On the national scene, is the a modern day Clarence Darrow, an advocate of Agnostocism and Evolution?

Question

The closest equivalent I can think of is perhaps Stephen Hawkings, and Stephen Jay Gould when he was alive. Stephen Jay Gould gave commencement when I received my BA from Michigan State in 1999, I hung on every word.

Who has taken his place?

The fundamentalist Christian equivalent of a modern day William Jennings Bryant appears to be the Pat Robertsons and Jerry Farwell, and while I like Farwell's intelligence I don't think I would be able to get a good debate out of him.

Who are the modern equivalents of Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryant, the giants of intellect in the 1920 Scopes Monkey Trial?

. . . is there a modern . . . .

Answer 1

Seems like we have lost a few recently. Not only Gould but also Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman. Atheists like those are hard to replace.

Richard Dawkins is still a powerful voice for atheism among the living.

Answer 2

Any scientist who is ready to discuss unpopular evidene in the face of social norms fits Darrow's character. Some clear examples are the Bishop of Turin and the British historian David Irving. The Bishop actually allowed the shroud of Turin to be Carbon dated, and thus shown to be a forgery; quite courageous! David Irvng has presented seemingly credible evidence that the Holocaust of WWII did not happen in the way historians tell us it did (See the Leuchter report). He defended himself in court against a team provided bt Princess Diana, and against mostly ad hominem attacks on both his character and that of Fred A. Leuchter. Of course something terrible happened in those prison camps, and I am not an apologist for Hitler's acts, but all evidence must be considered, no matter how un-PC.

Answer 3

well there are quite a few people who could argue the William Jennings Bryant case very well. ( side note that by legal maneuvering ( Clarence Darrow never had to be cross examined) There is Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org/

Chuck Colson

http://www.breakpoint.org/site_hmpg.asp

Charles Stanley

http://ww2.intouch.org/site/c.7nKFISNvEqG/b.1013839/k.BF44/Home.htm

Ravi Zacharias

http://www.rzim.org/

Answer 4

I don't think there are any monkeys left with the brain of Darrow. Hawkings isn't a lawyer and as far as I am concerned just a mild kook.

How can one be an advocate of agnosticism?

That's funny. Do you have a job?

Answer 5

Probably Hawkings.

Answer 6

Hawkings is a good choice. I don't know too many people who profess their atheism too much. They just quitely enjoy not going to church and not titheing, and not reading the stupid book of stupid stories.