Atheists, agnostics credit Darwin for their disbelief

Since Charles Darwin first published his theory of evolution in 1859, his ideas have gained widespread acceptance, particularly in academia and secular science. But has this acceptance seeped down to the general public and subtly lured people away from faith in God?

According to a new Discovery Institute survey, it has.

Two particular facets of evolution have had the greatest impact: Two-thirds of atheists and just under one half of agnostics surveyed said Darwin’s idea that life sprang from an unguided process in which inorganic chemicals evolved into living organisms made the existence of God seem less probable. A similar number of non-believers said they were influenced by the theory that all life forms on Earth, including humans, were produced by an unguided process of mutation and natural selection.

Seventy percent of atheists and 40 percent of agnostics see no evidence in nature of design, purpose, or good and evil.

Evolution also appears to have had a huge effect on current thinking about the place of humans in the natural order. A majority of atheists and agnostics believe evolution shows humans are not fundamentally different from animals. And an alarming 45 percent of the general population agrees.

But are people lured away from faith in God by evolutionary ideas, or do people reject faith in God first and then come to endorse ideas of evolution? According to William VanDoodewaard, professor of church history at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich., it’s not clear which comes first.

In his research, VanDoodewaard has observed a common pattern: When individuals, churches, denominations, or institutions of Christian higher education begin to adopt a more figurative interpretation of the creation story, they often begin down a slippery slope that leads to denying the authority and inerrancy of the rest of the Bible.

When those who believe in God adopt evolutionary beliefs, it suggests “that God is at most incrementally involved in creation, if not simply sitting back and watching things unfold. Ultimately there is no need, and no real place for God in a complete evolutionary worldview,” VanDoodewaard said.

According to the Discovery survey, the theory that all life forms on Earth, including humans, are descended from a single common ancestor does not appear to have been quite so influential on issues of belief. The vast majority of people who believe in God, as well as those who are agnostic, told Discovery researchers the idea of common ancestry has had no impact on their beliefs at all. More than half of atheists agree.

But that does not mean views about common ancestry are irrelevant, especially when it comes to issues of morality. More than half the survey participants, including those who believe in God, said morals do not spring from an absolute standard of right and wrong but have evolved over time based on their survival value.

While theories are influential, so is evidence. Fifty-eight percent of those who believe in God’s existence said the evidence of highly complex things in nature has made the existence of God more likely for them personally. A surprising 60 percent of atheists agreed.