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Apologetics

Darwin And Evolution

From: “Chris Ho-Stuart”

Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian

Chris: Before I say anything else on the topic at hand… Gladys;

> thanks very much for giving some references. This really

> helps discussion.

>

Gladys wrote:

> [snip]

> > 1. From my readings about evolution the implication is that

> > as humans developed from a common ancestor – an ape-like

> > being – that they had to acquire human attributes which took

> > many years.

>

C: Yes.

>

G: When the English settlement was started in 1788 fully clothed

> > people found a group of near-nigh naked, dark-skinned people

> > with whom they could not converse because they did not know

> > the language and assumptions were made about their culture

> > based on ignorance. It was obvious their shelters were

> > rudimentary, their living was nomadic. As the uni-cellular

> > to multicelluar plants and animals came to be accepted by

> > some there was a slotting of all forms of life into that

> > ‘ladder’. Many would have seen the Aborigine as a sub-human

> > or early stage of human development.

>

C: The “Scala Naturae”, or ladder of nature, is straight out

> of Aristotle; about 2300 years ago.

>

> Evolution, and Darwinism, marks the REFUTATION of the

> ladder of existence.

>

> You have this 100% wrong again. Darwin’s work refuted the old

> notion of allocating life to a ladder, or a great chain of

> being. The evolutionary model is of a tree, or bush. ALL human

> races are equally descended from a common ancestor. Darwin knew

> this; and he was well ahead of his time in calling for human

> rights for all humans. He was bitterly opposed to slavery and

> to imposed ranking on the races, or regarded different races as

> being “inferior”.

>

> Think for a minute… 1788 is about seventy years before

> Darwin published the Origin. Did the problems of Aborigines

> date from 1788, or from 1859?

>

> It is fascinating to read about how Darwin clashed with Fitzroy

> on this. Fitzroy was the captin of the Beagle, on which Darwin

> sailed around the world in the 1830s. Fitzroy was a very strict

> Christian; one might even say fundamentalist. Most certainly he

> was a creationist. And it was Fitzroy who argued for blacks as

> having a rightful places as slaves and subservients to superior

> races, and it was Darwin who regarded this is degrading and

> immoral and unjustifiable. They had serious clashes on this

> subject.

>

> It is also revealing to read “The Descent of Man”, which Darwin

> published in 1871.

>

> Darwin speaks of the “so-called races of man”; the qualifier

> “so-called” is his own. Darwin argues at some length that

> all humans are one species. He points out that the greatest

> difference between the so-called races is simply skin

> colour. His examples of intelligence and moral sense and so

> on are taken from all races; and he does not elevate his own

> “race” to any higher biological status.

>

> The great chain of being, which was the basic model BEFORE

> Darwin, was something like this.

> Rocks… plants… animals…. apes…. negros… greeks

>

> Darwin replaced this with a tree, something like this:

>

> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

> X X

> X ___/ } modern X

> X / \ } apes X

> X / X

> X /–+ X

> X / \ X

> X / \ greeks X

> X + \____/ (and all humans) X

> X \ \negros X

> X \ X

> X \ ___ X

> X \ / X

> X \—+ (etc. Other animals) X

> X \ ____ X

> X \/ X

> X \— X

> X X

> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

>

G: 2. from Creation Ex Nihilo Vol 14 2 titled ‘Darwin’s

> > Bodysnatchers’ information is given that in the late

> > 1800′s there was deliberate slaughter of some Aborigines

> > for scientific research in Europe and England – some by

> > phrenologists who worked on the brain size to determine

> > degree of humanness. Quote – “A gruesome trade in ‘missing

> > link’ specimens began with early evolutionary/racist

> > ideas. But this trade really ‘took off’ with the advent of

> > Darwinism….. perhaps 10 000 dead bodies of Australia’s

> > Aboriginal people were shipped to British museums in a

> > frenzied attempt to prove the widespread belief that they

> > were the ‘missing link’.”

>

C: This abysmal and offensive idiocy fails to note that the

> the collection of human remains dates from BEFORE Darwinism.

> It may have begun with early evolutionary ideas, if by early

> you mean pre-Darwinian ideas based on a ladder of being.

> Darwin refutes this idea, and the notion of Aborigines as a

> missing link is a direct contradiction with evolutionary

> theory and Darwin’s ideas in particular.

>

> I am angry almost past description that Creation Ex Nihilo

> sinks to such depths. The problems of racism are serious,

> and for Answers in Genesis to lie and distort the facts in

> order to smear evolution is utterly contemptible.

>

> Evolution is one of the strongest arguments AGAINST racism

> imaginable. Evolution is the OPPOSITE of the ladder of

> existence. By evolutionary theory the many so-called

> races are all equally descended from missing links in the

> PAST. The evolutionary model of a tree has the so-called

> races as being like sisters of the same parents.

>

G: I have read in part, scanned other parts, the book ‘One

> > Blood’ by John Harris (title from Paul’s words in Bible -

> > New Testament – Acts 17 : 26 ” God has made of one blood all

> > nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.)

> > It is an honest appraisal of the relations of Christians

> > and Aborigines from 1788. They had to work from ignorance

> > through to understanding. Some were not suited for their

> > work with Aborigines – others were highly valued by both the

> > Aborigines and local white populations for their selfless

> > dedication. Aboriginal languages were being written down by

> > the mid 1800′s. With that contact attitudes were changing

> > and understandings of Aboriginal life made for better

> > communication.

> >

> > Christians did not deserve the unblanced media reports

> > – evidently by secularist-evolutionists from the late

> > 1960′s. Yes, there were failures, but there were also

> > successes. Many Aboriginges, livng in modern conditions are

> > glad the English came here – despite the early difficulties.

> > Must away – will post further when the computer problems

> > are rectified. Gladys

>

C: I mostly agree with you here, with some reservations. The story

> of Christians and Aborigines is a very mixed one, but many

> Christians certainly contibuted to improvement of the situation.

>

> Cheers — Chris


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