A handwritten letter in which English naturalist Charles Darwin confesses that he does not believe in Bible as a divine revelation or Jesus Christ as the son of God is expected to fetch up to $90,000 at an auction here.
The subject of Darwin’s religiosity had long been a cause of vehement debate. Darwin himself largely refrained from public comment, probably to respect the feelings of his friends and family.
Darwin’s letter is a reply to a young barrister named Francis McDermott. McDermott wrote to Darwin on November 23, 1880, with an unusual request.
“If I am to have pleasure in reading your books I must feel that at the end I shall not have lost my faith in the New Testament,” he wrote. “My reason in writing to you therefore is to ask you to give me a Yes or No to the question Do you believe in the New Testament...” McDermott wrote.
McDermott continues by promising not to publicise Darwin’s reply in the “theological papers”. Darwin responded the very next day. “Dear Sir, I am sorry to have to inform you that I do not believe in the Bible as a divine revelation and therefore not in Jesus Christ as the son of God. Yours faithfully Ch Darwin,” Darwin wrote.