In the News

by Dennis Wagner

What do Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln have in common? They were both born on the exact same day (February 12, 1809), and their Bicentennial Birthdays will be celebrated in 2009. Darwin enthusiasts are tying Darwin to Lincoln and putting Darwin on a pedestal as the greater liberator. Robert Stephens, an American who in 1995 founded the annual Darwin Day Celebrations, was interviewed on BBC. The reporter asked how best to celebrate Darwin alongside Lincoln. Stephens answered, "Feb. 12, 1809 was a very good day for our planet because Lincoln became the great emancipator of the slaves in America, and Darwin became the great emancipator of the human mind!"

And the celebration will not end in February. In fact it will build to a second climax on November 24th. That date marks the 150th anniversary of Darwin's Origin of Species. Just check out the cascade of festivities planned in dozens of countries at DarwinDay and Darwin200.

I don't know about you, but to me, celebrating Darwin as the great emancipator of the human mind seems to be a bit of a reach. Especially after reading the news stories from this past year: Darwin's tree-of-life declared unscientific, Darwinism declared dead as a theory of evolution by the Altenberg 16, and widespread discrimination against Darwin doubters. From my vantage point it appears Darwin is the great enslaver of the human mind, not the great liberator. As a culture we are stuck on a 150 year old theory that no longer fits the data, even though the theory has been modified many times to try and force it to fit. Science has moved on and left Darwin's molecule-to-man theory behind.

Standing on Darwin's Shoulders

But rather than demonize Darwin as some want to do, or put him on a pedestal as the great emancipator of the human mind as others want to do, I recommend a third alternative. I recommend we stand on Darwin's shoulders during this coming Bicentennial year and look to the future. What do I mean by "Standing on Darwin's Shoulders"? Darwin gave us several gifts, and I think we should graciously accept those gifts for what they are and move on. First, he gave us the gift of observation. Darwin was a naturalist of the highest order and his ability to observe and document the natural world is something we should all aspire to.

Second, Darwin was a rhetorical genius. His ability to use the success of the British artificial breeding industry to build broad support for his concept of natural selection was brilliant. In a nutshell Darwin gave us a very successful formula in his Origin of Species for overthrowing the current scientific paradigm. We would be well served to study his formula carefully as we attempt to replace his theory of random mutations and natural selection with a theory of design.

The third gift Darwin gave us was the courage to put forth a bold idea. While some of his ideas have advanced our understanding of the world we live in, we have learned over the past 150 years that it is not the whole picture. There must be something else that explains how life originated from non-life. There must be something else that explains where the gigabyte of information in our DNA comes from. There must be something else that explains why the laws of physics and our universe appear to be finely tuned for our existence. So let us stand on Darwin's shoulders and have the courage to proclaim our own bold ideas of design in nature to which the evidence continues to point.

Darwin Bicentennial Celebration Party Favors

Darwin Balanced Teaching Bookmarks (Free): We've put together some party favors to help you celebrate the Darwin Bicentennial in 2009. The first is our Darwin Featured Author page at ARN. Here you can find links to free online editions of Darwin's major books, as well as audio versions you can listen to. I must admit that it requires some mental fortitude to read Origin of Species from cover to cover, but those who do will be rewarded with some little gems like this quote from the introduction:

I am well aware that there is scarcely a single point discussed in this volume on which facts cannot be adduced, often apparently leading to conclusions directly opposite to those at which I have arrived. A fair result could be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts on both sides of each question, and this cannot possibly be done here.

We are in such complete agreement with Darwin's sentiments about teaching the pros and cons of his own theory that we have put this quote on a bookmark that you can download for free at the bottom of the ARN Darwin author page and distribute far and wide. You can also order this quote on a t-shirt or coffee mug.

Darwin Bicentennial Celebration: A Retrospective Look at the Origin of Species ($25). For 2009 we are re-releasing our interview with John Angus Campbell, one of the world's leading authorities on the rhetoric of Charles Darwin. In this one hour DVD Dr. Campbell reveals why Darwin’s rhetoric was so persuasive in overturning the origins theory of the day, even though his data was lacking in so many ways. After watching this interview, you will know more about Origin of Species than 99% of the world's population, you will appreciate Darwin's talents and gifts to us, and you will be able to articulate his bold idea and why it is not the whole story.

Expelled Super Bundle ($50). To further help you celebrate the Darwin Bicentennial we've put together the Expelled Super Bundle to highlight the lack of academic freedom that exists today to explore both sides of Darwin's theory, as he advocated. In addition to the Expelled DVD, the Super Bundle includes a copy of Dr. Jerry Bergman's new book Slaughter of the Dissidents, which dives even deeper into the issues raised in Expelled. To make this bundle even sweeter we are throwing in free copies of three of the best DVD documentaries on intelligent design: The Privileged Planet, The Case for a Creator, & Unlocking the Mystery of Life. Purchased separately these products would cost $125, but since we want to help get you in the party mood for 2009, the entire bundle can be yours for only $50.

ID DVD Give Away. Finally, as our way of saying "thank you" for your year-end donation to the ongoing work at ARN, we would like to send you a free set of the three ID documentary DVDs for each $25 you donate before February 12, 2009 (or B-Day as we call it around here). I can't think of a better party favor to be handing out during the 2009 Darwin Bicentennial Celebration than The Privileged Planet, The Case for a Creator, & Unlocking the Mystery of Life. Just indicate in the comment field of your online donation as you check out how many sets you would like with your donation.

I can't wait for 2009. Let the party begin!

(excerpted from the ARN 2008 Annual Report)