friendships like politics and religion. This is why that it is best to keep it separate. After years of powering the US war machine
If you say what people want to hear you win! The devil is always in the details. The Church is not perfect nor a direct descendent of GOD in any manner. As the law is interpreted by the judicial branch in government, the word of the bible is to be interpreted responsibly by the Church. The Church gives faith and moral direction to people as without it we are all but lost. A world with no order is just that, a world of chaos. Religion brings balance and helps us decipher right from wrong and at times “right from left”. This can at times cause public opinion to clash. Stem Cell research is a perfect example of religious intervention and influence in politics on how the science may be administered in this world because of its sensitive meddling of GOD and Nature. The Vatican and Christian Lobbyists have campaigned worldwide against the use even with all the pro-benefits it can bring to society to help us overcome disease and illnesses traditional medicine cannot