THE DEATHBED REGRET OF CHARLES DARWIN
By Francis Fawkes, Th.D.
“How I wished I had not expressed my theory of evolution as I have done.”
Charles Darwin 1809 - 1882
There is an interesting story that I came across unintentionally. It is an eyewitness report of Charles Darwin’s deathbed recantation of his theory of evolution. In his book: “The Origin of Species”, he postulated that life evolved from lower forms into more complex life forms. He was the one that claimed man descended from the ape. His theory was very controversial especially among Clergymen and Christians in general. They believed that God created man in his image as expressed in Genesis 1:26 - 27.
Charles Darwin was trained to be a Clergyman of the Church of England. After graduating from Cambridge at the age of 22, he gave up the Christian ministry to become a naturalist. During his voyages on the Beagle – a ship, he observed the varieties of plants, animals and fossils in different regions of the world. He noticed certain similarities in some species and came to the conclusion that simpler life forms evolved into more complex life forms. Eventually, because of his false observations and the death of his daughter, he became an agnostic. Before it was too late, Darwin repented of his apostasy on his deathbed.
Here are scientific facts that contradict the theory of evolution:
- The theory of evolution is only a hypothesis. It is a logical fallacy based on a false premise, leading to many false conclusions in many other fields. Darwin later realized this, but yet some scientists treat it as fact. Evolution is really a fairy tale for adults. It is the battle waged for the souls and minds of men through spiritual deception. But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10: 4). The weapons that Paul used were the Word of God, prayer and spiritual discernment. With these weapons, we can demolish the arguments of pseudo-science. In verse 5, it further reads: “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Yes, we have to cast down these reasonings that come from the imaginations of fallible men. We must bring down every pretentious argument, every fallacy and every false concept that man exalts against the knowledge of God.
- Evolution is just a variant of the old medieval notion called spontaneous generation in which something can come out of nothing. This was proven to be unscientific.
- The big-bang theory contradicts the scientific principle inherent in the second law of thermodynamics which states that all systems left on their own move from order to chaos. The world, the solar system and the universe therefore, could not come from the big-bang. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. All of it came out of God (Genesis 1:1). Actually, the universe is in a state of decay after man sinned. The odds of the universe coming into existence by random chance are 1 in 26 to the 44th power. In other words, it is not possible.
- In over 150 years, no real missing links have been found. Darwin himself said that that the absence of transitional forms would prove his theory false.
- There are no real evolutionary links between fishes, reptiles, birds, lower mammals and man. God created every species after its own kind (Genesis 1: 24 - 25).
- Some scientists believe that life came about through a series of mutations. However, scientists claim that 99 per cent of mutations are harmful or lethal. New life forms could not have come through a series of unfavorable mutations.
- In a study in which there were twelve missing links in the evolution of man, nine were proven to be extinct apes or monkeys. Others were based on the remains of pigs and donkeys. Some known frauds are the Piltdown man and the Ramapithecus man.
- The theory of evolution goes against the law of probability. The odds of life coming into existence by through blind chance are 1 in 10 to the 40, 000th power. This is also an impossibility. It had to come from God, the original designer. In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
- According to a brilliant English astronomer, Sir Fred Hoyle, the chances of higher life forms ever evolving is the same as a tornado sweeping through a junk-yard, assembling a Boeing 747 from the materials therein.
On his deathbed, realizing the error of his observations and his skepticism, Darwin admitted that “he was a young man of unformed opinions.” He confessed that he threw out queries and suggestions, wondering all the time over everything, and to his astonishment, his ideas took like wild fire. People made a religion of them. In other words, Darwin did not really anticipate that his theories would gather such momentum. Furthermore, he was surprised that what was a matter of theory was treated as a matter of scientific fact!
But Darwin later repented on his deathbed. His Christian training began to assert itself. As Darwin lay dying, he was found to be reading the Bible opened to Hebrews. He was very concerned and desperately wanted to repent. In another report, He requested a Lady to read the New Testament and arranged for Sunday school children to sing “There is a Green Hill far away.” When this was done, Darwin said: “How I wished I had not expressed my theory of evolution as I have done.”
Darwin’s theory of evolution had far reaching repercussions and it is discussed in today’s magazines and textbooks. It also has implications in other disciplines such as politics, science, geology, history, humanistic philosophy, law and even in the New Age movement. The sad thing about this is that it could lead to atheism, something that Charles Darwin would have despised later on in life when he found out the truth. He, himself, admitted that something as infinitely complex as the human eye could not come about through blind random chance. He would be mortally shocked and wounded to see that his error has been given universal recognition.
However, there is a ray of hope. This is beginning to change especially in America. Today The Intelligent Design movement is taking precedence over evolution in the schools. This is because Christians are fighting back. Two-thirds of Americans believe that creationism should be taught alongside evolution. Forty percent of Americans believe in scientific creationism. These people believe in a God and as they seek His kingdom and his righteousness they will be blessed (Matthew 6:33).
Darwin’s final Position
I believe that Darwin was saved. He fully repented. In Colossians 1:14, it states that we have redemption through His blood, even forgiveness of sins. This is quite so, for the blood of Jesus wipes away all of our sins. In Romans 3: 25, we read that “God has set forth propitiation though faith in His (Jesus’) blood, to declare His righteousness through the remission of sins that are past…”
Below are the words of the hymn that Charles Darwin requested:
THERE IS A GREEN HILL FAR AWAY
There is a green hill far away,
Outside a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified,
Who died to save us all.
Refrain
O dearly, dearly has He loved,
And we must love Him too,
And trust in His redeeming blood,
And try His works to do.
We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains He had to bear;
But we believe it was for us,
He hung and suffered there.
Refrain
He died that we might be forgiv’n,
He died to make us good,
That we might go as last to Heav’n,
Saved by His precious blood.
Refrain
There was no other good enough
To pay the pride of sin;
He only could unlock the gate
Of Heaven and let us in
Refrain
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