Page 140 - Global Freemasonry

GLOBAL FREEMASONRY

founded a society to manage the dissemination of his ideas, known as the
Philosophical Society.
Years later, Charles Darwin would inherit his grandfather's ideas and

the basic outlines for the proposal of his theory of evolution. Charles Dar-
win's theory elaborated upon the structure established by his grandfather,
while the Philosophical Society became one of the greatest and most pas-
sionate supporters of his theory. 101
In short, Erasmus Darwin was the true pioneer of the theory we
know of as the theory of evolution that has been propagandized through-

out the world over the past 150 years.
Where did Erasmus Darwin discover the idea of evolution? Where
did his interest in this subject come from?
After a thorough search for the answer to this question, we discover

the interesting fact that Erasmus Darwin was a Mason. Though, Erasmus
Darwin was no ordinary Mason, he was one of the highest ranking mas-
ters in the organization.
He was the master of the famous Canongate lodge in Edinburgh,
Scotland. 102 Moreover, he had close ties with the Jacobin Masons who
were the organizers of the revolution in France at the time, and with the Il-

luminati, whose prime cause was fostering hostility to religion. 103 That is,
Erasmus Darwin was an important name in European Masonic anti-reli-
gious organizations.
Erasmus educated his son Robert (Charles Darwin's father), who too

had been and made a member of the Masonic lodge. 104 For this reason,
Charles Darwin received the inheritance of Masonic teachings from both
his father and his grandfather.
Erasmus Darwin hoped to have his son Robert develop and publish
his theory, but it would be his grandson Charles who would undertake
the enterprise. Although it came some time later, Erasmus Darwin's Tem-

ple of Nature was finally revised by Charles Darwin. Darwin's views did

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