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Today is the 206th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, a day now celebrated by some as Darwin Day. Darwin, of course, is best known for his theory of evolution through natural selection. When Darwin's work was first made public in 1859, it shocked Britain's religious establishment. And while today it is accepted by virtually all scientists, evolutionary theory is still rejected by many Americans, often because it conflicts with their religious beliefs about divine creation.

Happy Darwin Day? If Darwin Day devotees want to be viewed as more than the mere members of a quirky cult, they need to start engaging their thoughtful critics. By John West Published on February 12, 2015 Today is the birthday of Charles Darwin, and enthusiasts around the globe will be marking the occasion with special dinners, lectures, birthday parties and more.Darwin boosters often insist they are inspired simply by a disinterested commitment to science, while their critics are motivated primarily by religion. But Darwin Day festivities make it painfully obvious that many promoters of Darwinian theory are just as interested...

A resolution designating February 12, 2013, as Darwin Day, has been introduced into the United States House of Representatives.The proposed resolution would be a recognition of Charles Darwin as “a worthy symbol on which to celebrate the achievements of reason, science, and the advancement of human knowledge."The Darwin Day resolution was introduced by Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) on Jan. 22, 2013. Holt, one of the few members of Congress with a Ph.D. in a scientific field, is the sole sponsor of the bill. After its introduction, the resolution, H. Res. 41, was referred to the House Committee on Science, Space,...

Evidence for Evolution Found – Or ClaimedFeb 24, 2009 — It seems that in this Darwin Bicentennial year, some reporters are overeager to find confirming evidence for Darwin’s theory.  Here are some recent reports where it is not clear the evidence presented would convince a skeptic. Survival of the weakest:  Add a new catch-phrase to Darwin’s arsenal: survival of the weakest.  Sure enough, Science Daily reported on experiments at LMU in which “in large populations, the weakest species would – with very high probability – come out as the victor.”  Almost without exception, their simulations of a scissors-paper-rock game-theoretical ecology...

Feb 13, 2009 — As could be expected for yesterday’s Darwin Day February 12, Nature devoted almost its entire 2/12/09 issue to Charles Darwin with at least 20 Darwin-related articles. The caption for the special edition states, "The latest edition of Nature to celebrate Darwin’s life and work looks at the human side of evolution. We have features on looking for Darwin in the genome, and on what evolution has done to shape human nature, while our editorial and two commentaries look at some of the problems inherent in applying biology to questions about humanity. We also have an essay...

A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism During recent decades, new scientific evidence from many scientific disciplines such as cosmology, physics, biology, "artificial intelligence" research, and others have caused scientists to begin questioning Darwinism's central tenet of natural selection and studying the evidence supporting it in greater detail. Yet public TV programs, educational policy statements, and science textbooks have asserted that Darwin's theory of evolution fully explains the complexity of living things. The public has been assured that all known evidence supports Darwinism and that virtually every scientist in the world believes the theory to be true. The scientists on this...

Darwin Praise Service Begins Feb 01, 2009 — The celebrations in honor of Charles Robert Darwin for his 200th birthday (Feb. 12) and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his influential book On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection (Nov. 29th) are well underway. It is hard to think of any other scientist who gets the kind of gushy adulation heaped on this one man. It borders on religious euphoria. Some examples:...

Darwinian Medicine: A Prescription for Failure Randy J. Guliuzza, P.E., M.D. Although the field of medicine experienced major advances in the 20th century, it also embraced mistakes and outright atrocities caused by the introduction of evolutionary thinking. Setbacks to the profession are bad, but thousands of patients "treated" with Darwinian medical principles suffered needlessly, experiencing confusion, painful surgery, and even death...

Darwin’s Wrong Turn in Argentina Feb 12, 2009 — When the Beagle was sailing the coast of Argentina in 1834, it stopped at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River. 25-year-old Charles Darwin, who had been reading Lyell’s Principles of Geology, got out and explored the area on foot as the crew made camp on the cliffs. Darwin was impressed by the six-mile-wide canyon with its comparatively small river. He was led from his reading of Lyell to assume that this was another example of the cumulative power of small processes to produce big changes over vast periods of time....

On Darwin Day, Myths Parade as Fact CBNNews.com - Scientist Charles Darwin is credited as the founder of the theory of evolution. He was born 200 years ago on February 12, 2009. Abraham Lincoln was born on the same day, but millions think Darwin was the more heroic. John West is author of Darwin Day in America. He said, "It's almost like Christmas for atheists. They sing holiday songs, sometimes mocking Christmas songs, in honor of Darwin." Click the player to watch the report from CBN News Science & Medical Reporter Gailon Totheroh. There are events like biological arguments against...

Darwin Losing in the Polls Feb 12, 2009 — Many scientists are celebrating Darwin as the greatest scientist in history on his Bicentennial, but public support for his theory is slipping. A new Zogby poll shows significant erosion over the past few years over the question of whether evolution only should be taught, and a new Gallup poll shows only a minority believe in evolution. The results of the Zogby poll are explained on Evolution News with graphs. The demographics indicate that it is not just church-goers who support academic freedom to teach the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory;...

Happy Darwin Day? ...Darwin did not propose a hypothesis that was then confirmed by evidence - as truly great scientists have done. Instead, like Marx and Freud, Darwin provided what evolutionary biologist Douglas Futuyma has called "a crucial plank to the platform of mechanism and materialism" that now dominates Western thought. This explains why Darwin Day in the United States is a project of the Institute for Humanist Studies, which is dedicated to promoting "a nonreligious philosophy." It explains why some atheists want to establish Darwin Day as a secular alternative to Christmas. Unfortunately, once in power Darwinism (like Marxism)...

Darwin, Intelligent Design, and Freedom of Discovery on Evolutionists' Holy Day By Casey Luskin Posted February 10, 2009 February 12 used to be universally recognized as the birthday of Abraham Lincoln—a day celebrating freedom. Needing a patron saint, Darwinists in recent years have converted February 12 into "Darwin Day." There's nothing wrong with celebrating Darwin's birthday—if that's what you really want to do. But in recent years the advocacy of evolution has become increasingly associated with attempts to subvert freedom. To reclaim February 12 for those who love freedom, Discovery Institute and others in the intelligent design (ID) movement are...

Evolutionary leaps: Darwin had claimed that natural selection could never make a great leap, but must always proceed by slow but sure steps. Maybe if the leaps are stretched out over millions of years they are not really leaps. Science Daily last month claimed that “Life On Earth Got Bigger In 2-million-fold Leaps"...

Nature Struts Darwin Gems Jan 2, 2009 —- Like a showcase of pearl-handled revolvers, an armory of evidences Nature calls “Darwin’s Gems” have been exhibited to warn creationists that Darwin Day will be defended next month with a show of force. The authors, Henry Gee (former editor of Nature), Rory Howlett and Philip Campbell have made their 15 Evolutionary Gems freely available “and encourage its free dissemination.” Why? “Given that the concepts and realities of Darwinian evolution are still challenged, albeit rarely by biologists, a succinct briefing on why evolution by natural selection is an empirically validated principle is useful...

Nature Can’t Wait for Darwin Day Nov 23, 2008 — Darwin Day (Feb. 12, 2009) is months away, but Nature devoted a special issue to it this week.  The cover story, Darwin 200, includes 15 articles and features, some of which are available to the public.  Features include a list of celebrations and exhibitions around the world, including a re-enactment of Darwin’s voyage on a “modernized replica” of the HMS Beagle.  The voyage will be a floating field trip beamed to classrooms worldwide.     The lead Editorial, “Beyond the Origin,” contained the expected creation-bashing and touting of Darwin’s theory as...

What Darwin Didn't Know an RTB conference in our nation's capital. February 12, 2009 marks Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of his book, On Origin of Species. People worldwide will engage in Darwin Day celebrations honoring Darwin’s influence on science and culture. The Reasons to Believe, Washington D.C, Network and Christ Church on Embassy Row are proud to announce an RTB Regional Conference addressing this all-important event. Hear RTB scholars Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples, Jeff Zweerink and Hugh Ross present the latest evidence that challenges Darwinism and supports the Christian faith. October 24-25 2008 Register at http://www.cconembassyrow.com/rtb.html...

There is scant reporting on the anti-religious zeal with which many atheists promote Darwinism. February 12 used to be known in classrooms across the nation as Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. But over the last decade, an increasing number of schools and community groups have decided to celebrate the birthday of the father of evolution instead. The movement to establish February 12 as “Darwin Day” seems to be spreading, promoted by a evangelistic non-profit group with its own website (www.darwinday.org) and an ambitious agenda to create a “global celebration in 2009, the bicentennial of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the...