I have a born-again relative and she says that Darwin rejected his scientific theories ( I assume it's the Origin of Species ) just before he died and said that the Genesis story and the Bible in its totality was the true story of Mankind.
Is there any biographical evidence towards this ?
2006-11-02 03:35:21 · 8 answers · asked by Gadfly 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It's an urban myth, like most Creationist stories about evolution. In fact, from the biographies I've read, Darwin lent more and more towards agnosticism or atheism as he got older, starting out as a very strong believer in the Genesis story when he set sail on the Beagle, and disbelieving Christianity but still believing in God when he wrote the Origin of Species.
2006-11-02 03:43:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
that is an urban legend and was discredited by Darwin's daughter who was there when he died.
It is an invalid argument anyway - Darwin did not just come up with a "theory" and have millions of blind followers. Others were coming to the same conclusion as at the same time - he was just the first to publish it - and it has been tested and studied over the last hundred or so years by thousands of scientist. If Darwin had never existed there would still be the scientific field of evolution with the same conclusions they have today..
2006-11-02 03:41:41 · answer #2 · answered by Sage Bluestorm 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I once read the same thing, but it may well be what is now know as an "urban legend" - or wishfult thinking.
I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up expressing doubt about his theories, and concern that he might have gone seriously wrong.
Apparently Huxley once said something to the effect of: "We can't find proof of this, but it has to be true, because there is no way I can accept the only alternative (which would be creation)."
The initiators of the theory were disappointed in not finding proof. Their followers have resolved that problem by simply stating that it is proven beyond all possibility of argument, so nobody dares to contradict that. Then again they set up very precise dates ( so many billion years - no, rather we have now discovered it to be so many billion and a half years... ) which is really intimidating to anyone who would be tempted to ask: "What is the proof of all this?"
The teachers are the ones who have been most guilty of this, I believe.
2006-11-02 03:41:43 · answer #3 · answered by Mr Ed 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Myth
2006-11-02 03:39:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
No. It's a myth. Read ANY credible biography of Darwin. His own *daughter* said it was untrue as well as his wife, who didn't like evolutionary ideas.
Ditto Carl Sagan
2006-11-02 03:36:57 · answer #5 · answered by Black Parade Billie 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
typical attempted discrediting by people who can't win an argument any other way.
2006-11-02 03:41:37 · answer #6 · answered by kent_shakespear 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
typical slanderous babble
2006-11-02 03:40:07 · answer #7 · answered by CaptainObvious 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, none at all. It is a myth.
2006-11-02 03:39:17 · answer #8 · answered by fourmorebeers 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋