 |
| Charlies and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith |
Wow! What an interesting couple. My hat goes off to Emma Darwin and I have much better understanding of Charles Darwin, too. I respect them both.
First, let me address why I liked this particular book. The author, Deborah Heiligman, wrote a true biography which is a difficult find in young adult literature. The information in the book is not a historically accurate story, it is a step by step explanation of the Darwins' lives taken from their own words (books, diaries, and letters) and from other people's accounts of them. The author uses primary sources to construct her story. At the same time, it is not dry. She weaves an interesting account of them in a way that is instructive and entertaining. Short of studying primary documents myself, this is the kind of biography I enjoy reading.
Next, let me share my feeling of the Darwin couple. I was initially intrigued and motivated to buy the book because of the balancing act their lives must have been. I want to understand more clearly how a couple, one religious and faithful and the other at best agnostic, could maintain a loving relationship. And not just a difference of faith, but in a very real sense much of Charles's work was considered heretical. I have to admire people who can see beyond that and maintain love and respect. What I found was a very unique relationship that I can certainly learn from. Emma was always worried about Charles's soul. As they lost and buried three babies, she worried about her family's eternal welfare. But, what I didn't understand was the Charles was equally worried. He literally suffered for his beliefs. He wanted to remain faithful, but his work showed him evidence that would not allow him to continue in a belief of a higher power. The mental torment of that almost killed him.
I am a Christian, a creationist, and firm believer in a God that loves me and guides my life on earth. I believe he loves all his creations and that he is the great organizer of that creation. However, with my modern-day faith and beliefs I can now more clearly see how Charles, faced with the close-minded theology of his day, felt he had to reject the religious teachings of his day. I also do not believe in that point of view. The thing that makes me truly sad, is that I can see how Charles Darwin was so very sincere and so interested in finding the truth. I can also see and believe many of the things he proposed such as natural selection. However, I can pair that belief with the guidance of a God. The largest thing we disagree with is the extent to which he took his belief. While natural selection seems very supported by fact, true evolution, the changing of one species into another, does not have scientific basis in fact in my opinion. I have not seen anything that leads me to believe that there are creatures mutating into other creatures. Cross-breeding is not evolution. Natural selection or survival of the fittest is not evolution. I have never seen a mutation that was beneficial; mutations always turn out an organism of lesser quality, weaker.
I highly recommend this book as an accurate, educational jumping-off point to understanding the Darwins and their beliefs.
No comments:
Post a Comment