Charles and Emma Darwin: The Marriage of Science and Religion

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In 1936 Charles Darwin had traveled the world and he was seeing life and creation in a different way. He kept a leather bound book that he wrote in daily with ideas that came to him about evolution. He knew that his ideas would rock the world and his father advised him to keep his mouth shut and conceal his doubts. But Charles couldn’t do that. He was an honest man.

Charles began to court a young woman named Emma Wedgwood. She believed firmly in heaven and hell and she believed you had to be saved to go to heaven. Charles agonized over telling Emma about his beliefs but did not consider being dishonest with her. He told Emma of his skepticism about religion and asked her to marry him. She accepted. She knew he was a good and moral man and she respected him for being truthful. Emma urged him not to close the door on faith. And she told Charles that she feared they would be separated for eternity. Charles aways listened to Emma and they talked about their differences.

On Jan, 29, 1839 Emma Wedgwood dressed in a green wedding dress walked down the isle to be united in marriage with Charles Darwin. Charles and Emma had 10 children. Three of the children died. The death of their beloved daughter Annie broke their hearts. It strengthened Emma’s faith but closed the door forever on God to Charles.

Darwin worked for many years on his theory. He tried not to offend anyone but make his arguments as infallible as possible. He showed Emma his drafts and those she wrote “a great assumption” in the margin, he worked the harder on. In 1859 he finally had “The Origin of the Species” ready for publication. Emma was Charles’s most dedicated and trusted editor. As she read the argument that took God out of the equation she did not ask Charles to soften it at all. She helped him make his book more understandable by making the language clearer.

After he became famous people often asked Charles what he believed about God. He most often said his views were of no consequence to anyone but himself. He often pointed to his friend, Asa Gray who was a botanist and a theist.

Although Emma and Charles were never able to come to an agreement about the existence of God, They were able to bridge the gulf and truly understand what the other believed. It is a successful marriage that allows each partner to hold two opposite views and each understand the others point of view. It is also the sign of a successful society that allows every person to hold their own point of view peacefully without injury or insult.

Charles and Emma were married 43 years. There is a story passed around that Charles accepted God on his death bed. The true story is; When he suffered his fatal heart attack, Charles told Emma that he was “not the least afraid of death.” He told Emma on his death bed, “Remember what a good wife you have been to me.” Emma held Charles in her arms as he died.