By
Dr. Tommy Mitchell
It has been widely held among many sincere
and well-meaning Christians that Charles Darwin on his deathbed not only renounced
evolution,
but also accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. The tale of this deathbed conversion has been
passed down over the years as fact. This
‘event’ has even been used as ‘evidence’ that evolution is false. The overzealous have, at times, boldly proclaimed,
“See—even Darwin knew that this theory was not true!”
Early Reports
What is the basis for this story? As often as it is repeated, there must be
credible evidence that these events actually took place, right? Surely, the tale would not have continued
though the years if it were a lie? Sadly,
when evidence is sought, there is little to support this story.
Charles Darwin died in April 1882 and was
buried in Westminster Abbey. Within days
of his death, reports of a conversion experience began to circulate. The first report supposedly came in a sermon
preached in South Wales by a gentleman identified as “Mr. Huntingdon.” Some weeks later there surfaced a report
about a letter sent to John Eadie, a divinity professor in Glasgow, in which
Darwin indicated, “He can with confidence look to Calvary.” (1) Curiously, when examined, Darwin’s existing
correspondence (which totals over 14,000 letters) contains no communication
between these two men. (2)
Lady Hope
The most often cited evidence for the
alleged conversion of Darwin comes from a woman known as Lady Hope. She was born Elizabeth Reid Cotton in
December 1842 and was the daughter of General Sir Arthur Cotton. She and her father were active evangelists in
Kent, very near Charles Darwin’s home. In
1877, she married Admiral Sir James Hope and thus became Lady Hope, a title she
continued to use even after remarrying subsequent to Sir James’s death a few
years later. (3)
While traveling in America in 1915 she
attended a conference in East Northfield, Massachusetts. While there she apparently told the story of
a visit she had with Darwin before the scientist’s death. She recounted this tale during a devotional
service and was later persuaded to write an account of this visit, which was
then published in the Watchman-Examiner, a national Baptist magazine, on
August 19, 1915. (4)
Here, Lady Hope claimed to have visited
Darwin on an autumn afternoon. She noted
that Darwin had been bedridden for several months before his death, and at the
time of her visit she found him sitting up in bed. Lady Hope indicated that Darwin was at the
time reading the Bible, which she
claimed he was always studying. When
asked what he was reading he replied, “Hebrews
. . . the Royal Book.” Darwin also
supposedly commented, “I was a young man with unformed ideas.”
Lady Hope further claimed that before her
departure she was asked by Darwin to return and speak to his servants in his
summerhouse. When asked about the
subject on which she should speak,
What Really Happened?
Unfortunately, when the full text of the
report is examined, there are many inconsistencies that make the story
untenable. While it is possible that
Lady Hope did visit Darwin’s home in late 1881, this was almost seven months
before his death. (5) He was certainly
not bedridden for six months before his death.
Further, there was nothing to indicate that he was always studying the Bible.
On the Down House property, there was a
small summerhouse, but it was too small to accommodate his 30 servants. There is nothing in his writings to indicate
that Darwin ever asked anyone to speak about “Christ Jesus.”
Further, it is fascinating what Lady Hope’s
story does not say. It does not say that
Darwin renounced evolution. It merely
says that Darwin speculated over the outcome of his ideas. He never backed away from evolution. Nor does the Lady Hope story say that Darwin
actually became a Christian. The story,
even if true, merely claims the Darwin was reading the Bible and made a statement about Christ. Nowhere is there a claim of a saving
relationship with the Savior.
As soon as this story became public, the denials
from Darwin’s family began (as they did after every supposed ‘conversion story’
became known). In a letter to James
Howe, Darwin’s son Francis wrote in 1915: “He [Darwin] could not have become
openly and 
enthusiastically
Christian without the knowledge of his family, and no such change occurred.”
(6)
In a letter dated May 28, 1918, Francis
again writes: “Lady Hope’s account of my father’s views on religion is quite
untrue. I have publicly accused her of
falsehood, but I have not seen any reply.” (3)
Darwin’s daughter Henrietta wrote in 1922:
“I was present at his deathbed. Lady Hope was not present during his last
illness, or any illness. . . . He never recanted any of his scientific views,
either then or earlier.” (7)
Conclusion
Beyond these denials, if the tale were true,
why did Darwin’s wife Emma not rejoice in this?
She was always troubled by what she perceived as the godless nature of
his views. If he indeed repented, why
did she not make this known? Also, if
the story were credible, why did Lady Hope wait 33 years before relating it,
and even then, relating it in a country across the ocean?
Given the weight of evidence, it must be
concluded that Lady Hope’s story is unsupportable, even if she did actually
visit Darwin. He never became a
Christian, and he never renounced evolution.
As much as we would like to believe that he died with a saving knowledge
of Jesus Christ, it is much more likely that he didn’t. It is unfortunate that the story continues to
be promoted by many sincere people who use this in an effort to discredit
evolution when many other great arguments exist, including the greatest: the Bible.
Footnotes
1. James Moore, The
2.
David Herbert, Charles Darwin’s Religious Views (London: Hersil
Publishing, 1990), 59.
7.
Herbert, 88–89.
Dr. Tommy Mitchell graduated with a BA with
highest honors from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1980, with
a major in Cell Biology and a minor in Biochemistry. For his superior scholarship during his undergraduate
study, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa Society (the oldest and one of the
most-respected honor societies in America). Dr. Mitchell subsequently attended Vanderbilt
University School of Medicine in Nashville, where he received his medical
degree in 1984. In 1991, he was elected
a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.
In late 2006, he withdrew from medical practice to pursue creation
ministry full-time and is the latest dynamic lecturer to be added to Answers
In Genesis-USA’s growing speaking staff.
