Charles Darwin and Karl Marx

Psalm 53:1
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.”

Have you noticed how many of the most admired atheists come from a science background? I could name dozens – Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett and Stephen Hawking, to name a few. Thousands of people are fans of the late Carl Sagan and his protégé, Neil deGrass Tyson. Some of these atheists are practically superstars with followers numbering in the millions.

Well, Charles Darwin had his share of followers, too. At first, his Origin of Species was accepted not on any scientific merit but rather because it offered an apparently rational alternative to the miraculous. Darwin’s earliest followers were not scientists of the day but rather theologians who rejected the miracles of the Bible.

Darwin’s followers each had their own particular motives for accepting the theory of evolution. But one of his most notable followers was Karl Marx. As the author of The Communist Manifesto, Marx found the struggle-to-the-death principle in natural selection a perfect confirmation of his own view of man’s class struggle. In appreciation, Marx sent Darwin a copy of his Das Kapital in 1873.

Six years later, Marx wrote to Darwin, requesting permission to dedicate his next volume to him. But Darwin declined the offer, explaining that “it would pain certain members of his family if he were associated with so atheistic a book.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we do not follow any man. Instead, we follow Your Son, Jesus Christ, who died to give us eternal life. He alone is worthy of our praise. Amen.

Author: Steven J. Schwartz
Ref: Ian T. Taylor, In the Minds of Men: Darwin and the New World Order (TFE Publishing and Creation Moments, Sixth Edition, 2008), pp. 386-387. Photo: Memorial to Karl Marx in Moscow. The inscription reads: “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” (CC-BY 3.0)

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