Posthumously, Charles Darwin, possibly as much as any 19th-century scientific figure, has had his lifes work and reputation maligned, and still to this day, ridiculed with undeserved scorn. What Darwin a man who possessed a boundless curiosity and matchless intellect observed and the theory he then explained in On the Origin of Species is considered a classic.

It seems timely and appropriate that a corrective of sorts, debunking a few of the many myths about Darwin, A primer on Darwin Day, appeared in the LNP Faith & Values section Feb. 11.

After reading the Feb. 2 letter Theory of evolution has significant flaws, I think it seems only appropriate and fair that, in addition to reading a nicely illustrated book about The Origin of Species, the writer also read Darwins own work "On The Origin Of Species.

The oft-repeated claim of a lack of transitional forms and missing links ignores the fact that not all creatures inhabited areas near volcanoes or environments where they would leave history a nicely preserved fossil.

Actually fossils are quite rare. A relatively new technique, DNA sequencing, has filled in much that the fossil record does not tell us.

A book that I unreservedly recommend is Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World by Michael Dowd, a United Church Of Christ minister.

Ralph Waldo Emerson stated: The religion that is afraid of science dishonors God. Or as David Sloan Wilson stated: The blessings of religion do not require departures from factual reality.

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Evolution, religion can co-exist - LancasterOnline