In his autobiography, Darwin, who also called himself an agnostic, wrote that the magnificence of the universe almost forces one to conclude that God exists. However, he continued, "Can the mind of man, which has, as I fully believe, been developed from a mind as low as that possessed by the lowest animal, be trusted when it draws such grand conclusions?" He goes on to say that the problem is compounded by "the probability that the constant inculcation in a belief in God on the minds of children has produced so strong and perhaps inherited effect on their brains, that it may now be as difficult for them to throw off their belief in God as for a monkey to throw off its instinctive fear of a snake". For this monkey at least, my great-great-grandfather was right.Randall Keynes
This insight into Darwin adheres also to many who follow him. For them, we are imago elaphe rather than imago dei, and therein lies a wrong path taken.
One biographer of Darwin makes a strong case that Darwin did indeed lose his faith but not because of his work but because of the childhood death of his favorite daughter.
Personally I sruggle with the idea of having a favorite child.
This insight into Darwin adheres also to many who follow him. For them, we are imago elaphe rather than imago dei, and therein lies a wrong path taken.We believe we're made in the image of an elephant?
Personally I'm imago humaniumnumumii (or however you'd spell it).