It has been proposed that Feb. 12 (Charles Darwin’s birthday) be set aside to honor Darwin for his contributions to the natural sciences and the importance of science in the betterment of humankind.
Unfortunately, however, there continues to be strong opposition from many in the religious sects opposed to recognizing a man who helped us to better understand the world around us.
The ideas Darwin put forth were not developed to undermine Christianity, but to explain the mechanism of natural selection and the diversity of life on earth.
Darwin was a man attempting to find amid the mist and clouds of ignorance and superstition the star of truth. Few men or women ever exerted a greater influence on the intellectual world than did Charles Darwin.
If it were not for scientists like Darwin, we still would be in the Dark Ages sitting by fires for warmth and light, sleeping in trees and dying of the plague.
Hopefully as education advances, and the subject of evolution is better understood, it will eventually be accepted as most of us today now accept the spherical Earth and the sun-centered solar system.
We set aside a day on our calendar to celebrate “Groundhog Day,” yet have failed to recognize a man who helped enlighten us all (or at least most of us). It is time to establish Feb. 12 as “Darwin Day!”
Borden Applegate
Jackson
