What do you think?
Rate this book
Charles Darwin's Religious Views: From Creationist to Evolutionist
This book is a spiritual biography that focuses primarily on the religious experiences of Charles Darwin's life. Its intent is to demonstrate how Darwin's rejection of the Bible led him to adopt the naturalistic assumptions that were foundational to his belief in evolutionism.
Paperback
First published February 6, 2009
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 24, 2024
AN EXCELLENT HISTORICAL STUDY OF DARWIN’S CHANGING VIEWS ON RELIGION
David Herbert is a retired school teacher; he acknowledged in the Preface, “I still maintain a firm commitment to the Bible as the inerrant Word of the living God, and the only reliable source in answering the three eternal questions of life.” (Pg. xiv)
He wrote in the Preface to this 2009 book, “This book---a spiritual biography---focuses primarily on the religious experiences of Charles Darwin’s life. More specifically, its intent is to demonstrate how Darwin’s rejection of the Bible led him to adopt the naturalistic assumptions that were foundational to his belief in evolutionism.” (Pg. xii)
Of the younger Charles Darwin, he says, “we can conclude that Darwin was not committed in any way to the orthodox teaching of Christianity… Charles Darwin, prior to his university days, received a mixed message concerning a belief in God. It ranged from his father’s impassioned skepticism to the ardent Unitarian faith of his mother and sisters. The Wedgwood tradition… convinced young Charles that there was a Supreme Being and that the Bible was a book to be valued for its high moral principles; beyond that, there is little evidence of any deeper understanding.” (Pg. 15-16)
Of Darwin’s university entrance, he asks, “Why did Darwin choose to become a minister?... His father, knowing that his son loved natural science and that many ministers were also naturalists, realized the Anglican ministry offered his son ‘comparative security of position, opportunity for leisure, absence of any risk of failure.’ … the ministry as a profession still opened doors to the cultured and highly respected circles of British society… Neither Charles nor his father for one moment ever entertained the thought that ‘a man of the cloth’ was called by God to bring glory to his name through their service in the ministry.” (Pg. 23)
He notes, “In his Autobiography, Darwin referred to himself as being quite orthodox (or biblically Unitarian). During a discussion with the officers of the Beagle, he quoted the Bible ‘as unanswerable authority on some point of morality.’ These men chided him for resorting to the Scriptures.” (Pg. 45) Later, he adds, “Darwin also credited Christianity with the abolition of drunkenness, human sacrifices, infanticide and the brutality of tribal wars that had occurred so regularly in the past. But even though he praised the ethical and educational efforts of the missionaries, he never once mentioned their work of evangelization among these people of the Pacific.” (Pg. 47)
He observes, “The Beagle docked back in England on October 2, 1936. When the twenty-seven-year-old world traveler returned home after a five-year absence, did his family notice any change in his religious views? The answer is no. His… Unitarian heritage with its belief in a Creator who played an important role within his universe and its view of biblical morality was still, at least for the moment, intact… But one thing definitely HAD changed: Charles had abandoned forever any notion of a career in the Anglican Church.” (Pg. 51)
Soon after, “The fixity of kinds or the biblical belief that dogs produce only dogs, and cats produce only cats… was considered by Darwin to be totally spurious… Charles Darwin, the evolutionist, was now whole-heartedly converted to Naturalism… a world controlled by natural laws devoid of any Divine interference… when Darwin peered into the small world of the Galapagos, he perceived it as being, in miniature, a replica of what had been occurring universally over eons of time. The species barrier had been broken and the Bible could be cast aside! Charles Darwin rejected the fixity of kinds and, for the same reason, denied a global flood---because of lack of faith in the biblical record.” (Pg. 54)
He points out, “Darwin’s animosity towards ‘biblical’ Unitarianism evidenced itself concerning the question of divine justice… Divine justice on unbelievers, he realized, would include ‘his Father, brother and almost all his best friends…’ … Darwin’s rejection and repugnance of divine judgment was totally consistent with his newly-acquired belief in Naturalism. His lack of spiritual discernment was most evident here. Dismissing the Bible as the Word of God, Darwin had no basis upon which to believe that a holy, righteous god abhorred sin and would judge men and women for their rebellion.” (Pg. 60-61)
Of Darwin’s wife Emma, he observes, “many scholars are convinced that Emma was an evangelical Christian. But this question must be asked: Who was this Jesus in whom she had placed her faith? As a ‘biblical Unitarian,’ Emma believed in one eternal God; Jesus was a creation of God. Living a perfect life, this same Jesus provided eternal life through his death, burial and resurrection for all those who were morally good. During the morning church service, the Darwins regularly showed their disdain for the Trinitarian doctrine so clearly taught in the Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles. ‘When the congregation turned towards the altar to recite the Creed, the Darwins faced the other way and sternly looked into the eyes of the other church-goers.’ It should be noted that Emma’s view of the Scriptures was anything but orthodox.” (Pg. 65)
He asserts, “[The Bible and 'The Origin of Species'] both address two mutually exclusive religious viewpoints on origins: Naturalism and Supernaturalism. Even though Darwin wrote… ‘I see no good reason why the views given in this volume should shock the religious feelings of anyone,’ readers, particularly of today, should not be duped into seeing ‘Origin of Species’ as solely a scientific manual. Rather, it should be viewed as a sacred writing which propagated a naturalistic theology.” (Pg. 85-86)
Of Darwin’s decision to add the words, ‘by the Creator,’ into the closing paragraph of the second edition of ‘Origin,’ he quotes Darwin as saying, “I have long regretted that I truckled to public opinion and used the Pentateuchal term of creation, by which I really meant ‘appeared’ by some wholly unknown process…’” He adds, “The question that is difficult to answer is: Was this ‘truckling’ a lack of courage of Darwin’s part to go all the way and declare himself to be an avowed atheist who was completely committed to a naturalistic worldview, or was there a deep-seated desire to recognize a Supreme Being?”(Pg. 116)
Of rumors of Darwin’s supposed “deathbed repentance,” he notes, “It would be a spectacular revelation if the ‘father of evolutionism,’ in his last days, had indeed become a follower of Jesus Christ and rejected his belief system… But, as we have seen, the evidence of either of these being a reality is highly questionable.” (Pg. 153-154)
This is an excellent and detailed study of Darwin’s religious views and their development over time.
David Herbert is a retired school teacher; he acknowledged in the Preface, “I still maintain a firm commitment to the Bible as the inerrant Word of the living God, and the only reliable source in answering the three eternal questions of life.” (Pg. xiv)
He wrote in the Preface to this 2009 book, “This book---a spiritual biography---focuses primarily on the religious experiences of Charles Darwin’s life. More specifically, its intent is to demonstrate how Darwin’s rejection of the Bible led him to adopt the naturalistic assumptions that were foundational to his belief in evolutionism.” (Pg. xii)
Of the younger Charles Darwin, he says, “we can conclude that Darwin was not committed in any way to the orthodox teaching of Christianity… Charles Darwin, prior to his university days, received a mixed message concerning a belief in God. It ranged from his father’s impassioned skepticism to the ardent Unitarian faith of his mother and sisters. The Wedgwood tradition… convinced young Charles that there was a Supreme Being and that the Bible was a book to be valued for its high moral principles; beyond that, there is little evidence of any deeper understanding.” (Pg. 15-16)
Of Darwin’s university entrance, he asks, “Why did Darwin choose to become a minister?... His father, knowing that his son loved natural science and that many ministers were also naturalists, realized the Anglican ministry offered his son ‘comparative security of position, opportunity for leisure, absence of any risk of failure.’ … the ministry as a profession still opened doors to the cultured and highly respected circles of British society… Neither Charles nor his father for one moment ever entertained the thought that ‘a man of the cloth’ was called by God to bring glory to his name through their service in the ministry.” (Pg. 23)
He notes, “In his Autobiography, Darwin referred to himself as being quite orthodox (or biblically Unitarian). During a discussion with the officers of the Beagle, he quoted the Bible ‘as unanswerable authority on some point of morality.’ These men chided him for resorting to the Scriptures.” (Pg. 45) Later, he adds, “Darwin also credited Christianity with the abolition of drunkenness, human sacrifices, infanticide and the brutality of tribal wars that had occurred so regularly in the past. But even though he praised the ethical and educational efforts of the missionaries, he never once mentioned their work of evangelization among these people of the Pacific.” (Pg. 47)
He observes, “The Beagle docked back in England on October 2, 1936. When the twenty-seven-year-old world traveler returned home after a five-year absence, did his family notice any change in his religious views? The answer is no. His… Unitarian heritage with its belief in a Creator who played an important role within his universe and its view of biblical morality was still, at least for the moment, intact… But one thing definitely HAD changed: Charles had abandoned forever any notion of a career in the Anglican Church.” (Pg. 51)
Soon after, “The fixity of kinds or the biblical belief that dogs produce only dogs, and cats produce only cats… was considered by Darwin to be totally spurious… Charles Darwin, the evolutionist, was now whole-heartedly converted to Naturalism… a world controlled by natural laws devoid of any Divine interference… when Darwin peered into the small world of the Galapagos, he perceived it as being, in miniature, a replica of what had been occurring universally over eons of time. The species barrier had been broken and the Bible could be cast aside! Charles Darwin rejected the fixity of kinds and, for the same reason, denied a global flood---because of lack of faith in the biblical record.” (Pg. 54)
He points out, “Darwin’s animosity towards ‘biblical’ Unitarianism evidenced itself concerning the question of divine justice… Divine justice on unbelievers, he realized, would include ‘his Father, brother and almost all his best friends…’ … Darwin’s rejection and repugnance of divine judgment was totally consistent with his newly-acquired belief in Naturalism. His lack of spiritual discernment was most evident here. Dismissing the Bible as the Word of God, Darwin had no basis upon which to believe that a holy, righteous god abhorred sin and would judge men and women for their rebellion.” (Pg. 60-61)
Of Darwin’s wife Emma, he observes, “many scholars are convinced that Emma was an evangelical Christian. But this question must be asked: Who was this Jesus in whom she had placed her faith? As a ‘biblical Unitarian,’ Emma believed in one eternal God; Jesus was a creation of God. Living a perfect life, this same Jesus provided eternal life through his death, burial and resurrection for all those who were morally good. During the morning church service, the Darwins regularly showed their disdain for the Trinitarian doctrine so clearly taught in the Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles. ‘When the congregation turned towards the altar to recite the Creed, the Darwins faced the other way and sternly looked into the eyes of the other church-goers.’ It should be noted that Emma’s view of the Scriptures was anything but orthodox.” (Pg. 65)
He asserts, “[The Bible and 'The Origin of Species'] both address two mutually exclusive religious viewpoints on origins: Naturalism and Supernaturalism. Even though Darwin wrote… ‘I see no good reason why the views given in this volume should shock the religious feelings of anyone,’ readers, particularly of today, should not be duped into seeing ‘Origin of Species’ as solely a scientific manual. Rather, it should be viewed as a sacred writing which propagated a naturalistic theology.” (Pg. 85-86)
Of Darwin’s decision to add the words, ‘by the Creator,’ into the closing paragraph of the second edition of ‘Origin,’ he quotes Darwin as saying, “I have long regretted that I truckled to public opinion and used the Pentateuchal term of creation, by which I really meant ‘appeared’ by some wholly unknown process…’” He adds, “The question that is difficult to answer is: Was this ‘truckling’ a lack of courage of Darwin’s part to go all the way and declare himself to be an avowed atheist who was completely committed to a naturalistic worldview, or was there a deep-seated desire to recognize a Supreme Being?”(Pg. 116)
Of rumors of Darwin’s supposed “deathbed repentance,” he notes, “It would be a spectacular revelation if the ‘father of evolutionism,’ in his last days, had indeed become a follower of Jesus Christ and rejected his belief system… But, as we have seen, the evidence of either of these being a reality is highly questionable.” (Pg. 153-154)
This is an excellent and detailed study of Darwin’s religious views and their development over time.
Displaying 1 of 1 review