The debate between creationists and evolutionists has become so heated that many people assume that Charles Darwin, who was one of the first scientists to propose the theory of evolution, was an atheist. Yet Darwin was primarily an agnostic, struggling for much of his life with what he believed about God.
“In my most extreme fluctuations,” wrote Charles Darwin towards the end of his life in a letter quoted in the Times Online, “I have never been an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a God.”
Charles Darwin’s Religious Upbringing
Though Charles Darwin’s family was Unitarian and many were freethinkers, Darwin himself received a traditional religious upbringing in many ways. Darwin was baptized into the Church of England and received an Anglican religious education.
Darwin later attended the University of Edinburgh and University of Cambridge. He first studied to become a doctor like his father, but then decided he wanted to enter the priesthood and thus earned a degree in theology. While in school, Darwin discovered his interest in the natural sciences as well, which determined the course of his life.
Charles Darwin’s Experience on the Beagle
According to the Cambridge University Library, a major event — perhaps the defining moment — in Charles Darwin’s life occurred when his friend John Stevens Henslow, a botany professor, recommended that Darwin accompany Commander Robert Fitzroy on the five-year voyage of the HMS Beagle around the world.
While sailing on the Beagle, Darwin espoused orthodox religious views. He frequently quoted the Bible as the literal truth and as a guide for morality, but by the end of the trip, Darwin’s religious views had begun to change.
According to AboutDarwin.com, Darwin was deeply impacted by slavery on board the Beagle and the general suffering of people and other living things in the world that he saw. Darwin began to question the nature of God who allowed such suffering.
Evolution of Charles Darwin’s Religious Beliefs
After returning from the Beagle voyage, Charles Darwin relinquished his intention to become a priest and instead became engaged in research into the origin of species. As Darwin discovered more about the adaptation of species to their environment through struggle for survival, natural selection, and evolution, he started to further question traditional religious beliefs.
Darwin had trouble reconciling traditional notions of God with what he witnessed in the natural world. Darwin was troubled by his knowledge of how brutal life was, marked foremost by a violent struggle for survival, which resulted in the survival of only the fittest species. Darwin wondered what kind of God would devise such a system.
James Moore, Charles Darwin biographer, commented in an interview with Speaking of Faith host, Krista Tippett, “There was something deep inside Darwin that wanted to bring people face to face with the appalling depths of nature – that it produces morality, nature, but it’s not a moral place.”
The Christian Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin remained a Christian throughout his life, though not a practicing one later in life. As depicted in the 2009 movie Creation, the death of Darwin’s beloved 10-year-old daughter Annie, in addition to what he knew of how nature operates, caused him to lose faith in a benevolent God and stop attending church with his family.
However, it is important to note that Darwin remained associated with the Church of England throughout his life. Even after he stopped attending church services, he remained a member and financial supporter of St. Mary’s Church in the village of Downe, where he and his family lived. Darwin was given full Christian honors and burial in Westminster Abbey.
The Agnostic Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin’s struggle with God colored his life. Yet he never denied the existence of God, so it is incorrect to label him an atheist. In his letter to John Fordyce quoted in the Times Online, Darwin wrote, “I think that generally (& more and more so as I grow older) but not always, that an agnostic would be the most correct description of my state of mind.”
Nevertheless, Darwin was very mindful of other people’s religious beliefs and despised religious conflict. In fact, Darwin did his best to leave the question of the nature God out of On the Origin of Species and ease the conflict between science and religion he knew the book would foment.
Darwin’s letter to Joseph Hooker, also quoted in the Times Online, perhaps best encapsulates Darwin’s religious views and struggle: "My theology is a simple muddle: I cannot look at the Universe as the result of blind chance, yet I can see no evidence of beneficent Design."
Sources:
Creation movie, CreationTheMovie.com. Released 2009.
Darwin's Religious Odyssey Book Review, EpiscopalChurch.org. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
"God, Evolution and Charles Darwin: Ten Surprising Things Darwin Said About Religious Faith," TimesOnline.co.uk. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
Tippett, Krista. (2010). Einstein's God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit. Chapter "Evolution and Wonder," pp. 99-120. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
Aimee Larsen Stoddard - Aimee is a professional writer/editor. She has a BA in English and is currently completing an MS in Theology.
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