The Author James Moore is lecturer in the history of science and technology at The Open University in the United Kingdom. He is co-author of the biography Darwin , published in 1991.
Some stories never die.
One of the most common legends in Christian circles concerns Charles Darwin. As the story is usually told, Darwin on his deathbed both returned to Christ and renounced his theory of evolution. While the story has been vehemently denied by Darwin's family and others over the years, it continues to circulate. Historian and Darwin biographer James Moore set out to investigate the origins of this legend and to determine whether it had any basis in fact. What he uncovered is an interesting tale of how not only some Christians, but also some atheists and Darwin's own family, distorted Darwin's legacy for their own ends.