|
|
Jan
18, 2006 (Professor Facchini vs. Intelligent
Design). In a comment intended as
support for Judge Jones' decision in
Kitzmiller, University of Bologna
evolutionary biology professor Fiorenzo Facchini
states that
Intelligent
Design, "doesn't belong to
science and the pretext that it be taught as
scientific theory alongside Darwin's explanation
is unjustified." His comments on
evolution and ID were notable due to their
publication in
L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's
newspaper.
|
 |
Dec 20, 2005 (Kitzmiller
v. Dover School District). Judge John Jones
III of the Third U.S. District Court in Harrisburg, PA rules
that, "Our conclusion today is that it is unconstitutional
to teach Intelligent
Design as an alternative to evolution in a public
school classroom" as had been mandated by a recently ousted Dover, PA
school board. [G] |
|
 |
Nov 10, 2005 (Pat Robertson vs. Dover, PA).
On the Christian Broadcasting Network's 700 Club, Pat
Robertson tells Dover, PA: "If there is a disaster in your
area, don't turn to God. You just rejected him from your
city." All eight of Dover's school council members have
just lost reelection bids after trying to introduce
Intelligent Design into local school curricula. |
|
|
Jul 7, 2005
(Schönborn controversy). In a New York Times
editorial, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn states that,
"Evolution in the sense of common ancestry might be true,
but evolution in the neo-Darwinian sense—an
unguided, unplanned process of random variation and natural
selection—is not..."
The editorial sparks a controversy and considerable online
debate, with many assuming that Schönborn is advocating
Intelligent Design
and rejecting
Pope John Paul II's 1996
statement of reconciliation
between evolutionary science and Catholic faith. Schönborn
later clarifies that he sees, "..no difficulty in joining
belief in the Creator with the theory of evolution, but
under the prerequisite that the borders of scientific theory
are maintained."
[+] |
|
 |
Jan 2005
(Selman v. Cobb County School District).
Judge Clarence Cooper of the U.S. District Court in Atlanta,
Georgia rules a
Cobb County School District
requirement that biology textbooks carry evolution warning
stickers
to be a violation of the
Establishment Clause
of the US Constitution. The stickers read,
"This
textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is
a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things.
This material should be approached with an open mind,
studied carefully and critically considered." |
|
|
Jul 2004
(Ratzinger and the Theological Commission). The
Catholic International Theological Commission, under
president Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict
XVI), publishes "Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons
Created in the Image of God". This statement includes
comments such as, "While the story of human origins is
complex and subject to revision, physical anthropology and
molecular biology combine to make a convincing case for the
origin of the human species in Africa about 150,000 years
ago in a humanoid population of common genetic lineage,"
demonstrating that the Catholic Church remains relatively at
ease with evolutionary science. [+] |
|
|
2002
(Ohio
"Teaches the Controversy"). The Ohio State Board
of Education adopts a portion of the "teach the controversy"
language advocated by the
Center for Science and Culture and other
Intelligent
Design advocates. This language is intentionally
written to meet the standard established by
Aguillard, and leads to a 2004 "Critical Analysis of
Evolution" lesson plan for public school teachers. [+] |
|
|
1999 (The
Wedge Document).
Advocates of
Intelligent
Design
frequently state that ID is not stealth creationism, and the
Intelligent Designer is not necessarily the God of
Christianity. The Wedge is a nominally secret
publication of the Discovery Institute that appears to undermine these assertions
by making clearly religious statements regarding the purpose
of the Institute and ID in general. [G]
[+] |
|
|
Aug 11, 1999
(Kansas Nixes Evolution and Big Bang). The Kansas
State Board of Education eliminates macroevolution, any
discussion of the earth's age, and the big-bang theory of
cosmic creation from standard public school curricula.
Changes in Board membership lead to a reversal of this
decision in 2001, and rejection of a proposed
Intelligent
Design
compromise. [+] |
|
 |
1996 (Darwin's
Black Box).
Professor Behe
publishes this major book in support of
Intelligent
Design. This book argues the concept of
irreducible
complexity, a supposition that many natural organisms
are far too complex to have resulted from
natural selection. Behe's other books and publications can be
found (here)
on the Access Research
Network website.
[+] |
|
|
Oct 23, 1996 (Paul II's
"Message"). In his "Message to the Pontifical
Academy", Pope John Paul II states that, "...new
knowledge leads to the recognition of the theory of
evolution as more than a hypothesis. It is indeed
remarkable that this theory has been progressively accepted
by researchers following a series of discoveries in various
fields of knowledge"—essentially restating
Humani Generis. |
|
 |
1991
(Johnson's
Darwin on Trial). University of
California, Berkeley law professor Phillip Johnson
challenges evolutionary theory as a "creation myth" and
posits evidence of design in nature—establishing
himself as the father of the modern
Intelligent
Design movement and theory. The book was written
at least in part as a response to
Aguillard. [+] |
|
 |
1989
(Of Pandas and People).
This first textbook of Intelligent
Design is targeted at public schools and published by the
Foundation for Thought and
Ethics. To address concerns raised in lawsuits
that the book was still based on a creationist conception of
origins despite the Intelligent Design packaging, the name of the
pending third edition has been changed to
The Design of Life.
[+] |
|
|
Late 1980s (Intelligent
Design emerges).
Intelligent
Design, a modern adaptation of Paley's
Argument from Design, supposes that some biological
systems are so complex and/or unlikely that the "randomness"
of evolution cannot explain their existence or function.
To solve this problem, ID offers up an unknown "Intelligent
Designer".
Intelligent
Design
was developed at least in part as a response to
Aguillard. [G] [+] |
|
 |
Jun 19, 1987 (Edwards v. Aguillard).
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that
giving "equal time" to the
teaching of
Creation Science
and evolution in public
schools, as required by Louisiana law, violates the
Establishment Clause
of the U.S. Constitution. [G] [+] |
|
|
1982 (McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education). A U.S. District Court rules that Arkansas' 1981 Act
590 (requiring "balanced treatment of
Creation-Science
and evolution in public schools"), violates the
Establishment Clause
of the U.S. Constitution. [G]
[+] |
|
 |
1975 (Wilson's Sociobiology).
While sociobiology is not a new term, this highly
controversial book by Edward Wilson popularizes the idea
that human behavior is based on genetic traits.
Regarded by many as (potential if not intentional) support
for eugenics, racism and Nazism, sociobiological concepts
have also been criticized by Christians as an attempt to
base morality on natural rather than religious foundations.
[+] |
|
|
1972 (Institute for Creation Research).
Henry
Morris founds ICR as the primary voice for
Creation Science. The Institute maintains the
Museum of Creation in San Diego, California.
[+] |
|
|
1971 (Lemon v. Kurtzman). In this
ruling against the subsidization of Catholic private schools
and teacher salaries, the U.S.
Supreme Court states that all laws must have a secular
purpose. The Court further provided the the so-called
"lemon-test" by which laws could be evaluated:
- The law or
regulation (government action) must have
a legitimate secular purpose;
- The
government action must not
have the primary effect of either
advancing or inhibiting religion;
and
- The
government action must not
result in an "excessive entanglement" of
the government and religion
Application of
this test is instrumental in later rulings on
evolution. [G] [+] |
|
|
1968 (Epperson v. Arkansas).
The U.S. Supreme Court rules
that an Arkansas law prohibiting the teaching of evolution
in public schools violates the
Establishment Clause
of the U.S. Constitution,
but did not specifically prohibit the teaching of
creationism. This would not happen until
Edwards in 1987. [G] [+] |
|
|
Jun 17, 1963 (Abington School District v. Schempp).
The U.S. Supreme Court declares guided or sanctioned bible
reading in public schools to be a
violation of the
Establishment Clause
of the Constitution. While not directly related to evolution or creationism, it
is precedent for
Epperson
and part of a series of cases that infuriated many
social conservatives.
[G]
[+] |
|
|
Jun 25, 1962
(Engel v. Vitale). The U.S. Supreme Court declares
school prayer to be a
violation of the
Establishment Clause
of the Constitution. While not
directly related to evolution or creationism, Vitale is
part of a series of cases that infuriated many social
conservatives while pleasing church-state separatists. [G] [+] |
|
 |
1961 (The Genesis Flood
and Young Earth
Creationism).
This book by John Whitcomb and Henry Morris gives birth to
Young Earth Creationism by positing scientific bases for
pure biblical creationism. The book also revives the
17th Century concept of flood geology; the idea that modern
geological formations and rock strata were laid down by the
Noachian flood—expanding on the work of
McCready's
New
Geology.
[+] |
|
 |
1960 (Inherit the Wind).
A 1955 play first adopted for film in 1960, Inherit
the Wind tells a story loosely based on the events of
the Scopes Trial.
[G] [+] |
|
 |
Oct 4, 1957 (Sputnik launch spurs scientific
education). Stunned by Soviet success in space,
the US launches wide-ranging reforms of science education.
In the realm of biology, this meant the return of evolution
to high school biology textbooks—from which evolutionary
science had been almost universally absent since the
Scopes
Trial. [+] |
|
|
1953 (Miller-Urey experiment). In this infamous
experiment, University of Chicago graduate student Stanley
Miller attempts to replicate the conditions of primitive
earth—and specifically to generate the organic compounds
necessary for the creation of life. This experiment
has generally been discredited as inaccurately reflecting
initial atmospheric conditions, and has therefore been used
by antievolutionists as an example of bad evolutionary
science
(despite the fact that the experiment dealt with
abiogenesis, and not evolution).
[+] |
|
|
1953 (DNA). Watson and Crick publish their
groundbreaking paper on DNA, quite literally showing the
world the physical backbone of genetic inheritance—and
how evolutionary changes can be conveyed
from one
generation to another. [+] |
|
|
1950 (Pius XII's Humani Generis).
In this
papal encyclical, Pope Pius XII states
that there is no conflict between Catholicism and evolution,
provided there is no attempt to apply evolutionary concepts
to issues of faith. [G] |
|
|
Mar 8, 1948 (McCollum v. Board of
Education).
The U.S. Supreme Court declares religious classes in public
schoolrooms to be an unconstitutional
violation of the
Establishment Clause.
While not directly related to evolution or creationism, it
is precedent for
Schempp
and part of a series of cases that infuriated many
social conservatives while pleasing church-state
separatists. |
|
|
1925 (Scopes "Monkey" Trial).
One of the most infamous and misunderstood trials in
American history, this test of of Tennessee's
Butler Act pits evolution against
Christianity.
While advocates of evolution lose, book publishers
immediately start pulling evolutionary references from
textbooks to avoid further controversy. [G]
[+] |
|
|
1925 - 1967 (Tennessee's
Butler Act). The Butler
Act makes it illegal for schools in Tennessee to teach any
form of evolutionary science that implies human beings
descended from animals. This act is the basis for the infamous
Scopes Monkey Trial,
but similar acts pass in other states in the
1820s. The act was repealed 1967 to avoid further
litigation.
[G] [+] |
|
|
1921 (Bryan's "Menace of Darwinism").
William Jennings
Bryan rallies
fundamentalism
into a crusade against evolution with speeches such as the
"Menace of Darwinism" in 1921, and the later "Bible and its
Enemies." Bryan's emphasis on evolution makes him the
perfect state advocate in the
Scopes Monkey Trial. |
|
|
1914 - 1918 (World War I
backlash).
Horror at the atrocities of the war creates backlash
against
Social Darwinism and evolution by
association. |
|
|
1918 (Modern
Synthesis/Neo-Darwinism). In simplest terms,
the modern synthesis combines Darwin's evolutionary theory
of natural selection with Mendelian inheritance and
population genetics. The synthesis unifies otherwise
disparate disciplines ranging from botany to paleontology. [+] |
|
|
1923 (McCready's
New Geology).
This
fundamentalist perspective on geology is written by
Seventh-day Adventist George McCready Price and revives the
concept of flood geology—the idea that earth's geology, including fossil-bearing
sedimentary layers, are the result of the Noachian flood.
New Geology
is embraced by many fundamentalists, and is later adopted by
Morris and Whitcomb in
The Genesis Flood in support of
Creation Science. [+] |
 |
1909 (Scofield Reference
Bible). This innovative and wildly popular
Bible includes cross-references to literal biblical
timelines. The Bible introduces many
fundamentalists to
creationism and
Ussher's
calendar, which establishes the date of Creation on the
evening before October 23, 4004 BC.
[+] |
|
|
1905 - 1915 (Fundamentalism
emerges).
Fundamentalism emerges as a form of Protestantism that stresses
biblical inerrancy, at least partially in reaction
to the increasing popularity of evolution and Catholic
immigration to the U.S. Various fundamentalist groups
have long been the primary U.S. antievolutionists. [G]
[+] |
|
|
Early 1900s
(Public Schools Expand).
The U.S. public school system expands throughout the early
1900s, in no small part to provide children with a common
moral foundation. While nominally non-sectarian, these
schools were predominantly Protestant and encouraged prayer,
Bible reading and other religious practices. |
|
|
c.
1900 (Mendel noticed).
Scientists rediscover Mendel's work on biological
inheritance. Years later, Mendelian "genetics" becomes a keystone of the
modern evolutionary synthesis. [+] |
|
|
c. 1880
(Social Darwinism emerges).
Social Darwinism applies Darwin's evolutionary concepts to
human social behavior. Some Social Darwinists use
Herbert Spencer's concept of "survival of the fittest" to
justify racism and other oppressive ideologies. This
has the unfortunate effect of (erroneously) associating
evolutionary science with eugenics, racism and even the
holocaust.
[+] |
|
|
c. 1887
(Theistic
Evolution
emerges). Theistic evolution comprises a
collection of beliefs holding that there is no necessary
conflict between evolutionary science and religion.
The concepts of
theistic evolution emerge in the late 1800s and are
generally attributed to evolution supporters such as
Asa Gray. Harvard Professor Gray, most commonly
known today as the creator of
Gray's Anatomy, was an active supporter of Darwin and a
devout Christian. [+] |
|
 |
1871
(Darwin's Descent of Man).
Darwin publishes his second book on evolutionary theory,
explicitly addressing issues of human development and sexual
selection that he had avoided in
Origin. Sexual selection is important as a
counter to antievolutionary arguments that some traits
(e.g., beauty) could
not be explained by the process of natural selection. [+] |
|
|
1865
(Mendel's unnoticed
"Experiments").
Gregor Mendel publishes "Experiments on Plant
Hybridization", proposing a mechanism for the inheritance of
biological traits. Just such a mechanism has evaded
Darwin, but neither he nor much of anyone else notices of
Mendel's work. Mendel labors in relative obscurity until his
death in 1884. [+] |
|
 |
Nov 24, 1859 (Darwin's
Origin
of Species). Spurred by the
development of similar evolution concepts developed by
Alfred Wallace, Charles Darwin
finally puts aside his study of barnacles and publishes his much anticipated masterwork, On
the Origin of Species. While Darwin is not by any
means the first person to suggest some process of natural
evolution, he is the first to support a specific
developmental mechanism (natural
selection) with a vast array of scientific evidence and
observation. Like it or
not, the world hasn't been the same since. [G]
[+] |
|
|
1858 (Wallace's "Tendency"). Biologist
Alfred Russell Wallace sends Darwin a copy of his essay,
"On the
Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the
Original Type." The essay proposes a theory of natural
selection very similar to Darwin's own. This essay and
an unpublished 1844 paper of Darwin's are presented to a
scientific group by fellow scientists--where Darwin is
acknowledged as having first developed the theory--but
Wallace's work spurs Darwin to publish the
Origin of Species the next year.
[+] |
|
 |
1831 - 1836 (Darwin's Beagle voyage). Darwin spends almost five years on the second scientific expedition
of the HMS beagle, exploring the coastal waters and
coastlines South America. Darwin gains considerable
fame from his travel memoirs, published as Journal of
Remarks (now commonly published as Voyage of the
Beagle) in 1839.
The
Origin of Species, based largely on notes and
observations made during this voyage, does not come out for
another twenty years. [+] |
|
|
1830s (Gap Creationism emerges). Gap
Creationism (Gap Theory) is a collection of modified
creationist beliefs that try to reconcile geological and
cosmological timelines (but not evolution) with the biblical story of Genesis.
These theories emerge in the early 1800s, apparently the
original idea of Scottish mathematician Thomas Chalmers.
[G] [+] |
|
|
1830 - 1833 (Lyell's Principles of Geology).
Charles Lyell publishes this highly influential multi-volume
work on geology, showing how the earth's geological
formations may have developed over very long
periods of time and in a supposedly gradual manner.
Principles builds largely on Hutton's brilliant but less
eloquent
uniformitarian arguments.
[+] |
|
|
1823
(Buckland's
Reliquae Diluvianae). Geologist
William Buckland publishes this claim to have discovered
evidence of Noah's flood in Yorkshire, sparking one of many fierce
debates on he age of the earth.
[G] |
|
|
c. 1817
(Catastrophism emerges). The geological theories
of French naturalist Georges Cuvier, eventually labeled
catastrophism, held that abrupt changes brought about the
extinctions revealed by contemporary fossil discoveries.
Cuvier hypothesized that these abrupt changes, or
catastrophes, were caused by God—in
contrast with more gradual and natural processes suggested
by Hutton's
uniformitarianism.
[+] |
|
|
c. 1809
(Lamarckism emerges). French biologist
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck suggests that biological traits (e.g.,
strength and musculature) developed during one's lifetime
are passed on to immediate descendents.
While long-since discredited, Lamarckism is one of the first
major theories of biological inheritance in support of
natural development. [+] |
|
|
1803
(Paley's Natural Theology and
Argument from Design).
One of the
earlier and most eloquent arguments in favor of
intelligence behind creation was
made by William Paley
in this 1803 work. The
most recent manifestation of Paley's Argument by Design is
Intelligent Design.
[G] |
|
|
1794 - 1796
(Erasmus Darwin's Zoönomia). Charles Darwin's grandfather suggests that
all warm-blooded animal life on earth may have developed from simpler life forms
"in the great length of time since the earth began to
exist."
[+] |
|
 |
1789 - 1791 (US Bill of Rights). This
collection of ten amendments to the US Constitution is
passed by Congress on Sep 25, 1789 and ratified in 1791,
thereby granting constitutional protection to a wide range
of human rights. Among these are religious rights protected
under the
Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which
states that
"Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof." This clause is the basis for many
modern court rulings against the teaching of creationism,
Intelligent
Design and other religious subjects in public schools. [+] |
|
|
Mar - Apr
1785 (Hutton proposes
uniformitarianism). Scottish geologist James
Hutton presents his theory of
uniformitarianism to the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
In contrast to generally-held young-earth views supported by
biblical timelines such as
Ussher's,
Hutton's theory posits a very old earth in order to
allow sufficient time for the erosion of mountains and the
deposition of sedimentary layers on the sea floor.
[+] |
|
|
1749 - 1788
(Buffon's Natural History). Mathematician,
biologist and author Georges-Louis Leclerc (Comte de Buffon)
publishes this seminal work in 42 volumes (8 published after
his death) covering everything then known about the natural
world. Buffon explicitly discusses the possibility of
the common ancestry of humans and apes.
[+] |
|
 |
1650
(Ussher's Annals of the Old Testament).
Bishop James Ussher publishes the Annals, using
biblical timelines to claim that the earth was created on
the evening before October 23, 4004 BC. Ussher's work
is often referenced by
Young Earth Creationists, who also
believe the earth is now roughly 6,000 years old.
[+] |
|
 |
c. 1470 (Augustine's
City of God). In this wide-ranging religious
work, theologian and (later)
saint of the Roman Catholic
Church,
Augustine of Hippo argued that it was a "disgraceful and
dangerous thing" to hold literal biblical views that
contrasted with common experience. Adherence to these
literal interpretations would appear foolish and undermine
the Christian message. [+] |
