by Richard Para

Created on: December 04, 2009   Last Updated: December 06, 2009

Darwinian evolution: Is it based on science or not? On October 2, 1836 the young Charles Darwin finally set foot, once again, on English soil after a long and difficult voyage around the world, his mind was exploding with thoughts of what he had seen and what, he thought, that they had represented. Young Darwin's world had now been changed forever, he now had a passion, a passion that was to lead him to a life of much pain and sorrow for now he was on the brink of igniting a scientific and social explosion the repercussions of which that are still being felt to this very day.

During this time, early nineteenth century, the scientific community was certainly not at all like it is today, as a matter of fact there was no such thing as a professional class of scientists, those who were engaged in any sort of scientific work were all, every one, creationists which precluded any real need to seek answers or ask questions...God was the answer. When Darwin first stepped aboard the Beagle he too was a creationist, a theology student in fact, but on October 2, 1836 he had changed, he had been forced into a new world through scientific discovery, he recalled while wandering in the mountains of Chile finding fossils of sea creatures which meant, to him, that these mountains erupted from the sea taking a long time to accomplish, a very, very long time.

He recalled the tortoises from different Galapagos islands which were well differentiated but had to be of the same ancestral stock, the four species of mockingbirds were so similar they must have sprung from one origin. Charles was being forced toward one conclusion. If nothing else Charles was a meticulous and thorough investigator which worked to his advantage while carefully piecing together his new findings.

He certainly was not unaware of the fact that what he may have uncovered would be bitterly contested on all fronts, scientific and religious, therefore step by step he slowly went about the business of verifying each of his contentions as best he could. When he completed his work, when he was satisfied that it was through natural selection that all species evolved into the species that they are today, did he shout his finding to the world? No! Was it because he was unsure of his discovery? Absolutely not! Was he fearful of attacks upon his work, character, and possibly family? Not really.

Charles Darwin was a passive gentleman and was uninterested in a confrontation of any sort, he knew what he had accomplished

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