Darwinism and Fundamentalism

In a collection of essays in The Death of Adam Marilynne Robinson authors an essay entitled "Darwinism." I have to admit that I had to read it slowly and thoughtfully because her writing is very dense and she makes historical and literary references of which I am vaugely familiar. I highly recommend her writings, and that recommendation comes from reading just this one essay (so far). It is a very eye-opening critique of Darwinism, mentioning some of the social, cultural, and philosophical influences on Darwin and his theory of natural selection.

There is one line in particular that I though quite profound. On page 39 she states,

"The Creationist position has long been owned by the Religious Right, and the Darwinist position by the Irreligious Right."

I read that sentence with thorough enjoyment because it is accurate, despite what we may think. We would expect her to say, "The Irreligious Left." Robinson does not use the word, but she may be saying that both views fall under the category of "fundamenalist."

Indeed, she makes a distinction between evolution, "the change that occurs in organisms over time, and Darwinism, the interpretation of this phenomenon which claims to refute religion and to imply a personal and social ethic which is, not coincidentally, antithetical to the assumptions imposed and authorized by Judeo-Christianity" (p. 30). See, told you she was deep.

To speak of Darwinists as being fundamentalists is not surprising. I listend to a lecture by George Marsden and he said the term fundamentlist is "applied to the right of wherever you happen to be." I had thought similiarly for a good while. There are fundamentalists on the political left, the social left, and according to Robinson among Darwinists. In the current world of the "Evangelical Left" there is a very good emphasis on social justice, but the methods promoted tend to be too politicized for my taste (though it's near impossible to get away from politics). I've often asked, "What is there to keep a Moral Majority from forming on the Left?" Instead of Jerry Falwell (or whoever his current successor is) we now have Jim Wallis. Jim Wallis may not even want that.

Anway, that's a tanget. If Darwinism is an interpretation of evolution, then Creationism is the interpretation of Genesis 1 & 2. I would be a creationist in the sense that I believe the Lord God spoke the world into existence and created all we see (and do not see). I could see it happening in six days, although the way it's presented in Genesis looks more like poetic description rather than straight narrative. For sure it is meant to be a polemic against the other Ancient Near Eastern worldviews that viewed the sun, moon, and stars as gods. Genesis says light was created before the sun. The sun and moon are simply called the "greater light" and the "lesser light" and the stars are just mentioned as an afterthought. Take that ye gods of the nations!

Whether creation in six days equals "young earth" I cannot say with confidence, but it need not be required. My point in writing this is to say that "fundamentalism" is a very tricky term and its application cannot necessarily be used to stick to a certain group or ideology. Could the term mean 'this is the way things are and there is no other alternative'? Possibly. But can I be called a "fundy" because I think a rock is a rock and will hurt you if I drop it on your foot? A rock is not a feather. It is a rock. There is no alternative.  The lesson learned may be to be aware of how we use language and who we use language against.