Doing Violence to Darwin: Conflicting Christian Evaluations of Darwinism and Violence

At issue is the degree to which Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by means of natural selection is to blame for violence caused by communism, Nazism, and other societal dysfunctions. Conservative Christian opponents claim Darwinism undermines Biblical authority and supports ideologies causing violence. Secular and Christian supporters of Darwinism argue that Darwinism has not promoted violence but has been used to provide a scientific rationale for violence that would have been caused anyway. Moreover, Christian supporters of Darwinism maintain that Darwinism is by no means incompatible with the Bible. This paper examines claims by both sides as well as the attempts by Darwinism’s Christian opponents to supplant Darwinism with theories which they hope will restore Biblical authority, including Creationism, Creation Science, and Intelligent Design theory. The paper concludes that despite the legal setbacks encountered by adherents to these alternative theories, the conflict continues.