I no longer have the slightest interest in debated creation vs. evolution. I have NEVER seen anyone who is firmly on one side or the other change their mind on the subject, nor do I see any real value on debating something that either did or did not happen but cannot be concretely proven either way.
That being said, it is an historical FACT that the Darwin family used evolutionary theories to develop racist eugenics. I see evolution as one facet of Darwinism, but it is the eugenics aspect of Darwinism that is far more dangerous and destructive. It is without question that Hitler and Sanger were believers in eugenics in exactly the way that Galton and Leonard Darwin intended and while Galton and Darwin may not have openly called for the death of those they considered "inferior," it was a logical and predictable result.
I changed my mind & I was once firmly on the other side of the issue. I grew up with books on evolution in my home. I remember laughing at the kids who brought up God in science class.
The danger with indoctrination is that it sometimes means it's necessary to shape "truth". After the one who'd been indoctrinated has been released, discovery of any messaged truth is almost like a light getting turned on. I've gone from skeptical, to wondering about what they fear. Heaven forbid, teachers allow students to question & think.
Wagglebee,
In case you suspect I’m trying to make you believe in natural selection, let me assure you I’m not. Most (though not all) of the people on the Darwin team are my enemy, and I’m not interested in recruiting more members for them. ;-)
I agree that the entire eugenics movement originated with the idea of natural selection. But, judging from his writings, Darwin himself did not advocate eugenics. It doesn’t seem he ever suspected his work would be interpreted the way it was. (Admission: I read “Origin of Species”, but I’ve only heard and read “about” his other writings.) Still, the eugenicists and the Bell Curve crowd have marched on. What they’ve ignored is that Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” wasn’t measured in the terms they are applying. It was measured in terms of adaptation to one’s environment.
The study of genetics is another example of science being misused: Knowledge about genetics may help us fight disease, but the eugenics crowd have latched onto it. It also has led people to draw conclusions without solid scientific evidence that, for example, homosexuality is genetic.
As a side note, I’m glad to see a book written about Scripture that sets the record straight.