Lying for Darwin

I have met one or two Catholics (of the pro-Pope-Francis brigade) who accuse Creationists and (as in my case or that of Robert Sungenis) of "lying for Jesus".

Here is a link featuring lying for Darwin being the real base in the Scopes trial:

Given that John Scopes was a popular football coach in Dayton who never taught evolution and didn't feel strongly about the subject - how then did he get indicted for violating a Tennessee law which forbid teaching the evolution of man? The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in New York City and George Rappleyea, a local mine operator in Dayton Tennessee, were responsible for indicting John Scopes for teaching evolution. The ACLU was anxious to get a test case in Tennessee which they might be able to use to repeal or nullify the Butler act. This act forbid public school teachers in the state of Tennessee to deny the literal Biblical account of man's origin and to teach in its place the evolution of man from lower animals. The law, incidentally, didn't forbid teaching the evolution of any other species of plant or animal. George Rappleyea read a press release from the ACLU in a Chattanooga paper, The Daily Times, which said in part:

"We are looking for a Tennessee teacher who is willing to accept our services in testing this law in the courts."

The release promised legal services without cost and implied that the Ku-Klux Klan and "professional patriotic societies" were the "inspiration" for the law. Rappleyea apparently had reasons of his own for trying to embarrass the Fundamentalist Christians of Tennessee by challenging and perhaps overthrowing a law which favored teaching the Biblical account of man's creation. During the Scopes trial George Rappleyea told the press about his reason for setting the Scopes trial in motion. Rappleyea was apparently upset with a Fundamentalist preacher who he claimed declared that a dead boy would be cast into the "flames of hell" because he had neither "confessed Christ" nor was baptized. This apparently did not agree with Rappleyea's religious views and he vowed that he would "get even" with the "Fundamentalists" who he believed were responsible for the antievolution law (de Camp, pages 6-7). Rappleyea said "I made up my mind I'd show the world."

Rappleyea, who de Camp describes as an "intense, argumentative, garrulous man," lost no time in seeking out John Scopes and in pressuring him to accept the ACLU offer. Scopes was apparently reluctant to get involved and told Rappleyea that he had not actually taught evolution. Rappleyea insisted that since the biology text book taught evolution, that was close enough and with Scopes' permission he wrote out a telegram on the spot to the ACLU which read:

"Professor J.T. Scopes, teacher of science Rhea County high School, Dayton, Tenn, will be arrested and charged with teaching evolution. Consent of superintendent of education for test case to be defended by you. Wire me collect if you wish to cooperate and arrest will follow."

Apparently Rappleyea didn't even wait for the ACLU response as he went right out to a justice of the peace to get a warrant for Scopes' arrest. Sue Hicks, a local lawyer who went along with the plan, filled out a makeshift arrest warrant while Rappleyea swore to the truth of the statement and signed the warrant. He then found a sheriff and demanded the arrest of John Scopes. Scopes was arrested and immediately released on a bond of $1,000. It should be emphasized that, contrary to the film, Scopes was never jailed for teaching evolution. In portraying Scopes as a "prisoner", the film obviously tried to invoke sympathy for Scopes as a man who was persecuted for his beliefs by prying Fundamentalists. In his book, Sprague de Camp dispelled what he called "the widespread myth" of the dedicated school teacher who was persecuted for his courageous stand on behalf of evolution by "witch-burning" Fundamentalists:

"The trial wasn't a 'witch hunt' as it has been called, because the accused and his defenders - the 'witches' - were actually the hunters, stalking the law with the intent of overturning it or at least making it unenforceable." (de Camp, page 490)

Bible.ca : Inherit The Wind: Intellectual Pornography!
section : A Hollywood History of the 1925 Scopes 'Monkey' Trial
by David N. Menton, Ph.D., Copyright © 1987, 1994, 1997 Missouri Association for Creation, Inc.
http://www.bible.ca/tracks/textbook-fraud-scopes-trial-inherit-wind.htm#detail

I can't say I am not reminded of Hochhuth's The Deputy, also Marxism, but this time attacking Catholicism, and it is somewhat significant that here back in 1925 a press release considered KKK as behind the Butler Act, and now there are people attacking Creationism as being racialist, this time over for literally believing in Genesis 9:20 - 27, as if Chanaan rather than Cush were the ancestor of the blacks .../HGL

Bonus, here is a link to Sprague de Camp's work which was cited more than once by Menton:

Amazon : The Great Monkey Trial
Hardcover – January, 1968, by L. Sprague De Camp (Author)
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Monkey-Trial-Sprague-Camp/dp/0385046251

See also : Great Bishop of Geneva! : Answering a Meme About Catholic and Orthodox
http://greatbishopofgeneva.blogspot.com/2018/09/answering-meme-about-catholic-and.html