Has anyone here heard about Darwin renouncing his theory of evolution on his death bed?

Question

If so, where did you hear it?
I cannot recall where I heard it nor if it was a reliable source.

Answer 1

I have heard that but have seen no proof and would not go and spread it around without knowing that is what he said. However, there are some Darwin quotes that prove that he was not a die hard evolutionist or an athiest as people claim, here is one such quote :

"To suppose that the eye . . . could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree." Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species

The word 'creation' is often used in his writings and the ideas he presented were just that - ideas that he never claimed to have proved or truly believed- it is others who having no desire to believe in any kind of God, but also not wanting to say the words "I don't know" have come along and made more of Darwin's works than what is there :
here are some FACTS worht considering:


I urge you to use discernment, reason and logic when thinking aobut evolution- all the things evolutionists accuse us of not using , but really- do the principles of evolution make sense? If this has taken place over the course of millions of years, little by little, then we are being decieved when we are told we are looking for "the missing link" we are looking for millions of missing links- besides that- there are so many common sense, scientific questions that evolution just cannot answer- no matter how you twist it.
If you are really interested in education and not just disproving something that does not fit your mold- read this article, it is fun reading but very informative and common sense-
Meet Gaspy: the lungfish:

http://www.reflecthisglory.org/study/did...

here are other bits of interesting fact for you to ponder :

Charles Dawson, a British lawyer and amateur geologist announced in 1912 his discovery of pieces of a human skull and an apelike jaw in a gravel pit near the town of Piltdown, England . . . Dawson's announcement stopped the scorn cold. Experts instantly declared Piltdown Man (estimated to be 300,000 to one million years old), the evolutionary find of the century. Darwin's missing link had been identified. Or so it seemed for the next 40 or so years. Then, in the early fifties . . . scientists began to suspect misattribution. In 1953, that suspicion gave way to a full-blown scandal: Piltdown Man was a hoax . . . tests proved that its skull belonged to a 600-year-old woman, and its jaw to a 500-year-old orangutan from the East Indies." Our Times--the Illustrated History of the 20th Century (Turner Publishing, 1995, page 94).

Science Fiction
The Piltdown Man fraud wasn't an isolated incident. The famed "Nebraska Man" was built from one tooth, which was later found to be the tooth of an extinct pig. "Java Man" was found in the early 20th Century, and was nothing more than a piece of skull, a fragment of a thigh bone and three molar teeth. The rest came from the deeply fertile imaginations of plaster of Paris workers. "Heidelberg Man" came from a jawbone, a large chin section and a few teeth. Most scientists reject the jawbone because it's similar to that of modem man. Still, many evolutionists believe that he's 250,000 years old. No doubt they pinpointed his birthday with good old carbon dating. Now there's reliable proof. Not according to Time magazine (June 11, 1990). They published an article in the science section that was subtitled, "Geologists show that carbon dating can be way off." Don't look to "Neanderthal Man" for any evidence of evolution. Recent genetic DNA research indicates the chromosomes do not match those of humans. They do match those of bipedal primates (apes).

What does Science Say?
Here are some wise words from a few respected men of science: "Evolution is a fairy tale for grown-ups. This theory has helped nothing in the progress of science. It is useless." (Professor Louis Bounoure, Director of Research, National Center of Scientific Research). "Evolution is unproved and unprovable." (Sir Arthur Keith--he wrote the foreword to the 100th edition of, Origin of the Species). "Scientists who go about teaching that evolution is a fact of life are great con-men, and the story they are telling may be the greatest hoax ever." (Dr. T. N. Tahmisian, Atomic Energy Commission, USA).

"To suppose that the eye . . . could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree." Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species

A great resource for some education that is logical and common sense is called "The Science or Evolution: expand your mind" You can get this DVD from WayoftheMaster.com

Answer 2

Oh, I've heard of it.
It was a lie, so bad of a lie, that even most christians don't believe it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Hope

An excerpt:

Lady Elizabeth Reid Hope (née Cotton1; December 9, 1842–8 March 1922) was a British evangelist who is generally believed to be the Lady Hope who claimed in 1915 that she had visited the British naturalist Charles Darwin shortly before his death in 1882. Hope claimed that Darwin had recanted his theory of evolution on his deathbed, and accepted Jesus Christ as his saviour.

Charles Darwin's family denied the story, and insisted that Lady Hope "was not present during his last illness, or any illness." The Lady Hope Story is generally recognised, even by many Creationists, to be false — or at least unverifiable — and if true, probably exaggerated. The story remains a popular urban legend, even though it stands in sharp contrast to Darwin's published and known views about Christianity.





Yup, just another christian lie.

Answer 3

Hm, yep i did hear that. It was here actually. So it probably isnt a reliable source. I will do a google search on it and get back to ya!

Here's what I found:
A widespread rumor circulated -- facilitated by an evangelist by the name of Lady Hope who preached in Downe during the last years of Darwins life -- that on his deathbed Darwin renounced evolution and declared himself a Christian. This story, totally contradictory to the nature of the man himself, is a falsehood, denied by his daughter Henrietta and those who knew him best and who were actually at his bedside during his last weeks. Darwin's last words, spoken to his wife Emma, were in actuality, "I am not in the least afraid to die."

So i guess he never renounced his theories. Hm.

Well, i hope this helps

Answer 4

He didn't. The story is a fabrication. The story goes that he was visited by a lady referred to as Lady Hope and he renounced belief in his theory on his death bed, this never happened.

"The story of Darwin's recanting is not true. Shortly after Darwin's death, Lady Hope told a gathering that she had visited Darwin on his deathbed and that he had expressed regret over evolution and had accepted Christ. However, Darwin's daughter Henrietta, who was with him during his last days, said Lady Hope never visited during any of Darwin's illnesses, that Darwin probably never saw her at any time, and that he never recanted any of his scientific views (Clark 1984, 199; Yates 1994).

Clark, Ronald W., 1984. The Survival of Charles Darwin: A biography of a man and an idea. New York: Random House"

Source - http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CG/CG001.html

Answer 5

I seem recall hearing something of that sort. It's not uncommon for people, even lifelong atheists, to do so. If Darwin did in fact renounce his theory on his deathbed then it's pretty safe to assume that he didn't do it because he suddenly discovered some flaw in his reasoning, but rather that he was simply afraid of the unknown and was attempting to cover his bases before he died.

Answer 6

I heard it in a great magazine I subscribe to: CRISIS.
It's possibly true that Darwin renounced some of his theory on his death bed.
He probably did this because he only fought so hard against creationism and God because of pain he experienced in his life, and created of the theory of evolution only as a tool for proving the limit of God's power over humanity.

Answer 7

I've heard it, but I don't think there can be a truly reliable source...it'd be hearsay, wouldn't it?

I can't think of an sources at all, come to think of it, although Darwin himself had said that if there was even one creature that didn't fit into his theory, it would make his theory shaky at best, and point to the existence of a higher power.

Such creatures do exist....you make the call.

Answer 8

Charles Darwin wrote in his biography of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin how false stories were circulated claiming that Erasmus had called for Jesus on his deathbed. Charles concluded by writing "Such was the state of Christian feeling in this country [in 1802].... We may at least hope that nothing of the kind now prevails." Despite this hope, very similar stories were circulated following Darwin's own death, which claimed he had converted on his sickbed. Such stories have been propagated by some Christian groups, and have become urban legends. In 1915, Lady Elizabeth Hope, a British evangelist, claimed that she had visited the Darwin shortly before his death in 1882. Hope claimed that Darwin had renounced his theory of evolution on his deathbed, and accepted Jesus Christ as his saviour. These claims were refuted by Darwin's children and have been dismissed as false by historians. His daughter, Henrietta, who was at his deathbed, said that he did not convert to Christianity. Darwin called himself an agnostic.
The last words of Charles Darwin spoken to his wife Emma, were "I am not in the least afraid to die."

Answer 9

It is not true! Darwin never renounced his theory and said:

"I look with confidence to the future, to young and rising naturalists, who will be able to view (both) with impartiality. Whoever is let to believe that species are mutable will do good service by conscientiously expressing his conviction; for only thus can the load of prejudice by which this subject is overwhelmed be removed."

Answer 10

He did no such thing. He merely stated that he still believes in the possibility of God's existence. Christians just like to twist this into more rhetoric. Do a Wikipedia.com search on Charles Darwin.