The Struggle Between Evolutionary Theory and Creationism in China

Abstract

The Origin of Species dropped on theology like a bomb. The theory of natural selection struck a heavy blow against the religious doctrine of special creation. As W. Horton pointed out, with respect to organic evolution, the medieval Great Chain of Being is a more significant symbol than the cross. Bishop Ussher’s chronology was entirely destroyed by geology. Anyone who still believed that God created the world in’ six days’ in 4004 B.C. was subjected to ridicule for failing to understand the meaning of Darwin’s theory. It’s not surprising that Darwin’s theory aroused religious opposition in different parts of the world. The spread of evolutionary theory in China aroused strong opposition from both Catholics and Protestants just as it did in the West. However, in the past when people talked about the spread of evolutionary theory in China they seldom referred to the attitudes of the churches toward evolutionary theory and even claimed that when Darwin’s evolutionary theory was introduced into China it “was not subjected to the severe attacks it met with at the beginning in Western European countries like Britain and Germany,”¹ or “was not subjected to severe attack and slander as in Western European countries where the doctrine of creationism and the theory of the immutability of species dominated.” We think this is not entirely consistent with the historical evidence. After the imperialist aggression of 1860, the work of Western missionaries in China expanded as never before. Especially after the invasion of the Eight-Power Allied Forces in 1900, a continuous stream of Western missionaries came to China, a number of churches established missions in various provinces, and the number of Chinese Christians increased sharply.² These missionary activities, strengthened by the presence of imperialist gunboats, differed from earlier missionary efforts. Acting against the political interests of the Chinese people, these missionaries actively interfered in Chinese internal affairs. Even with respect to science and technology they were theologically prejudiced, opposing Darwin’s theory which they regarded as ‘heresy.’ This paper analyzes Catholic and Protestant attitudes toward evolutionary theory at different stages.