Charles Darwin’s primary goal in writing On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859) was to discredit what came to be known as creationism. Twelve years after publishing this book he explained that he had “had two distinct objects in view”: “firstly, to show that species had not been separately created, and secondly, that natural selection had been the chief agent of change.” Admitting that he may have exaggerated the power of natural selection, he took comfort in having at least “done good service in aiding to overthrow the dogma of separate creations” (Darwin 1871a, 1:146–47). Indeed, his primary scientific accomplishment was convincing his fellow naturalists that evolution was a fact of nature – and doing so within about fifteen years.

Despite believing that attributing the structure of animals to “the will of the Deity” was “utterly useless” scientifically (H. E. Gruber 1974, 417–18), Darwin did not himself entirely shun appeals to the Creator. Near the end of the Origin he wrote: