In Response to John Petrilli's letter dated 4/4/2005:

The Big Bang theory of cosmogenesis does an excellent job of explaining many and
varied astronomical and physical observations of the universe, while Darwin's theory
of evolution through natural selection provides the framework upon which all of
modern biology rests.  Neither of them has anything to do with morality.

It is an unfortunate accident of history that Darwin's theory became associated with
the phrase "survival of the fittest."  Darwin never used the words himself.  Instead,
they were coined by Herbert Spencer, an English economist whose theory of Social
Darwinism has little, if anything, to do with the work of Darwin.

It is therefore a mistake to imply that a naturalistic worldview embracing things
like Big Bang cosmology and Darwinian evolution is in any way related to our nation's
shameful past, from the holocaust perpetrated on Native Americans to the blight of
slavery mentioned by Mr. Petrilli.

It is true, however, that people have used an incorrect understanding of Darwin's
theory of evolution through natural selection to justify morally questionable actions.
In this instance though, the blame must rest with those who fail to understand what
Darwin really believed, not with his theory or with the broader philosophy of 
naturalism on which science depends.

Furthermore, it is quite possible to formulate a philosophy that recognizes the
value of the individual without the need for a higher power.  Perhaps the most famous
example is the doctrine of humanism, espoused by, among others: Plato, Erasmus,
Voltaire, Thomas Paine, and Albert Einstein.