PERSONAL EXPERIENCE LEADING TO SUPREMACY OF REASON AND SCIENTIFIC TEMPER !

Two hundred years ago, everyone believed in an almighty god, one who created the world and all life on Earth. Many of us might not know the story of Charles Darwin, father of modern evolution. He was a pastor by training, and was hired on board the ship HMS Beagle as a priest for its voyage around the world. He was a staunch believer in creationism and the immutability of species. But what he observed on the trip, especially birds on the island of Galapagos, made him realise that species evolve and change with time. What he saw was inconsistent with the species being created at some instant. And humans are as much part of this evolution as is the rest of the living world.

Creationists will argue that evolution is a theory, and open to debate. No. Evolution is a fact. Yes, there are open questions how exactly evolution happens, how new species are formed, what actually defines a new species because evolution is a continuous process with the offspring resembling the parents, etc, but the fact that evolution occurred is undeniable. We do not have all answers to these questions yet, but the good thing about science is that the debates will lead us to the answers. Because science, unlike religion, is not dogmatic. Everything is open to scrutiny and debate.

Evolution is not the only reason that Darwin stopped believing in god. A turning point in his life was the loss of his beloved 10-year-old daughter to a sudden fever. He could not believe that a “benevolent god” would take away an innocent young girl. In fact, the occurrence of natural calamities in 19th century Europe convinced most thinking scientists that there is no god. Natural calamities like earthquakes and storms would kill thousands of innocent people, including children.

If there was an almighty god, why did He stand around doing nothing? Ask any religious person to explain that. The only logical explanation was that there is no god with supernatural powers. Einstein, arguably the greatest scientist in human history and my personal hero, termed belief in God “childish superstition.” I close with a quote from Darwin about the condition of the poor, “If the misery of our poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.” We are great sinners, indeed!