What is the definition of Darwinism?

By evolution we mean the theory first made popular by the late Charles Darwin, and since elaborated by others, in which it is sought to be demonstrated that man evolved from the anthropoid ape; the ape in turn evolved through many stages from a living primordial cell, which either found its way, so it is stated, to this earth from other planets or worlds, or came into existence by spontaneous generation; this process of man’s evolution, demanding millions of years for its accomplishment.

There are foolish men who tell us this beautiful and well-ordered earth of ours came into existence by blind chance. They claim that at the beginning there were a few simple forms of life, which in the course of thousands of millions of years developed into mature animals, reptiles, birds, insects, fishes. They called this theory evolution, a process by which, they claimed, the higher forms of life have gradually arisen from lower forms of life.

It is the well-known characteristic of Darwinism, that it substitutes a theory of the how for the why, with the effect of removing the appearance of design from nature. What appears like design may be but a consequence of the mode or conditions of production, — a consequence, not a cause; and the universe be the result of the operation of natural laws, apart from all supernatural superintendence or interference. As Huxley says, "For the notion that every organism has been created as it is, and launched straight at a purpose, Mr. Darwin substitutes the conception of something which may be fairly termed a method of trial and error. Organisms vary incessantly; of these variations, the few meet with surrounding conditions which suit them, and thrive; the many are unsuited and become extinguished." It is on account of this elimination of design out of the world that skeptics and materialists range themselves so unanimously under the leadership of Darwin; and this they proclaim a distinguished merit of his scheme. Others have, of course, taken it up who can by no means be classed with these, and thus it has received various modifications. But the original vice of the thing manifests itself through all, as far as possible from the spirit of Scripture, the attempt, which we have even been told is "the duty of the man of science, to push back the Great First Cause in time as far as possible." The beauty and blessedness of Scripture consists in its persistent effort to bring God nigh.

Classifications are numerous enough, but in looking round among them one can find few indeed that claim for themselves any principle of construction which can give us the least hope of such a clue to the divine plan as we are seeking. The meaning that Darwinism seeks has no purpose in it, therefore no intelligence; and the systems devised in this interest have as their only end, to discover the genealogical tree of life, which, whether it has its root in chance or necessity, was never watered by the river of God, and bears no fruit but Dead Sea apples. Nor in general has any divine plan been seriously thought of. There is, however, an exception to this; and, if he that seeketh findeth," we may hope to have here at least a beginning of truth. Strange to say, the first outline of it was struck out nearly at the same time by two men entirely apart from one another, the Wallace and Darwin, let us hope, of a better day beginning, and for which we would be glad to believe in the "survival of the fittest." That its discoverers have passed away, and the system itself has, after awakening some attention for awhile, died also, need not forbid hope, for many a truth discovered has had ordained for it such a death, and yet in due time resurrection; and it may be so with this.

Whilst this theory did not deny God as Creator—for who created the speck of protoplasm?—yet it brushed aside the truth of man’s creation as set forth in Genesis 1 and 2. And if that account is mythical, what sure foundation have we for believing any statement in God’s Word? Darwinism also denied the fall of man, and if that is denied where is the necessity of the atoning work of Christ?

Years have rolled by since The Descent of Man appeared, and today Darwinism is an exploded theory in the estimation of many who are competent to judge.

All the improvements in nature, brought about by man’s fostering care and ingenuity, are only the bringing forth of what is latent in the plant or animal. Once the fostering hand of man is removed the improved plant or animal reverts to type. This cannot be called evolution in the Darwinian sense, where the improvements are claimed to become permanent, or else lead to still greater improvement.

We answer decidedly in the negative, if we think of evolution in the Darwinian meaning. Of course, there is the development of the flower from the bud, the butterfly from the caterpillar, the chick from the egg, the man from the infant, but there is no instance of one species evolving from another species, and on this vital point the doctrine of evolution utterly fails.

The third blow that Christianity has sustained, according to Principal Griffith-Jones, is from evolution as contradicting the account given of the creation of Adam in Genesis 1. Principal Griffith-Jones is right in calling evolution a theory, for it is a theory unscientific and unproved. It is not one missing link that is necessary to complete the proof of the theory, but millions, and they are ALL missing. There is no trace in nature of transmutation of species whatever, and the theory rests on that, an idea without a shadow of proof. Natural selection, another necessary part of the theory, utterly fails to furnish an iota of proof. Let man by his skill and arrangement produce superior varieties of pigeons, such as fantail, pouter, etc., then let the birds loose into the woods and in a few generations natural selection will have wiped out all the differences, and the descendants of these fantails and pouters will have got back to the common rock pigeon, the basic type.

A. There is and can be no good reason for the notion that creatures rose from the lower forms as the rule to the higher ones without God's creative act. The very word "creatures" implies as much. Scripture is most explicit that all things came into being through Him, and that apart from Him not one thing received being which has received being. All such unbelieving theories of development are therefore in rebellion against the word of God. A creative act introduced each new species.

The answer to the second query follows as a matter of course. Even the most unprejudiced cannot fail to recognise that creation, vegetable and animal, is ordered on grand typical principles, and that species hold throughout, though admitting of large variation within fixed limits, an immense accession for use and beauty.

What springs up differs widely from what was sown, yet each seed issues in its own plant. There is such a thing as species, and this fixed from the first, as God pleased. "Natural selection" is not only contrary to fact but senseless, yet none the less the idol of modern materialists, as Ashtoreth was of the Sidonians and Molech of the Amorites. No doubt there is a germ or principle of life; but what does the objector know of it? If he is utterly unacquainted with this even in the seed, is he in a position to cavil as to the body? One may reason fairly from known truth, not from ignorance. If one rejects whatever is not understood, where is such unconscionable doubt to end? Not only is all spiritual being swept away, but one must begin with denying the existence of oneself and every other being. Nothing is less rational than to make reason the only inlet of thought, feeling, knowledge, conscience, or consciousness.