When the Pilgrims landed, it was inconceivable to imagine that only ten or so generations later, their belief in a literal and historic interpretation of the Bible's Genesis account of creation would be on trial. It happened during the summer of 1925, when the "Scopes Monkey Trial" took place in Dayton, Tennessee, at the Rhea County Courthouse. It was considered the "Trial of the Century"—a legal and spiritual battle between the doctrines of creation and evolution, biblical faith versus scientific reason.

 

The defendant, John T. Scopes, a high school teacher, was on trial for having violated state law by teaching evolution. It was a misdemeanor for any teacher in a school supported by public funds "to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." 

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William Jennings Bryan, counsel for the prosecution, had previously been a three-time Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States. He was considered an expert on the Bible for his numerous public speeches and writings defending fundamentalist Christian beliefs, which strongly opposed the theory of evolution. He also held a weekly Bible class in Miami and was heard on the radio nationwide, discussing matters of faith.

 

In a twist of fate, Bryan took the witness stand to be examined by Scopes' renowned defense attorney, Clarence Darrow—an agnostic. The resulting matchup proved to be an epic contest between the personal faith of a creationist and the convictions of a firm believer in natural science and evolution. Darrow stated, "...the Bible, in many ways, is in conflict with every known science, and there isn't a human being on earth [who] believes it literally."

 

Journalist H.L. Mencken satirically summarized the two sides: "On the one side was bigotry, ignorance, hatred, superstition, every sort of blackness that the human mind is capable of. On the other side was sense."

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With his intent to discredit Bryan's testimony, Darrow asked him, "But when you read that Jonah swallowed the whale—or that the whale swallowed Jonah—excuse me, please—how do you literally interpret that?"

 

For Bryan, it was a miracle taken on faith. Then the second round of questioning began:

 

"Do you believe Joshua made the sun [or earth] stand still? ...Now, Mr. Bryan, have you ever pondered what would have happened to the earth if it had stood still?...Don't you know it would have been converted into a molten mass of matter?"

 

Bryan confirmed once again it was a miracle, and he stated, "...the God I believe in could have taken care of that, Mr. Darrow." 

 

​While Scopes himself was convicted, Bryan also suffered defeat for undermining biblical authority. His response to these next two questions impacted the culture for enduring generations, as it introduced serious doubt to the Bible's historical Genesis account— leading to unbelief in God's word and eventually strictly secular teaching in public education:

 

"Mr. Bryan, could you tell me how old the earth is?" "No sir, I couldn't." And, "Mr. Bryan, do you think the earth was made in six days?"

 

Bryan responded, "Not six days of twenty-four hours... My impression is they were periods, but I would not attempt to argue as against anybody who wanted to believe in literal days."

 

With modern science supporting millions or billions of years for the age of the Earth, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution made sense—whereas the Bible did not. To believe otherwise—as in a young, yet mature Earth, miraculously created by God in six 24-hour days and being only thousands of years old—can be summed up in what Darrow said to Bryan:

 

"You insult every man of science and learning in the world because he does not believe in your fool religion." ​

 

Science, though, can never prove or disprove supernatural miracles resulting from divine intervention. A six-day, day-and-night creation of the Earth—defying the natural laws of science—seems like fantasy. So, too, does the story of Jonah being swallowed by a big fish, or the virgin birth, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

 

So, then, is biblical faith—like the Pilgrims' faith—only foolishness.

 

Well, I know for a fact that it's not, because God Himself directly intervened in my life with a most unusual and miraculous near-death experience. I went Beyond Believing by faith and was an eyewitness to truth, as God instructed me to "Look and remember." He then proceeded to show me a series of symbols, that appear simple and foolish at first, but later ascend to a whole new level of intelligent design. Think Joseph's dreams, Ezekiel's visions, or John's Revelation. Symbols weren't given to explain everything in the moment—they were warnings, revelations, or instructions that made sense in time. 

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​​So, get ready to solve a mystery and believe that nothing is impossible with God!

 

It is my hope and prayer that Beyond Believing: A Journey Beyond Faith will convince you— beyond a reasonable doubt—to believe the Bible and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).

 

May it also lead you to believe in a future and a hope that only He can provide. For as it is written:

 

"What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor. 2:9).
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If you are a first-time visitor, I suggest you begin with the November 2, 2019 post titled Beyond Believing. Here is a link to the post:
https://www.beyondbelieving.online/post/beyond-believing