I would bet that most of my readers would be surprised to see me covering this day in history featuring Charles Darwin. Let me say that I am not endorsing Darwin's beliefs, but this is still an important day in history fact. You see, it was on this day in 1859 that Charles Darwin published his earth-shattering Origin of Species.
I recently had the opportunity to watch part of a documentary called Darwin's Darkest Hour when I was subbing in a science class. When I first saw that I had to watch this, I wasn't too happy. I am a creationist, and I will always be. But I chose to watch the film with an open mind. I thought I might learn something that would be beneficial when talking with my evolutionist friends.
I actually would like to see the entire documentary--I was quite impressed. I was struck with the fact that Charles Darwin did not set out to disprove Christianity, and he realized that the opposition to his ideas would be great. I believe that his ideas of natural selection, adaptation, and survival of the fittest are true scientific principles. I cannot endorse his evolution ideas, but that does not mean that his views are not at least worth listening to.
The thing that struck me the most in this documentary was that before he came along, scientists seemed to blindly accept the Biblical view of creation without considering other possibilities. It was as though trying to explain the origin of life scientifically was heresy. Scientists answered all questions about how life began by quoting the Bible. They did not even try to reconcile the Bible and science.
Darwin did the unthinkable. He actually challenged these views, and although I don't think he reached the correct conclusion, I believe that his work caused those (like me) who still hold to creationism to examine the scientific evidence for and against their beliefs. I think God and the Bible are big enough to withstand criticism, don't you? I think it is important that everyone examines what they believe and why they believe what they do. I get tired of people who, when challenged about their beliefs, say, "Because the Bible says so." If that is your typical response to your beliefs, than you may want to do some more research. Yes, it is a valid response, but even my daughter can answer questions about what she believes and why (and my English friend says her responses are really good).
If you would like to examine some more about Darwin's book, check out these links:
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