Rachel Held Evans

Look What Showed Up in Dayton

I did a double-take on the way home from Chattanooga the other day when I noticed this billboard just outside the county line. The Freedom From Religion Foundation chose just a few locations for the board: Madison, Wisconsin, (where the organization is based), Dayton, Tennessee,  (where the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 was held, of course), and Dover, Pennsylvania, (where a local school board sought to integrate the concept of intelligent design into science classes in 2005).

Apparently, it will stay up throughout the month of February, as the 12th marks Darwin’s birthday. Jennifer—a friend of the blog— sent me this link, in which the FFRF explains the purpose of the board.

I haven’t heard too many people around here complain, but I’m guessing the board has certainly sparked  discussions. I personally don’t have a problem with Darwin or with the theory of evolution, but I think maybe the Freedom From Religion Foundation does more harm to itself than good by stoking the animosity of folks from the Bible Belt. Also, I think it reinforces the notion that one must choose between believing in evolution and believing in a loving, personal God - a common myth on both sides of the creation/evolution debate.What do you think?