Texas vs. Charles Darwin

I live in Texas, where people cling to their myths, as if to believe facts would consign them to Hell. This week I am reminded of this in the midst of the hoopla for the 200th anniversary of the births of Lincoln and Darwin.

Doubtless you also saw the deluge of programs and articles. Do you subscribe to National Geographic and/or Smithsonian? Both magazines put the two men on their covers and published similar accompanying articles. As for television, instead of covering the usual “breaking news,” CNN toured Lincoln exhibits in Washington and Illinois.

PBS broadcast two programs on myths. “In Search of Myths and Heroes” Michael Pallin toured sights associated with the legends of King Arthur. Via television I went to Wales and Scotland, which both claim the site of Arthur’s battles, and to France, where Eleanor of Aquitaine’s court greatly embroidered the stories into fantastic tales. The tour ended in Winchester, where England’s King Henry VIII had the “round table” on the wall of the cathedral repainted, centered by the Tudor rose, and with his own face dominating as King Arthur. In the end our guide concluded that there is little or no facts behind these myths of “the once and future king.” As he said, “People believe what they NEED to believe.”

This program was followed by two hours of “Looking for Lincoln.” As a young man, the “Great Emancipator” was a racist! Even when he signed that famous document, he believed that black men were inferior to whites. Only after he saw the courage of the black soldiers who fought in the Union Army did he say that they – and other “educated Negroes” – should be given the vote. At the conclusion of his life he finally supported, “All men are created equal.” The Lincoln story is one of a change in attitude, as a decent, thoughtful man came to recognize the basic humanity of all people. The myth carries a hint of truth: Without Lincoln, the former racist, slavery would have continued in the South. Many African-Americans refuse to believe any imperfections in Lincoln. To them he will always be “The Great Emancipator.” And people believe what they need to believe.

In Texas people cling to their myths of a different kind. When I mentioned to someone that I had “strayed” from the Baptist Church, she tried to reconvert me. She asked, “Do you believe in Christ as your personal savior?” I said, “No.” She asked, “Why not?” I said, “One of my best friends is a Jew, and I know too many fine Muslims.” She said, “Don’t you believe the Bible?” I said, “Not the way you do.” A few days later she came back to my house and, standing in the door, said accusingly, “You believe in Evolution.” I said, “Yes. Darwin was right, and DNA supports what he learned by observation.” She shook her head. It was my turn to ask, “Have you read The Origin of Species?” She looked as if I had insulted her by asking. She said, “No,” then added, “I’ll pray for you.”

I thanked her for her prayers. She is a kind woman who wants to go to Heaven and who wants to take her friends and relatives with her. She does no harm.

Others who attack Darwin can not be excused for their ignorance. Ministers still preach that true believers must accept that God created the Earth in 6,000 B.C., when all forms of life sprang into being by “divine design” as told in the King James translation of the Bible. This is taught from the pulpit of the church across the street on Garland Avenue, half a block from my house.

The Texas Board of Education, which sets the curriculum for all the schools in the state, is in a hassle over whether science teachers should be required to teach the biblical explanation for the origin of human beings and also to point out “the flaws in evolution theory.” No wonder Texas has such poor public schools. This week the Dallas Morning News reported a shortage of science teachers in Texas; also, 24% of current science teachers are “not qualified” in that subject. Add to that, the woman who came to my house, a member of that neighborhood church, told me she majored in biology at East Texas State College! This is 2008, and Texas is still in 1808 B.D. (Before Darwin). The problem here is: the same kind of thinking that requires people to believe in “creationism” also teaches that only those who “believe in Christ” will go to Heaven. That leads to religious prejudice.

People believe what they are told. When the leaders of a people ignore scientific facts and/or preach intolerance, the result can be catastrophic. In Germany this lead to the Holocaust. In Iraq it causes Sunnis and Shias to blow up each other. Islamic fanatics kill our boys who were sent there to promote “Iraqi freedom.” Except for rare instances, bombing of synagogues and of that church in Birmingham, it has not come to violence in this country. Not yet. Remember those little girls in their white Sunday School dresses on the steps of that Birmingham church. The Great Emancipator could not save them from people who clung to their false beliefs.

Let’s celebrate both Lincoln and Darwin. Give thanks to the Creator, whoever that may be, for giving both of them to mankind. Also, give thanks that most thinking people do not believe the myths perpetuated by many Texans.