Overview: The Conflict Between Religion And Evolution By Alan Cooperman

Darwin in the Classroom In November of 1859, Charles Darwin published what is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology, On The Origin Of Species. Suggesting that the entire world was based on natural selection, Darwin is responsible for one of the first conservative movements that is still very much alive today. From the well known Scopes Monkey Trials to the current passing of the so called “Monkey Bill”—which allows the teaching of creationism in public schools across Tennessee—the anti-evolution crusade continues to affect the children of the United States. If teaching evolution causes such an uproar, why should it still be considered? Despite the existence of religious contradictions, on the whole, children who learn about …show more content…
Alan Cooperman, writer of “Overview: The Conflict Between Religion and Evolution”, states , “...some evolution opponents argue that Darwin’s ideas have proven socially and politically dangerous.” They claim that the ideas of Darwin have been used by people of power to justify abominable crimes like mass genocide. By associating evolution with these terrible deeds it is not a shock when people try to undermine the credibility of evolution itself. An example would be Hitler and his role in the holocaust. Using Hitler’s supposed belief in evolution as an argument against evolutionary science is a fallacy. Saying that Darwin’s theory came to be before Hitler’s racism, and that Darwin’s theory caused Hitler’s racism is an example of a post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. Also, there is evidence that before the Holocaust, the Nazis banned Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. The Nazis would not ban something their ideals were based on. Opposition to evolution can be rooted in fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of challenging new ideas, or even fear of knowing the truth can be reasons why citizens run from teaching or learning about evolutionary