Page 56 - The Religion of Darwinism

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about the beliefs, doctrines and religious history of ancient
civilizations. But on the other hand, he was profoundly affected by
the positivist, materialist thought of the century in which he lived. In
particular, it was his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, who held anti-
religious views that had a radical influence on him.

Erasmus Darwin's "Temple of Nature"

The young Charles Darwin had
listened to his grandfather, Erasmus
46
Darwin, since childhood. Actually, it was
Erasmus Darwin who first proposed the
idea of evolution in England. He was
known as a physicist, a psychologist and a
poet and exercised considerable influence,
although he led a dark personal life and
had at least two illegitimate children. 47
But Erasmus Darwin was one of the most
well-known naturalists in England.
Naturalism believed that the essence of
the universe lay in nature and that it had a
Erasmus Darwin
creative power. While the roots of this
doctrine go back to the naturalist philosophy found in ancient Greek
and Sumerian myths, its major proponent by the 19th century was the
Masonic organization.
This fact was confirmed in 1884 by Pope Leo XIII, the leader of the
Catholic world, in his encyclical Humanum Genus (The Human Race),
which was directed particularly at the Masons:
At this period, however, the partisans of evil seems to be combining
together, and to be struggling with united vehemence, led on or
assisted by that strongly organized and widespread association
called the Freemasons. No longer making any secret of their
purposes, they are now boldly rising up against God Himself.

THE RELIGION OF DARWINISM