Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection widened the gap between science & religion that had opened since Renaissance. On Origin of Species clearly contradicted the bible’s account of creation & reignited the faith vs. reason debate. On one extreme were Creationists who believed in the ‘literal’ truth of the bible, while on the other end were the supporters of Darwin. However, in the middle, there was still a debate about the existence of God. Intelligent Design proponents argued that the diversity of life, especially complex life like humans, could not be explained by random chance alone, but must be the result of design. Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection effectively refuted this argument.
Creationism is a belief system that holds that the universe and all life forms on Earth were designed and created by God. Intelligent design is another name for creationism. Intelligent designers argue that certain features of biological organisms cannot be explained by the current scientific knowledge, therefore a divine purpose must be assumed. Evolutionary biology does not deny that there might be design in nature but instead attempts to explain the patterns observed in nature by means of natural processes.
In Darwin’s own words: “I cannot bring myself to give my assent to any plan of creation.” He was convinced that life evolved through random mutation, not guided by an intelligent designer. Like Isaac Newton, he also rejected the idea of divine intervention, instead believing that the universe was governed by natural law.
