CHARLES DARWIN'S RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3173, 25 August 1917, Page 9

CHARLES DARWIN'S RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

Sir,—ln my opinion, tho doubts cast l>,v Mr; >L-Jones .upon-the genuineness of tho hitherto unpublished statement of Charles Darwin, quoted in a recent sermoil by . Archdeacon Williams, are quite unreasonable. The Archdeacon asserted that Darwin, towards tho end of his life, stated (in effect) hi tho course of conversation: "I hojpo to dio as I liavo lived, with my faith-in Christ'unshaken." Tho incident was related to tho Archdeacon by a college friend whu actually heard tho • conversation. This is very good evidence. It is stronger and more direct than tho evidence ,rn which we accept many facts of history wMch have never been ecriously challenged. . Air: Jones gives a very unsatisfactory and unbalanced statement.' of Darwin's religious' beliefs. . 'Ho was quito wrong •when ho declares that "Darwin was sirgularly' capablo. of settling tho question to his own liking." •As a matter of fact Darwin was .never ablo to make up his • mind, .finally, and definitely regarding ' his attitudo towards religion. .Be* oscillated between- Agnosticism and Theism. On one .-"occasion ho asserted that tho "impossibility of conceiving that this grand and wondrous universe, with our conscious selves, aroso through chance, seems to mo the, chief argument for the existence of God''; but, ho added, "whether this is an argument of real valuo I have .uever been u!ble to decide." On another occasion ho declared that "tho theory of evolution is quite compatible with belief in God."

Writing in 1870 Darwin stated, "My judgment often .fluctuate!." 'Flo goes 011 to say: "In my most -Dxtromo fluctuations I have never bc3a.au Atlipist in tbo sense ot denying the existence of a God." About, that time, aci ho himself remarked, Aguostic ivas generally, but not ahvays, tbo most corrcct description of his state of mind. 'J'ho Duko of Argyll, in 'the course of conversation with Darwin, referred to wonderful contrivances, for certain purposes in Nature, and said it was impossible lo look.at these without seeing'that Ihey wore the.effect and the expression of mind. The Duke writes: "I. shall never forget M|'. Darwin's answer. Ho looked at me very hard, arid said: 'Well, thnt often comes over 1110 , with ovenvhelming 'force; but at other times ' and lio shook bis head vaguely, I adding, .'it seems to' go away. 1 ." In giving. an extract from Dr. Aveling'a book dealing with Danyin's religious beliefs, Mr. Jones: states that the bonk has the approval of Mr.. Darwin's sou. 13' Mr. Jones aware that Sir Francis Darwin expressly warns the public against being misled info seeing, moro resem-blance-than- really cxistecl between the positions of Charles Darwin and Dr. Aveling.? "I say'this,'''. writes Sir Ifrantis Darwin, "in. spite of my conviction, that Dr. Aveling gives quito fairly his impres. sions. of 'my father's \iews. Dr. Aveling tried. to show that ■ the'; terms • 'Agnostic' and 'Atheist'-were practically equivalent. ... My father's replies implied his preference for the. unaggressive attitifdo of an Agnostic. Dr. Aveling seems to regard the absence of • aggressiveness in my father's views as distinguishing them in. an unessential manner from his own. But m ruy judgment it is precisely differences of this kind which distinguish him so completely from the class of thinkers' {0 which Div- Aveling belongs." Tho" above- incidents, .and -quotation show how one-sided is Mr. Jones's de scription of Darwiu's attitudo to ve ligion. Those who quote Darwin witl the object of discrediting religion seen to forget tliat'tho great scientist himself was careful to disclaim any right t< speak with authority 011 this matter, lit was extremely reticent regarding his re ligiou's views., bccause, ;:s he himself said ho had not gone deeply enough into lU< subject to warrant "him in giving public expression to his opinions.—.l am. etc., * ' SPECTATOR.