It is unfortunate that a controversy — again — has erupted in the Tennessee Legislature concerning public school teaching of the subject of “evolution.”
We recall the unfortunate so-called “Tennessee monkey trial,” or Scopes trial, in nearby Dayton, Tenn., in 1925.
Now a bill has passed the Tennessee Legislature that protects teachers in classroom discussions about evolution, which some think of as just gradual development in life but others think of as “men descended from monkeys.”
It’s a controversy that shouldn’t be concerning our people in general, or teachers, or school children or public officials.
Tennessee legislators and Gov. Bill Haslam unfortunately have been thrust into controversy, with the governor saying this week, “My concern is that this bill has not met this objective. For that reason, I will not sign the bill but will allow it to become law without my signature.”