Page 55 - The Religion of Darwinism

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Lyell, he clearly expresses the doubts he felt
with regard to his theory:
Thinking of so many cases of men
pursuing an illusion for years, often and
often a cold shudder has run through me,
and I have asked myself whether I may
not have devoted my life to a phantasy. 42
Moreover, Darwin was aware of errors and
unfounded claims in his theory. He wrote:
Long before having arrived at this part of my
work, a crowd of difficulties will have
occurred to the reader. Some of them are so
grave that to this day I can never reflect on Charles Lyell
them without being staggered. 43

In a letter to his close friend, Asa Gray, he defined his theory as extra-
scientific speculation:
"I am quite conscious that my speculations run quite beyond the
bounds of true science." 44
Some later scientists have also pointed to
Darwin's contradictory spirit and unsound logic. The
fact that the founder of a theory which was presented
to the world as absolute reality has a mind filled with
contradictions and doubts gives rise to serious
misgivings about the foundation upon which the
theory is built. The American physicist Lipson has
this to say about Darwin's fears:

On reading The Origin of Species, I found that Darwin
Asa Gray
was much less sure himself than he is often
represented to be; the chapter entitled "Difficulties of the Theory,"
for example, shows considerable self-doubt. As a physicist, I was
particularly intrigued by his comments on how the eye would have
arisen. 45
How did Darwin fall in love with "a phantasy"? As a child, he
had a prolonged religious education providing him with knowledge

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A A CLOSER LOOK AT THE RELIGION OF DARWINISM
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