Darwinism & Christianity:
Cartoon History (Part II)
Darwin Caricature:
Science versus Religion: All conflicts arising from
the publication of Darwin’s theory were caused by
traditional Christian doctrine.
Sides:
1) All Christians & theologians were committed to
God's direct design of creatures exactly as
described in Genesis (i.e., fixity of species).
2) Charles Darwin rejected any & all belief in
creation in the Origin of Species.
3) T. H. Huxley made Bishop “Soapy Sam”
Wilberforce look like a complete fool at a
meeting of the British Association for the
Advancement of Science in 1860.
Result:
Science (truth, freedom, progress) eventually wins a
battle over Religion (ignorance, repression, biblical
literalism) despite great resistance.
Immediate Complications:
1) Not all Christians theologians embraced the
doctrine of the fixity of species
2) Darwin left room for creation and a Creator in the
Origin of Species
3) Wilberforce critiqued Darwin’s theory on
scientific as well as theological grounds; Darwin
acknowledged these comments as valid criticisms
that needed to be addressed.
General Complications:
Punch cartoon (1881)
1) Scientific: There were genuine difficulties with Darwin’s theory had to be worked out. For example, the
mechanism of heredity was not understood.
2) Methodological: Darwin interpreted evidence differently from his opponents. There were various answers to
the question “What constitutes a valid scientific argument?”
3) Hierarchy of science: In the 19th century, mathematical physics provided the most respected model for proper
science. Darwin’s use of evidence diverged from this widely accepted model.
4) Hermeneutics: Christian theology was not static in Darwin’s day; major challenges came from German biblical
criticism which treated the Bible just like any other historical source. Christians had a great variety of
responses to Darwinism.
5) Political: In the 19th century a new generation of professional scientists pushed for greater authority of science
in society.
6) Personalities: Some scientists, like T. H. Huxley (“Darwin’s bulldog”) exacerbated already existing conflicts.