In my next series of posts, I am going to address some common errors and claims that Young Earth Creationists make about science and the early chapters of Genesis. In this particular post, I want to address some common errors that are circulated about Charles Darwin by many well meaning Christians.
Darwin and Christianity
One of the myths that just doesn't seem to go away is that on his deathbed, Charles Darwin recanted his theory of evolution and accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. This myth was first perpetuated by a woman who went by the name Lady Hope. She claimed to have visited with him before he died, and in their conversation he both recanted evolution and accepted Christ. This myth was passed on and even printed in the Boston Watchman Examiner after Darwin's death. Based on the documents and letters we have, this claim cannot be substantiated in the least. In fact, Darwin's daughter, Henrietta, wrote in The Christian in February 1922 ,
I was present at his death bed, Lady Hope was not present during his last illness, or any illness. I believe he never even saw her, but in any case she had no influence over him in any department of thought or belief. He never recanted any of his scientific views, either then or earlier. We think the story of his conversion was fabricated in the U.S.A... the whole story has no foundation whatever.
Then what caused Darwin to turn away from Christianity so fiercely? You might be surprised, but it wasn't his views on evolution. Darwin rejected Christianity because of the problem of evil and the doctrine of hell. When his daughter Annie died at age 10, he began to hate the Christian God and blamed him for her death. This was in 1851, eight years before he wrote Origin of Species. Around the time of her death, Darwin also stated that if Christianity were true, then that meant many of his family members would be in hell. Darwin could not swallow this, since he viewed these people as kind and generous. Therefore Darwin's rejection of Christianity was not based on unbelief, but on theological reasons.
Darwin and God
Just because Darwin rejected Christianity does not mean that he abandoned belief in a Creator. Darwin was not an atheist, but could be classified as more of an agnostic. He also did not see evolution as a reason to reject belief in God. In fact, right after he published Origin of Species, famous American biologist Asa Gray wrote Darwin and told him that evolution shows God's ingenious way of ensuring the unity and diversity of all of life. Darwin even praised Gray for seeing a point that no one else did. Darwin never saw evolution as inconsistent with theist belief, and he maintained this viewpoint all his life.
The battle between evolution and Christianity really started to take off when some of Darwin's followers, like Thomas Huxley, began to use evolution to try and stamp out the Christian view of divine creation. The question that is always raised is, "If Darwin saw evolution and theism as compatible, why didn't he say something?" As we have already noted, Darwin was, at one point, very hostile to Christianity (not theism). His theological objections, along with some of his naturalistic tendencies, caused him to reject divine miracles and any type of divine intervention in creation. Darwin's theism/agnosticism is more along the lines of deism. Therefore, in this discussion, it is very important that we distinguish between Darwin the scientist and Darwin the unbeliever. Again, his science did not cause him to reject Christianity; his theology did.
Why is this important? It is important because there are many Christians and atheists who state that evolution leads to atheism, and that belief in theism and evolution is incompatible. Yet the very founder of the theory, though rejecting Christianity, did not equate evolution with atheism. This means that it is certainly possible for someone to accept the theory of evolution, without embracing metaphysical naturalism and unbelief.
Darwin and Racism
One of the claims often made by Christians who try to smear Darwin is that he was a racist. They often claim that Darwin's theory of evolution promoted racism, slavery, and genocide. The fact of the matter is that all these things have been prevalent since the dawn of civilization, and has been practiced by all human societies. The very idea that the theory of evolution is responsible for this is so historically inaccurate, it is amazing that any thinking human being could believe this. Ken Ham and other Young Earth Creationists try to say that Darwin's book, The Descent of Man, divides the races up into higher and lower worth. This is not true.
Granted, Darwin was a Victorian gentleman, and as a Victorian gentleman, he had views about "savages" that would not be considered politically correct in our day, but he was not a racist. In fact, despite the claim of Ken Ham, Darwin's book, The Descent of Man, was written to refute the idea of higher and lower races. Evolution does this precisely because it claims that all humans come from a common ancestor. Mankind may be divided into different races and adapt to life in different environments, but they were all the same species and deserved the same dignity and value. Furthermore, Darwin was an abolitionist, and was deeply opposed to slavery. In fact, Darwin was very passionate about this subject, and went on to argue that no matter our differences, common descent unites us all and is grounds for human equality, making slavery impossible. As Christians, we would also recognize that the central reason we are all equal is the image of God. Yet we should celebrate how Darwin viewed his theory, and see how it fits nicely with the image of God.
Darwin and Hitler
It is often claimed by some Young Earth Creationists that Darwin's theory of evolution is what led Hitler to his anti-antisemitism and genocide. We have already addressed the race issue above, so I won't repeat myself. As far as the genocide of the Jewish people goes, Darwin is not to blame. The argument usually goes like this: Darwinism promotes survival of the fittest; Hitler was a Darwinist, therefore evolution led him to commit mass genocide. There is much to be said about this.
First, in all of his writings, Hitler never mentions Darwin. Rather, he bases his racism and genocide on ancient practices and the extermination of the natives in America. Hitler argued that "racial purity" was God's will. Darwin argued that because of common descent, there is no such thing as racial purity. Hitler argued that the segregation of races was "rigid law." Darwin showed that there are no such rigid laws. And I could go on...
Second, there is a huge difference between the science of evolution and social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is a wrong headed, atheistic INTERPRETATION of the science of evolution. The main issue with this is that evolution is not equipped to make metaphysical or sociological claims.
Third, let's say, for the sake or argument, that evolution did fuel Hitler's racism and genocide. Does that mean the science is wrong? Let me use this same logic to make a point. The Crusaders used the Bible to justify their wars and murders, therefore the Bible is evil. I'll leave it at that.
I'll close this section with this: The ideology of Nazi Germany was the sanctity of race. It was not based on evolution. Sure, they embraced the idea of "struggle for survival". Yet this is an ancient concept that has been recognized for a long time. Also, evolutionary theory is about much more than the role of competition in the survival of life.
My hope is that this post will help curb some of the misinformation that is out there. As Christians, our job is to seek the truth and promote that which is right. By continuing to promote out right lies about Charles Darwin goes against our calling. But I get it. I get why people want to wrongly demonize him. I know how fundamentalism works- if you can slander the character of someone, or link them to some unsavory event, then everything they say can be dismissed. I've seen this method time and time again in churches, and not just with Darwin, but with anyone, Christian or not, who holds a different view on things than what is accepted by that particular congregation. I am not saying that you have to agree with Darwin's claims, or agree with the modern theory of evolution. What I am saying is that to continue to promote falsehood to slant an argument in your favor is deceptive. If one is going to argue for or against the theory of evolution, let it be on the grounds of historical accuracy and science, not on misinformation and false claims. To do so only continues to set this conversation back, and impedes us in making progress in the debate. Please, brothers and sisters, let's be discerning in what we read and hear. Let's actually research things. Let's be honest and genuine, even if the facts challenge our own viewpoint.