What Are You Doing in Bed with Charles Darwin?
That question is a little disturbing just on the surface of it, but why do I ask? Who was Charles Darwin? He was an Englishman who lived in the 1800s. He began his studies in Medicine. A disinterest in pursuing his medical studies caused his father to send him to study for the Ministry, instead. His real interest, however, was in the area of biology, especially as it pertained to giving an explanation for the diversity of plants and animals.
Darwin became famous for his book, On The Origin of Species. He is generally known as a Naturalist. His works try to show that there is a natural explanation for everything we see. Basically, all animals, including man, originated from a common ancestor. He tried to make himself and others believe that time and randomness explain everything we can see in the natural world.
I do not know that Darwin himself was purely anti-God for his entire life, but his name is commonly used, to this day, in conjunction with the idea that God and the Genesis account of Creation are myths.
An example of where Naturalism is often used is in Genesis 6. We have one of the several mentions of “the sons of God”.
...the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. (Gen 6:2)
There are many different interpretations of this passage. One could study “the sons of God” and the context in every place where this phrase is found. One could study the world view of ancient men to learn about their understanding of this phrase. One could study different translations of the Scriptures. One could compare older manuscripts with newer ones which may have some bias in them.
Another option is to ask Charles Darwin what he thinks. It seems that after the Renaissance there was a push to make man and his experience, the superior method to measure everything. The Church seems to be on a trajectory to buy into this philosophy by the 1700s. Since then there has been a deliberate effort to begin to look for a natural explanation for all events. The supernatural is ignored or even refused. A Naturalistic reason must be sought.
This is a natural tendency, not exclusively for recent centuries. The Bible has a word for this and it is not very nice: Carnal. This refers to passing everything through our filter of the 5 natural senses. I can't see it, therefore it cannot be real. I cannot hear it, therefore it cannot be real. There was even a group of leaders in ancient Israel, the Sadducees, that denied anything that was outside the realm of the senses.
Of course, there is another option. Not many are willing to take it, but we could believe the Bible.
There are some very vocal groups today that will vehemently oppose the theory of evolution or Darwinism. That's good. Believing the Bible is a wise move to make. In some cases, however, the same persons who oppose evolution will share the same platform with Darwin and reject anything they cannot find a naturalistic explanation to.
What are you doing in bed with Charles Darwin?
What a way to be found.
May 5, 2023