Paradise Lost: The Religious Life of Charles Darwin

Paradise Lost: The Religious Life of Charles Darwin. color. 49 min. David A. Wollert, Blank Slate Studios, 582 Carter Hill Rd., Piney Flats, TN 37686; 423-276-0704; david@blankslatestudios.com. 2007. $89; public performance $149. REL
Writer/director Wollert here reflects on Charles Darwin’s complex personality and his digression from his earlier years as an orthodox theist to his latter years as an agnostic. Darwin’s journal entries from the Beagle voyage affirmed his Christian orthodox views in a God that exists and is actively involved in His creation. Darwin wrote, "I did not then in the least doubt the strict and literal truth of every word in the Bible." But Darwin’s faith was deeply shaken when his ten-year-old daughter, Annie, died suddenly. He could not reconcile human suffering and catastrophic events with the God of the New Testament. He wrote about the inability of the human mind to comprehend God and was considered by many to be an atheist. However, he wrote, "I think that generally…but not always, that an agnostic would be the more correct description of my state of mind." Even though Darwin had difficulty understanding God, he paradoxically continued to support Christian causes such as shelters for alcoholics and missionary and evangelistic efforts of his day. There have been few people who have had a greater influence on the fields of science, theology, sociology, and philosophy than Charles Darwin. This DVD is exceptionally well done and would be an asset to any library collection.