Darwin

I am sure this was mentioned somewhere before, but someone told me that Darwin rescinded his evolutionary theory on his death bed. Is this true?

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Nope. That's a myth that just refuses to die.

http://answersingenesis.org/docs/1315.asp

Even if it was true, so what. If Einstein had recanted his theories of special relativity and general relativitiy would that make them any less correct (after nearly a century confirmation of relativity continues to come to light through modern telescopes and cylclotrons).

Charles Darwin was not the first to propose that evolution occured, that had been done decades before he set sail on the Beagle by people like Lemark and Robert Grant. Darwin, along with Wallace, were merely the first to come up with evidence that made evolution more then just speculation.

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What Darwin was reported to have said was:  "How I wish I had not expressed my theory of evolution as I have done."

If it were true that does not mean he denyed his theory. Just the way he presented it.

Darwin aways admired the morality of the new testament. He admired the christian morality in his wife and in his friends.

http://www.update.uu.se/~fbendz/library/cd_relig.htm

Darwin was a Christian. (I think.) He said that because of all the trouble that publishing his theory of evolution had caused him. He nearly didn't publish it at all.

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Then someone else probably would of published the idea. Darwin was probably not the first to think of it.

He started out a christian, he believed everything in the Bible was true. He was a student of natural theology, but somewhere along the way he began to reject that theory of creation and began to accept the theory of evolution and natural selection.

He always believed in the moral teaching of Jesus though. He never rejected christianity as a moral belief.

He was not the first to think of it. But he thought a lot about evolution, natual selection and survival of the fittest. He wrote a lot and his books were widely read.

He thought that maybe his name would live on for a while after he had died, but I doubt if he had any idea he would be as popular as he is, so long after his death.

I am sure it would have upset him, if he knew how much trouble he stired up and how many problems he has caused. If he had known where it was all headed, I am sure he would have tried to maintain some sort of damage control. But he could only deal with the objectives people were throwing his way at the time.

Today at 03:31 AM Mr Buddhist said this in Post #5

Darwin was a Christian. (I think.) He said that because of all the trouble that publishing his theory of evolution had caused him. He nearly didn't publish it at all.

First, as Pete noted, it's a myth. Darwin never said anything of the kind.

And yes, at the time published Origin, Darwin was a theist, altho somewhat doubtful about Christianity.  Later Darwin became agnostic for personal reasons.

And Darwin delayed in publishing, mostly because he allowed "perfect" to get in the way of "good enough". That is, there was always one more piece of data that he wanted to get.  He was working on his magnus opus -- Natural Selection -- when Wallace sent him a preprint of his paper on natural selection.  That caused Darwin to get off his duff and forget "perfect".

Today at 07:42 AM JohnR7 said this in Post #7



He was a student of natural theology, but somewhere along the way he began to reject that theory of creation and began to accept the theory of evolution and natural selection. 

The irony here is that Origin is firmly within natural theology.  Remember, natural theology is not just creationism.  Natural theology is figuring out how God created by looking at nature.  Newton's Laws of Motion are also natural theology.  That natural selection and evolution are firmly within natural theology is demonstrated in the Fontispiece of Origin  and this passage:
"To my mind it accords better with what we know of the laws impressed on matter by the Creator, that the production and extinction of the past and present inhabitants of the world should have been due to secondary causes, like those determining the birth and death of the individual."  pg. 449.

That, John, is pure natural theology.

What Darwin did with natural selection was remove the Argument from Design as "proof" of the existence of God.  Of course, Christian theologians were delighted with this, because Special Creation was causing them all "kinds" of problems.