Darwin’s Deadly Deception and the Devil’s Gospel, Part 4

By Clint Bishard

Jesus Created Ministries

Several weeks ago, I discussed how Darwin’s book on ‘Origins’ in 1859, more than any other book in history, was the turning point for much of western scientific thought away from a creationist’s view of the history of life to that of an evolutionist’s view of life (common decent).  However, the foundation of scientific thought in the western world originally came from an acknowledgement of God and a desire to study the creation to learn more about the Creator.  As a result, science in the 1600 - 1700’s drew many of its starting assumptions from the Bible.  This included the assumption that distinct life forms (kinds) were supernaturally created by God as described in Genesis 1. 

Although the above Biblical assumption is correct, its application within the scientific community at the time was incorrect.  The vague term of “species” became propagated with the connotation that the species were the created kinds described in Genesis 1.  The inability of separate species to interbreed (as many defined it) and have fertile offspring contributed to this belief in the species being the created kinds.  Varieties were possible within each species, but the creationists’ positions of the day held that the species were immutable in that they represented distinct acts of creation and were not of common decent.  As noted by Darwin in the ‘Origin’ - “No one definition has satisfied all naturalists; yet every naturalist knows vaguely what he means when he speaks of a species.  Generally the term includes the unknown element of a distinct act of creation.”[1]

Darwin initially professed to be a believer in the view of origins given in Genesis.  Darwin’s initial acceptance of this viewpoint can be seen in his personal autobiography written for his children.  In it he discusses his reasoning for why he chose to go to seminary to study to be a clergyman.  He noted “I liked the thought of being a country clergyman.  Accordingly I read with care ‘Pearson on the Creed,’ and a few other books on divinity; and as I did not then in the least doubt the strict and literal truth of every word in the Bible, I soon persuaded myself that our Creed must be fully accepted.”[2]

However, Darwin’s belief in the Bible and his desire to be a clergyman “died a natural death,”[3] to use his own words.  I hope you will join me next time as we look at what turned Darwin away from the truth of God’s Word and moved him on a path of one who deceives the nations of the earth.