Adrian on Darwin

Running a Christian School within the independent sector often means that we are contacted by TV to do this or that, the often asked question is about evolution and creationism as if somehow we did nothing else. Even people like Richard Dawkins has spent time grilling us on our views for his documentary The Root of all Evil. Funnily enough we don’t usually think much about Darwin or evolution between those TV times.

From what I know of Darwin he was a good family man, doing interesting research; however what is very important to me is what people really think. I think that Darwin himself was still in the realm of theory as to how and why. Today we tend to be more dogmatic and sure as per Richard Dawkins, when maybe we ought not to be so proud of our certainties.

Our thinking is that, if the Bible is correct, (and I believe it to be so) then our thoughts are the things that mould us and makes us (as we think in our hearts so we are - Proverbs 23: 7) for our thinking is that which generates the way we act. So, if we think that the universe is some mechanical process, then we tend to treat people like a machine; if we think that we are just an animal then, we tend to treat each other like animals.

It seems to me that Hitler believed that Darwin’s view of how life worked was correct and much more than theory. From this belief he decided, (thought) ‘well then, let me speed up the process and create an evolutionary jump and make the master race’. We know the results!

If, on the other hand, we believe (think) that there is a mind behind our universe, and that we are created in the image of God then surely that thinking should encourage us to treat one another with dignity and respect! Richard Dawkins’ argument with me on TV was that he was more honourable than me as he did not need a God to stop him from pillaging and raping; his implication being that I did! My problem with that argument is that one person cannot negate what is going on in the world with great swathes of destruction and mans inhumanity to man. Our thinking that we can play God, and our devaluation of each other, is a daily fact whatever Richard thinks.

So what do I think of Darwin? Interesting theories; but believing them to be so totally correct without criticism leads to dangerous thought.