Let’s talk about Darwin’s darkest lie. “Degraded views of humanity–particularly in denying that the human being is made in the image of God–inevitably [lead to] human misery.” This quote, from David Casas of Luther Rice University, points us to some of the darkest events in modern history. Since Charles Darwin penned his influential works, the world has experienced tragedies that are beyond words.
First, Communism and Marxism. Darwinism and Marxism are philosophically joined at the hip, and according to The Black Book of Communism, it is Marxism and Communism that have led to over 100 million deaths worldwide in the 20th century alone.
In other words, the lies that grew from Darwin’s poisonous garden in nations like Soviet Russia, Communist China, and the Khmer Rouge’s (or the Red Khmers) Cambodia resulted in the needless and tragic deaths of men, women, and children. All this is the result of a distorted view of where we came from. It is the dark result of “Darwin’s Darkest Lie” … that we are here as a result of chance, and that there is no true meaning in life.
The secrets of the universe and the meaning of life could start with a single question: “Why are we here?” But the answer lies in a truth as old as time and as new as the latest science textbook: the idea that humans were created in the image of God — the Imago Dei. This reality shaped the foundations of science. Johannes Kepler, a 16th-century mathematician and astronomer, spent his life gazing at the stars. He wasn’t just calculating orbits; he believed he was thinking God’s thoughts after Him. “God has let man take part in the knowledge of these things,” Kepler wrote, reflecting on how studying the universe mirrored God’s own creativity. Kepler wasn’t alone in seeing a connection between science and faith.
Many pioneers of modern science — Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, and Robert Boyle — were devout believers who saw no conflict between their work and their faith. They operated on the assumption that the universe was not random but intelligible, designed by a rational Creator who gave humans the ability to understand it. That ability was from the fact that we’re Created in God’s image–a teaching from the book of Genesis that many dub Imago Dei or “The Image of God”.
Add to this that Imago Dei was foundational to the scientific method itself for so many years. As Cambridge historian Joseph Needham put it, modern science arose in the Christian West because of its belief in an orderly, comprehensible world.
Without this presupposition, science as we know it might not exist. Think about it: if the universe were chaotic, why would anyone expect to find patterns, laws, or equations? Yet here we are, cracking the codes of gravity, relativity, and quantum mechanics. Here’s where it gets interesting. The scientific revolution wasn’t just about believing in an orderly universe. It was also about understanding human limitations.
Early scientists, drawing from the Bible, held a nuanced view of human reasoning. On one hand, we’re capable of great intellectual feats because we’re made in God’s image. On the other hand, we’re prone to error because of our fallibility — I’m talking about that whole “original sin” thing! Kepler himself emphasized the need for careful observation and testing, famously breaking with Greek philosophers who assumed planets moved in perfect circles because it “felt logical.” Instead, Kepler’s empirical data revealed elliptical orbits. He understood that even brilliant humans couldn’t rely on intuition alone.
This humility became a cornerstone of scientific progress: Test everything, Trust little… and always double-check your math. Instead of the darkness that has come from Darwin’s Darkest Lie, you can confidently believe God’s Brightest Truth – the fact that we were born for a reason, we have purpose, and divine design. That humankind was created in the image and likeness of God. And when we believe that we also see the value of others that are created in His image. That truth, that not only were we created in God’s image, but also that Christ came to die for us while we were yet in sin is the powerful truth of redemption.
Marxism and Communism can’t survive when we build our lives on the truth of the Christian faith. And that’s good news. Because when dark lies spread through countries and cultures, they lead to millions of deaths, both physical and spiritual.
But when goodness and the light of God’s truth is preached, people experience life and redemption.
I’m David Rives,
Truly, the heavens declare the glory of God.