Expert: Quentin Parker - 5/28/2009

Question
Given biological Darwinism challenged salvation and eternal life, grand design in the making of nature, and humans the result of perfect design and having dominion over nature.

Given social Darwinism stipulates the principles of competition, selection and survival of ideas that has benefited human groups or nations, and has driven social evolution in human societies.

Can you please tell me what was the Christian believers’ response to Biological and Social Darwinism, in countries were they are majority in number, and countries where they are a minority?
Preferably in countries that have had religious freedom since the publication of “The Origin of Species” in 1859.

For example did it lead to:
- Greater disturbance of faith through conflict with science, and the loss of followers?
- Greater combination of science and religion, and increase in belief of followers?,
- Greater increased exposure to critism by other religions, and greater conflict?
- Greater interfaith activities based on trust, respect and understanding, and greater alliance?

I appreciate if you can recommend website(s) you are aware that cover this area.


Answer
Hello!

Thank-you for your question!

In the mid-19th-century, deism, atheism, pietism, and rationalism were prevalent worldviews; those, together with the philosophy of Kant, Schleiermacher, and Ritschl, and the attacks of German Higher Criticism paved the way for Darwinism to take hold. With the inerrancy of Scripture under attack, Christians were, for the most part, unable to withstand the brutal attack of Darwinism. So Darwinism – especially social Darwinism – made a considerable impact first in Europe, and then, more gradually, in the U.S. as well.

It’s not my opinion that social Darwinism has prompted advances or benefited human groups or nations. The principles of Darwinism have been behind some of the greatest atrocities of the previous century such as the Holocaust and Marxism and evolutionary theories provide justification for racism, eugenics, and euthanasia. Advances in science and technology have been made despite evolutionary theory, however, because, thankfully, evolutionists are not always consistent and often borrow principles and concepts from the Christian worldview. Science cannot be done without such principles as belief in the uniformity of nature, the reliability of sense perception, and induction that are only made intelligible by the Christian worldview.

In answer to your first question: I wouldn’t call the dispute a conflict of science of religion. The conflict between Christianity and Darwinism is a conflict between two different religions. Darwinism didn’t cause a greater disturbance of faith through conflict with science; it only incited a transfer of faith and allegiance to the new religion of Darwinism and thereby provoked opposition to Christianity.

In answer to your second question: As I said before, Darwinism is a religion, not a science. So the reaction to Darwinism among Christians did not lead to greater combination of science and religion, rather, it led many Christians to compromise their beliefs and inconsistently accept unbiblical tenets of evolutionary theory. This was due primarily to the attack on biblical inerrancy the Church was facing in the 1800’s.

Darwinism did lead to increased criticism of Christianity by humanistic religion. Atheists believed that they finally had justification for their beliefs and were excited by Darwin’s theories. They were eager to dismiss the necessity of the existence of God.

As to your last question, I don’t believe that Darwinism led to greater interfaith activities. Some Christians have foolishly compromised clear biblical teaching and have tried to combine evolutionary theory with the Genesis account of Creation, but overall, the worldviews of Christianity and Darwinism are at variance. Darwinism has, in many ways, simply led to more conflict as Darwinism has attempted to discredit Creationism and push it out of the schools and the public arena.

Several helpful websites discussing creation versus evolution and Christianity versus Darwinism are:
icr.org; drdino.com; answersingenesis.org

I hope you find this helpful!

-   Quentin P.