A new documentary that debuted on February 10 suggests that creationists and Charles Darwin had more in common than they thought. The film Questioning Darwin, made by British filmmaker Antony Thomas, traces the century and a half of backlash that Darwin’s theory of evolution received, after his book The Origin of Species was first published in 1859.
“The strange thing to say is that the more carefully you look at Darwin’s journey, the more you realize [creationists] have got a point,” Thomas says.
The film compares the struggles faced by Darwin in coming to terms with his findings and the views held by present-day creationists. Questioning Darwin’s broadcast premiere has been timed to match the week of Darwin’s 215th birthday.
The film delves into the misgivings people have about the theory of evolution and its moral implications. It reveals how most creationists believe that a world where God did not have a direct hand in creation takes away from man’s senses of hope and love and renders their notions of right and wrong pointless. However, for some subjects in Thomas’ film, their belief in creationism is firmly entrenched in their own personal relationships with faith and religion.
“There are really deep human needs that are satisfied [by believing in creationism], and Darwin’s vision of a God who is just a prime mover and has no further part in our existence is a very bleak one,” Thomas says.
