Faith and science alert: Darwin gets apology
The Church of England vs. Charles Darwin is no more.
Yes, he’s been dead for 126 years, but the Religion News Service reported this week that the Church of England has issued an official apology to the naturalist for its 19th-century “misunderstanding” over his controversial theory of evolution.
Darwin’s thesis that all life evolved over millions of years was published in 1859 in his book, “On The Origin of Species,” and almost instantly triggered controversy that still continues, the RNS reported.
His critics, among them the Church of England, vilified him for questioning their creationist convictions that the universe and all its parts were solely the work of God.
But in a new section of the Church of England’s Web site, the Rev. Malcolm Brown (pictured below), director of missions and public affairs, addressed Darwin and “conceded that the church ‘owes you an apology for misunderstanding you, by getting our first reaction wrong.’,” the RNS reported.
Brown apparently said that the Church of England’s opposition against Darwin’s theory encouraged others to “misunderstand it as well.”
Read the Church of England’s overview of how its history intertwines with Darwin’s: “Church of England marks Darwin’s contribution to science as bicentenary approaches”
and read Brown’s remarks: “Good Religion Needs Good Science.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
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