The Teflon Naturalist
Giving Darwin a Pass
By Chuck Colson
Christian Post Guest Columnist
Sun, Apr. 01 2007

Since its publication in 1859, tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people have been killed in the name of ideologies that cited Darwin’s Origin of Species as justification for their actions.

Yet, despite this bloody history, Darwinism, and especially Darwin himself, have benefited from a Teflon coating that would have made Ronald Reagan jealous. Darwinists have characterized any connection between Darwinism and these ideologies as aberrations and distortions. And they have been particularly keen to absolve Darwin himself of any responsibility.

But a recent article in the liberal religious journal Commonweal gives us ample reasons to question that absolution.

In it, writer Peter Quinn describes the attempt by Darwin’s defenders to “[insulate Darwin] from any unpleasantries associated with his ideas or their consequences.” Instead of presenting the historical Darwin, they create what Quinn calls this “gentle Darwin”—a “benevolent naturalist fighting against entrenched ignorance.” the rest