Darrow damned religion as hateful to others and Christianity as the cause of wars
• UFOs & Bogus Science
Historian Edward Larson claims the fiery controversy that led to the famous Scopes trial in 1925 over teaching evolution still burns today.
The Scopes case has been badly misunderstood, said professor Larson, speaking at Chico State University last week. Influenced by the play and movie "Inherit the Wind," many people today mistakenly regard the trial as a great victory of science over religion.
And they wrongly picture Clarence Darrow as an idealistic lawyer championing rationality and tolerance against a benighted, reactionary, William Jennings Bryan.
The trial did not deliver a knock-out punch to foes of teaching evolution. In fact, after the sensational trial, little teaching about evolution took place in public schools for the next 25 years, said Larson.
He is a professor of history and law at the University of Georgia and winner of a Pulitzer Prize for his book "Summer for the Gods," which deals with the Scopes trial.