Charles Darwin Quotes
From his autobiography, sub-heading of "religious beliefs"

Charles Darwin : Committed to Christian truths
"Accordingly I read with great care Pearson on the Creeds and a few other books on divinity; and as I did not then in the least doubt the strict and literal truth of every word in the Bible, I soon persuaded myself that our Creed must be fully accepted...."

Darwin duly proceeded to Christ's College Cambridge where he was to take a degree preparatory to Ordination as a minister of religion. He did indeed qualify with a degree but he was never Ordained. Although his direction towards entering the church was never formally abandoned the fact of his being offered, and accepting just after graduation, a place on HMS Beagle during a protracted scientific voyage placed his feet on an alternative path in life.

Charles Darwin : denies Christian truths and doubts the truthfulness of the Old Testament

"...During these two years (March 1837 - January 1839) I was led to think much about religion. Whilst on board the Beagle I was quite orthodox, and I remember being heartily laughed at by several officers (though themselves orthodox) for quoting the Bible as an unanswerable authority on some point of morality. I suppose it was the novelty of the argument that amused them. But I had gradually come by this time (i.e. 1836 to 1839) to see the Old Testament, from its manifestly false history of the world, with the Tower of Babel, the rain-bow as a sign, &c., &c., and from its attributing to God the feelings of a revengeful tyrant, was no more to be trusted than the sacred books of the Hindoos, or the beliefs of any barbarian....
....Thus disbelief crept over me at a very slow rate, but was at last complete. The rate was so slow that I felt no distress, and have never since doubted for a single second that my conclusion was correct. I can indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true; for if so, the plain language of the text seems to show that the men who do not believe, and this would include my Father, Brother, and almost all my best friends, will be everlastingly punished.
And this is a damnable doctrine...."

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